Experts have begun the delicate task of cleaning barnacles and silt from a rare German Second World War Dornier 17 bomber which has been at the bottom of the sea for more than 70 years.
Conservation staff at the RAF Museum in Cosford, Shropshire, are using a very dilute acid to clean away the debris that has stuck to the aircraft.
The remains of the largely-intact bomber were lifted from the bottom of the English Channel where it has lain since being shot down in the Battle of Britain.
In what is believed to be one of the largest recoveries of its kind in British waters, the aircraft was brought ashore and transported to the museum in Shropshire more than 200 miles away.
The Dornier, including the main fuselage, the wings and both propellers, is now inside two specially-built polytunnels being treated with a special cleaning solution.
Darren Priday, deputy manager of conservation at the museum, explained that the process of getting the aircraft ready for full public display could take at least 18 months.
Experts begin cleaning recovered WW2 bomber