Another sunken WWII military aircraft discovered in waters off Saaremaa

Specialists from the hydrography department of the Transport Administration have discovered a World War II era military aircraft in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Photo: transpordiamet

Specialists from the hydrography department of the Transport Administration have discovered a World War II era military aircraft in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea.

Head of the hydrography department Peeter Valing said that the aircraft wreck was found last week 16.5 kilometers southeast of the Abruka island in the Gulf of Riga during measurement works carried out by the ship Jakob Prei, according to spokespeople for the Transport Administration.

«The aircraft has two engines, a fuselage length of 17 meters, and a wingspan of also about 17 meters. The wreck is in two pieces, with the tail section located 46 meters north of the fuselage,» Valing explained.

«At the moment, the type of the aircraft remains unknown, but it is certainly a military aircraft from the World War II. We currently know of four aircraft in the Gulf of Riga, two of which were found during mine-clearance operations,» Valing added.

During measurement works at the end of August, hydrographers also discovered a freight steamer that sank a hundred years ago near Saaremaa island.