A HAMPSHIRE lifeboat crew got more than they bargained for when they lifted their anchor chain – and found a 50-year-old seaplane propeller attached to it.

The quarter-tonne propeller was discovered by crewmen from Calshot RNLI station and is thought to be one of four from a Sunderland seaplane based at Calshot when it was an RAF base.

Crew members noticed the mooring buoy for their Tyne-class lifeboat had been snagged when they returned from a routine operation a week ago.

Calshot crewman Mike Lawrence raised the mooring chain at low tide in the early hours of yesterday morning – and made the shock discovery.

Mike, the station’s number two coxswain and mechanic, said: “When it first broke the surface I thought it was a rudder from a yacht but, as more and more came out, I realised it was an aeroplane propeller.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“With a bit of difficulty we managed to haul it out of the water and get it to the shore.

“I thought that the anchor chain might have damaged it but it is very well preserved because most of it has been submerged in mud.”

Mike immediately notified the Receiver of Wreck, also known as Coroner of the Seas, who will now investigate ownership of the propeller.

It is believed it belongs to a Sunderland seaplane which sank at its mooring in the early 1960s.

The propeller is now on its way to Southampton’s Solent Sky aviation museum where it will go on display.

Curator Alan Jones said: “This propeller is another little piece of Southampton’s history and we are more than happy to display it in the museum.”