Wheel in a garden on Unst.

This tail  wheel was spotted and photographed in a garden in Lerwick it had the word `Aeroplane` and size 7.00 x 4  3/4  which is common with Spitfire and Seafire types, though so far we have not found any of these lost in this area,  it was washed up on the beach at Woodwick Bay,Unst. Also on the tyre wall was the letter`V` and `WG16` in a circle.  Photo: John Leach.

Fused once-Molten Alloy Nr Sella Ness

    

A palm size lump of once molten aircraft alluminium found on the gravel beach at Voe of Scatsta, could have come from any of 3 aircraft known to have been lost and on fire in Sullom Voe, i.e. Saro London L7040 on 22/02/1940,  Sunderland N9046 on 11/12/1940 or a Bf-110E-2  Werk No.3774 shot down in flames on 23/03/1941, the latter does seem a more likely candidate as this is reported to have crashed in the water just off Sella Ness, wheras others were further out in Sullom Voe.   Photo: Geoff Bland. 

 

 

Prop found dragged up by fishermen in Scalloway Harbour in 1980 still defies identification,obviously some serious damage has occurred by hitting a hard object, this looks to be a Hamilton standard type  which were used on a wide variety of aircraft. Any ideas anyone?  Photo: Shetland Museum.

UPDATE!

Andy Carter helped with this one and suggested the Catalina on Whalsay, after checking through copies of Aviation Archaeologist magazine, a photo was found with divers at Lerwick,with the same prop with sawn off blade in 1985 and the caption states it was from FP103 which was wrecked at Point of Gruid,Whalsay on 8th September 1942 while returning from a flight to Russia with pilot Lt H.N.Honey SAAF & crew,all escaped OK.  Thanks for your help Andy. (See mag pics below )  Amazing how it ended up in Scalloway harbour though, Anyone know its wherabouts now?

Photos:  Shetland Museum.

 ANOTHER MYSTERY PROP` 

 

This propeller was recovered in the 80s in Baltasound off Unst, a group of men seen here with the prop at Lerwick.  Could it have come from the Gloster Gladiator N5716 that forcelanded on the beach at Haroldswick in the Summer of 1940 perhaps?   Photo:  Shetland Museum.

UPDATE!  

Here is an e-mail we received from engine restoration expert Peter Grieve in Carlisle.

 At the bottom of your page of unidentified pics from Shetland, if you have a bigger version of the photo of the prop and gearbox on the quayside I may be able to tell you the type of engine. 

I will look at the pics of the prop assembly and get back to you. It is definitely a Hydromatic, but unfortunately these were made and used by Britain and America! I wondered if I could ID the engine. I am fairly sure it is American because of the type of reduction gear. 

Having looked at reference for the prop hub and reduction gear on Shetland, it looks just like the P&W R-1830 gearing. That is not to say it could not be from another P&W engine, but it is not R-2800, so 1830 would easily be the most likely. 

That would make it B-24, Dakota, Catalina, Curtiss Hawk, Grumman Wildcat, I doubt the Hawk would have a Hydromatic hub, more likely a Curtiss Electric.

Catalina is a good possibility perhaps?

You can find some of Peter`s restoration work on this website:

  http://sites.google.com/site/merlinv12site/rolls-royce-merlin-xx

PROPELLERS IN A LERWICK STORAGE DEPOT

These  pictures were sent in by a Shetland resident,they are of propellers which lay in a yard at a storage depot for the Shetland Museum in Lerwick.  It is not known at present what type of aircraft they belonged to, or whether they came from a wartime dump,the sea or a crashed aircraft,(The fact the blades are bent suggest this) but further invstigations will be made. 

 

All these 3 Photos:  Sammy Sjoberg.

 

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