A SCUBA diver from the North-East has helped raise two historic bouncing bombs like those featured in the Second World War Dam Busters raids.

Simon Smith, of Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, joined a daring mission to recover the Highball bombs from the bottom of a Loch Striven in Argyll, Scotland.

The divers from the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) were led by Mark Paisey of Macclesfield-based East Cheshire Sub-Aqua Club, and helped by the Royal Navy and other agencies.

Around 200 Highballs have lain at the bottom of the loch for almost 75 years since they were tested by the Royal Navy for use against enemy ships in the Second World War.

The two Highballs will be donated to two museums, so they can be put on display to the public in time for the 75th anniversary of the Dam Busters raid, in 2018.

Mr Smith, who is a member of Tyneside 114 BSAC which meets in Gateshead, said: “It’s been absolutely brilliant to be involved. No-one’s seen these Highballs for 75 years.

“This project has been a long time coming to fruition and we are really looking forward to seeing them go off to museums so other people can see them.”

Each diver played a vital role in the mission which involved a series of exploratory dives at depths of up to 50 metres, to identify which Highballs were suitable for recovery, and secure them for lifting.

Royal Navy divers then attached specialist lifting equipment to the heavy metal Highballs, which were then winched out of the water by members of the Royal Navy’s Northern Diving Group (NDG), onto their workboat the Cato.

Mr Paisey said said: “We’ve exceeded our expectations. This is the culmination of a very long collaborative project and it was unbelievable to see the first one come out of the water.

“It was covered in mud and marine crustaceans but when we cleaned it off it was perfectly preserved, down to the nuts and bolts. No-one has seen one of these for the best part of 75 years so it was quite emotional to see it close up.The bombs, which are inactive, will be packed ready for transport.”

The Highballs were the naval or anti-ship version of the cylindrical shaped Upkeep bouncing bombs which were used by the Royal Air Force in the actual Dambusters raid in May 1943, both having been designed by Sir Barnes Wallis to bounce over water.