Manufacturers Serial: 41H 59890
Engine: Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI

Manufacture completed 5th September 1934

Known movements from Air Historical Branch archives and other sources.

There are a number of period photographs of the aircraft, some with the Fleet Air Arm Museum, including two of each of its landing accidents. In 1972 the Nimrod was discovered half buried on a scrap dump at Ashford in Kent, more or less complete, but well corroded.

The aircraft remains were recovered and donated to the RAF Museum, who held them in store at RAF Henlow. The fuselage only was sold off by the museum when the Henlow storage facility was closed, to Mike Cookman, who was constructing an Hawker Typhoon at the time, from relic parts. Aero Vintage Ltd. bought the Nimrod fuselage from him in August 1991, and later that year, the wings (including the wings from a second Nimrod that Aero Vintage acquired, but a Nimrod I) and tail unit, which by now had re-appeared at the RAF Museum's Cosford 'deep' storage facility. The engine remains with the RAF Museum.

Still with no known identity established, a letter printed in Wingspan magazine concerning this aircraft, resulted in the proprietor of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at RAF Hawkinge, Mike Llewellyn, telephoning Aero Vintage with the news that they had a display case full of parts from this Nimrod. This included the control column, the instrument panel, map box, ammunition chutes, and much besides, but most importantly - and the real prize, was the original cockpit data plates from the aircraft, indicating it's serial number 41H 59890 and RAF number, K 3661.

Interestingly, the Nimrod was discovered only a couple of miles or so from where Lympne airfield was, and a photograph has emerged of the Nimrod's tail showing the aircraft (with a very late 802 Sqn crest on the fin) as it was right at the end of its service life; the photo gives some evidence that it may have been an instructional airframe as there is fabric damage. That lead to the suggestion that the photograph was taken at RAF Lympne, in the then-standing Belfast Hangars where there was an FAA mechanics school. In the background of the original photo can be seen Boy Scouts and well-dressed visitors, suggesting an open day. RAF Lympne was host to HMS Buzzard, formed in 1937 with several aircraft from HMS Ark Royal, but not the Nimrod at this stage, as it was known to be at Lee on Solent in 1939 (in storage possibly). The Naval Air Mechanics School was located at RAF Lympne in Sept 1939 (as HMS Daedulus ll), and we believe the aircraft may have been sent to RAF Lympne as a ground instructional airframe. When found, there was evidence of bomb damage on the airframe further suggesting that it may have been the victim of one of the many air raids that RAF Lympne was eventually to receive, probably in August 1940, at which point the remains may have been dumped at Ashford - just down the road with other debris from the bombing.

Restoration was started in earnest in 1992, with the first challenge being to re-manufacture the spars, which are a complex roll-formed item from high tensile steel strip. Without this extremely difficult part being successfully re-made there was no point in going further forward. The fortunate discovery of a large number of drawings in Denmark, eased the way forward after the spars were re-manufactured satisfactorily, and further years of work and research has lead to the aircraft towards completion. A Kestrel engine was found in Canada, and rebuilt to the appropriate specification. The Nimrod first flew on 16th November 2006 at Duxford.

This aircraft is very different to the Nimrod I, in that it has swept wings, a tail wheel, a very complex steam condensing cooling system and a gas start system. The engine was more powerful also, a Kestrel VI engine being specified.

Nimrod K3661 G-BURZ is on permanent display in Hangar 4 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford

Click here to download a PDF datasheet for the Nimrod II