Video Of The Reggiane Re.2000 “Falco” Recovery

After just three days of planning  in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 4, 2013 , the Company Micoperi proceeded to recover the wreckage of the fighter of the Regia Aeronautica Reggiane Re.2000 sank off Porto Venere (La Spezia – Italy) April 16, 1943.The aircraft , supported by a special frame was then placed on a barge , made ​​available by the Italian Navy , for subsequent transfer to the base of Air Force logistic center  Cadimare , where technicians of the Italian Air Force museum will immediately work  ​​the first steps of desalination.  Here is the video of the recovery and interviews with the nephew of the pilot Luigi Guerrieri.

The wreck was located for the first time in April of 2012 , by divers  of the Italian Navy Mine Countermeasures Unit  of La Spezia during a training exercise . The desire of the Ministry of Defence to recover the aircraft , the subsequent restoration and a possible exhibition in a  museum  , remained for a while  a dream due to the high cost of the operation. Recently, however, as the Italian  Air Force has manifested the interest in the recovery Dr. Silvio Bartolotti , Chief Executive Officer of the company Micoperi – a world leader in the sector, already engaged in the recovery of the ship Concordia – has offered to provide help for the recovery free of charge.

In the days preceding the dive, several underwater inspections were performed using a special camera wire-guided (so-called ” ROV “) by the Micoperi divers.The wreck was thoroughly inspected ,  then the aircraft was secured to a flat platform structure , previously built ​​by Micoperi.The platform was then raised from the seabed with a crane (thus avoiding dangerous traction on the fuselage of the wreck ) and positioned at the bed of the pontoon ” Micoperi 30 ” . The different stages of the wreck recovery , constantly monitored and coordinated by the Operational Services of the La Spezia harbor.

The Air Force Museum at Vigna di Valle plans  to recover and restore the historic aircraft operating as far as possible , using the same construction techniques  and materials used by Reggaiane. Some of the more noticeable restoration projects of the Italian Air Force Museum are the reconnaissance biplane  Ro.43 MM.27050  recovered from Centocelle (Rome) in 1972, a scout Ro.37 found in Afghanistan. Both on permanent display at the Museum , the Reggiane RE.2002 is nearing completion.