Image: MiG-15 wreck salvaged by UN forces Korea 1951

Description: Photograph of the first Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighter that was analyzed by United Nations' forces in the Korean War. This plane crashed in July 1951 in the tide flats south-west of Hanch'on, North Korea (Hanch'on at 38° 58' 48" N 125° 41' 15" E is not on the coast), and was later spotted by Royal Navy carrier planes from HMS Glory (R62). The plane was broken up, a piece of the engine is visible aft of the center section. The tail section was located some 350 meters away. The circular objects on the wings are coils of rope used during salvage. The wreck was located an area of mudbanks with treacherous tides and at the end of a narrow channel which was supposedly mined, ca. 160 km behind the front lines. The salvage group consisted of the RN frigate HMS Cardigan Bay (F630), a US Navy crane-bearing landing craft and a South Korean launch, which completed the task early on 21 July. UN aircraft provided guidance along the approach channel to the wreckage, which a US helicopter had marked with buoys. The cruiser HMS Kenya (C14) provided long-range radar cover, UN aircraft provided air cover. The plane was retrieved transported to Inchon and then to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (USA), for analysis.
Title: MiG-15 wreck salvaged by UN forces Korea 1951
Credit: U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News December 1951 [1]
Author: USN
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No