Capernwray plane - first photos

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A Hawker Siddeley (HS) 748 passenger airliner became the largest underwater attraction ever installed at a British inland site when it was sank on 29 March.

The good people at the picturesque Capernwray dive centre on the edge of the Lake District have spent the last few months preparing an amazing new underwater attraction. They have acquired a Hawker Siddeley (HS) 748, which to those of us not up on our aircraft recognition is a full-sized airliner from the 1960s with a wingspan of 30 metres! Powered by two Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines, this elegant lady was designed to carry up to 48 passengers to glamorous destinations in great comfort.

Known by her official aircraft registration as G-BVOV, the history of this aircraft makes fascinating reading. A series 2A HS748, she was built at the end of this aircraft’s production run in 1980 and was first employed by a Portuguese airline, flying between Lisbon and the Azores. Later, she was re-registered in the UK and flew from Liverpool under the Emerald Airways banner until her last flight in 2006, when that airline finally went out of business. Many adventures befell her along the way, including a decidedly dodgy landing at Guernsey Airport in early 2006 when the pilot had a bit of a mishap and managed to run off the end of the runway!

The Capernwray team acquired G-BVOV late last year and have spent the cold winter months quietly preparing her for her final resting place beneath the clear waters of the dive centre. With a shining white fuselage, she is still resplendent in her Emerald Airways paint scheme, as can be seen in the photographs.
This will be a stunning wreck underwater and will make a fantastic dive and centerpiece to the many famous underwater attractions at Capernwray. www.dive-site.co.uk