RAF Marham Tornado in North Sea
Gardline Marine Sciences (GMS) has confirmed that its vessel, the MV Elinor has located the position of the RAF Marham fighter jet, the Tornado GR4 ZA 491, offshore Northumberland. The Elinor enabled Gardline to respond rapidly to the MoD brief, requiring underwater seabed survey that took less than 35 hours to detect sonar images of a plane engine and nose cone. The MCA, the UK government agency responsible for maritime safety had agreed to the diversion of Elinor’s resources from its Civil Hydrography Programme to assist the MoD Salvage and Marine Operations (S&MO IPT) team. Following final confirmation of the position of the jet, an S&MO IPT Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was deployed from Elinor to provide the MoD with a full underwater assessment.