A FIGHTER plane that crashed off the coast of North Wales during World War II has been given protected status.
The ghostly wreck of the US jet is occasionally revealed when the sea washes sand from it.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter crashed into its watery grave in September 1942.
It was buried beneath 6.6 feet of sand.
The plane was first spotted in the 1970s and has been uncovered by experts twice.
Once in 2007 and another in 2014.
Protected status for the incredible piece of history will mean it will be protected by UK officials because it’s of historic and archaeological significance.
The site of the fighter plane is now the first legally designated military aircraft crash site protected for these reasons in the UK.
It was flown by 24-year-old Second Lt. Robert F. Elliott.
Amazingly, the pilot walked away from the crash.
However, he was reported missing in action just a few months later.
Elliott’s nephew and US Navy veteran Robert Elliott said: “I am honoured and delighted that Cadw has given official recognition of my uncle’s P38F as a scheduled Ancient Monument.
“My uncle was among those brave and expert fighter pilots who served with distinction during WWII.
“My visit to the site with my wife Cathy in 2016 was very moving and emotional.”
UK Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis Thomas, said: “This site is of international significance and I’m delighted that this designation underlines its special qualities as well as protecting it for the benefit of future generations.
“As we have seen following Remembrance events over the weekend, sites such as this represent events which must not be forgotten, Wales will always remember and respect all those who contributed to securing the peace we are so fortunate to enjoy today.”
Cadw is the governing body of protected sites in Wales.
In other archaeology news, a hoard of expensive bottles of liquor destined for Tzar Nicholas II’s Russia have been salvaged from a World War I shipwreck.
The twisted remains of a US warship sunk by the Japanese during a brutal WWII skirmish have been found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And, the face of a 1,000-year-old Viking warrior woman with a gruesome battle wound across her skull has been revealed.
Are you glad the fighter plane now has protected status? Let us know in the comments…