The search for a missing aircraft off Portland continues - but other interesting finds are turning up along the way, including this shipwreck.

Diving and exploration group Deeper Dorset began in April its search for the wreckage of a US Air Force Hercules transporter plane that went missing from radar somewhere over the English Channel in May 1969. The search is ongoing, and Deeper Dorset founder Grahame Knott remains upbeat about discovering the truth behind the lost aircraft.

And in the meantime, he said, the group was turning up interesting finds - such as this shipwreck at the bottom of the Channel, off Portland.

"This is a typical English channel shipwreck - the sort of thing we are seeing a lot of right now," he said.

"At this time we are working on long ranges and are able to cut a quarter of a mile swath across the seabed, and as we locate areas of possible interest we will revisit on a shorter ranger higher frequency for a better resolution and a clearer look.

"After that it is remote cameras, and finally very interesting targets - that may well turn out to be the Hercules - will be subject to the mark-one eyeball inspection i.e. a diver."

The USAF plane was taken by Sergeant Paul A. Mayer from his base in Suffolk, apparently with the intention of flying home to his family in the US. But the exact fate of plane and pilot remain unclear - a mystery that Mr Knott and his team are hoping will be cleared by the discovery of the wreckage before the end of the summer.