SALVAGE OF SUNKEN INVERCARGILL PLANE

Grey River Argus, 1 September 1948, Page 5

SALVAGE OF SUNKEN INVERCARGILL PLANE

OAMARU, Aug. 31. The search for the missing Puss Moth aircraft and the body of its owner and pilot, Mr Angus Mclntosh, of Invercargill was continued to-day with further dragging operations. Thp largest piece of wreckage—part of the fuselage—was brought up by one of the grappling irons this morning, according to a message to the Oamaru police from the trawler St. Michael, and dope... are held that the sunken plane will be brought to the surface, lhe Michael is equipped with a . powerful winch, and, if the plane is hooked near the engine, it could be raised. The launch Julia, which broke down yesterday afternoon under the strain of the dragline, has beeiL , re and she left port this morning with the St. Michael. The strip of fuselage brought up this morning may have been/ t° in from the plane by one of the grapling irons and dragging has been concentrated on an area between 200 and 300 yards off the beach, slightly north of where the larger oil patch was located on Sunday afternoon. When the St. Michael returned to port yesterday, Mr M. Aspros, who owns’ both the trawler and the launch, handed to the police a green cushion, and also two aeroplane wheel chocks, which contained the words in red letterin'* . Andy Mack’s,” the word “’Andy” being on one chock and the word “Mack s on the other. The chocks were Hied together with a length of cord. _ The cushion and chocks have been identified as belonging to the missing plane.