DolWin4: B-17 aircraft wreckage at the site of the Amprion converter platform

During UXO surveys in the area of the planned Amprion converter platform DolWin delta, the wreckage of a B-17 aircraft from the Second World War was identified. The aircraft wreckage has been examined over the past few weeks. There will be no delays to the project.

During a routine UXO survey last summer, Amprion identified a wreckage of a US B-17 bomber from the Second World War near the DolWin delta offshore converter platform - around 260 metres from the centre of the platform. As this was a US military aircraft, the US Air Force in Ramstein was immediately notified, followed by the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) as the responsible authority, which supervised the work on board the survey vessel on site.

The wreckage was examined by Rheinmetall EOD Services GmbH. According to Amprion, the DPAA's expertise in aircraft details, handling possible human remains and classifying war graves and archaeological wreck finds proved extremely helpful on board.

The work focused on three questions: whether the aircraft was still intact on site and, if so, whether there was any unexploded ordnance on board; whether the aircraft could be clearly identified, for example by its serial numbers; and whether there were any indications of human remains from the crew.

Rheinmetall EOD Services investigated the site from mid-November to Christmas 2025. First, a detailed survey was carried out using an electro magnetometer to map the location and extent of the wreckage. The wreckage was then cleared section by section; it was covered by around 1.5 metres of soil. With the support of the DPAA, the bomb bay area was quickly located. The interior of the bomb bay was exposed and inspected via open hatches. The result: there were no bombs on board. The area near the wreck and the bomb bay were checked for safety and cleared.

This meant that Amprion could expect the area around the site to be cleared for further project work without having to anticipate any delays in the project schedule.

The evaluation of further findings and data for the ongoing identification of the individual machine and the question of possible human remains is currently underway. The next steps will be coordinated closely with the responsible German authorities and the DPAA. According to Amprion, the protection of employees and the environment, as well as the dignified treatment of possible war graves, are top priorities.

The DolWin4 and BorWin4 offshore grid connection systems, which run largely parallel to each other, are among the most important energy transition projects in Germany. They are scheduled to go into operation in 2028. From the North Sea wind farms, the cables initially run 60 and 125 kilometres respectively at sea. They pass under the island of Norderney and reach the coast in the Hilgenriedersiel area. From there, they run for another 155 kilometres as underground cables towards the Hanekenfähr substation in Lingen (Ems), where Amprion will connect them to its transmission grid. The Emsland nuclear power plant was taken off the grid there in April 2023. DolWin4 and BorWin4 will ensure that the lost generation capacity is replaced by 1.8 GW of offshore wind energy.