Sandwich Flats B17 G 42 -31243 303rd bomb group 427th bomb squadron ditched 1st December 1943.

The remains of the B17 flying fortress on the Sandwich Flats , Sandwich Bay, Kent is one of many wreck sites on the flats. The crash site lay undisturbed until 1999 when two incidents took place that left the flying fortress looking like a  demolished wreck. In April 1999 the site was looted with two engines stolen and items taken. This was followed by an excavation that removed more items leaving just the wings, two engines and part of the frame in the fuselage area.
Since 1999 the site has been covered and uncovered by sand on many occasions, often with just a lone propeller sticking out of the sand. During the winter of 2015/2016 the site was uncovered yet again but this time wreckage appeared on the foreshore as it is now evident the wings are breaking up. At first I was unaware where the wreckage was coming from until I became aware of the crash site. As soon as it became clear the wreckage was from the B17 I informed the Receiver of Wrecks and declared the items I found.
Since then I have been out to the sites a few times just taking photographs and building up a library of images. I am waiting on a decision on the items I have picked up off the shoreline and hopefully they should go into a museum locally.
For those interested here are some of the photographs taken of the site and some of the finds on the shoreline and inter tidal zone.