SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM 79 SPARVIERO Relics Findings

[jterny]

These are some photos of an Italian SM 79 trimotor torpedo bomber Tail Section and the Bombardiers gondola structure relics findings , about 23 years ago, in the island of Rhodes Greece.
My first one was the Bombardiers gondola structure, which found in Gadurras air base area, carefully stripped of it’s aluminum skin and just ……through away as waste scrap.! At first, I estimated that this fragile steel tubes and ribs structure was part of an Italian biplane fighter fuselage. But after careful study of drawings and cut aways of Italian aircrafts types which were operated in the island during the ww2, I confirmed that it was belonging to the bombardiers gondola of a Sparviero !
Some months later and after evaluating infos in nearby villages , I came in front of two complete Horizontal stabilizer structures of this type of aircraft too, placed as …fences in a field perimeter. Finally after long negotiations with the local land owner, I was able to purchase the one of these. The vertical stabilizer structure of a SM79 found several kilometers away, placed as ..door of a farm garden and recovered more or less with the same way.
Finally I was able to discover the rudder structure of a Sparviero in Maritsa area fields. This relic was used as …ladder , by attaching wooden blocks steps along the missing horizontal ribs …!
During the late 2000’s I was able for first time to connect together all the recovered SM79 tail relics (minus the elevators of course). The result was quite impressive ! (see photos)
In order to explain the presented photos for the fellows forum members and visitors, I would like to inform everyone that from these relics was missing the canvas fabric covering , which was at most the standard skinning (together with plywood ) of the pre-ww2 Regia Aeronautica aircrafts covering. This deterioration was a natural status, after the exposure of these relics for so many years in the open air weather condition . The rest remaining metal structure were consisted from steel tubes and beams , welded together in perfect aerofoil , retaining locally the original primer painting and traces of the canvas covers…
John

[rra227]

Great post! I have a key tag from a SM-79. Rich A. in Pa.

[Danmark]

Given that steel is almost three times the mass per cubic metre of aluminum, the SM79 certainly would have needed those 3 engines just to stay airborne!!

Wonderful skeletons though - thanks for rescuing them and showing us!

[jterny]

[QUOTE=Danmark;809675]Given that steel is almost three times the mass per cubic metre of aluminum, the SM79 certainly would have needed those 3 engines just to stay airborne!!

Hi there,
Your comment is not quite fare for the SM79 (but and the rest Italians airframes). Although the steel tubes was the basic material for the structures, the weight remained light ! For example the weight of the complete Horizontal Stabilizer (almost 6 meters long ), is about 80 - 90 kgs only !
As for the use of three engines, the reason mainly was due to the low hp output of the Italian made engines..

John