A SILENT WITNESS

During a spearfishing competition near the Croatian island of Zirje in September of 2014, one of the world’ s last intact SturzkampfB om be rs, or“Stuka” bomber, was found, completely by chance.

The wreck is remarkably well preserved: The plane is standing almost completely intact on its wheels, as if it had made a gentle landing on the seabed at 28 metres. The engine, probably torn away on impact, was originally found in a neighbouring bay. The discovery was significant and caused a great stir; only five others are known to exist and this is one of the most complete.

According to the Croatian Ministry of Defence, on April 12, 1941, three bombers flew attacks on two Yugoslavian warships stationed in the bays of Jadrovac near Sibenik. Two of the Stukas were shot down. One of them was destroyed and the pilot was killed, while the second was damaged and forced to go down over the water. No one knows what happened to the pilots, though the dome over the cockpit is missing and there were no human remains found at the site. It is possible that they survived.

At first, the site was closed to divers. Experts have since examined the aircraft and removed artefacts of historical interest, but efforts to salvage the wreckage to preserve and exhibit it have been abandoned. The JU87R-2 was, however, declared a site of important cultural heritage and is a listed monument.

By April 2015, the Stuka was opened to divers, under a licencing system with strict guidelines. Divers should avoid making any contact at all with the wreck, as, if it is damaged by divers, the Croatian authorities will close it down.

There are other beautiful aircraft wrecks in the Adriatic, but they lie at depths of 70 metres and more, and cannot easily be reached by amateur divers.