For 65 years, this Second World War fighter had lain hidden under the surface of a beach where it crash-landed. Just a short distance above it, holidaying families have built sandcastles, strolled and swum, all unaware of its existence. But now the P-38 Lightning has re-emerged after freak weather conditions caused the sands to shift and expose its rusting frame.
The wrecks of thousands of aircraft that crashed in the sea off the English coast are to be located in a major new mapping of the seabed. Most went down during the Second World War and the project, being co-ordinated by English Heritage, is to ensure their final resting places are protected.