A CAMPAIGN to save a one-of-a-kind aircraft based in Somerset has received royal support.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was in the county on Friday (September 13) to visit Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild, at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, in Yeovilton.

Part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Princess Royal met museum staff and volunteers, while viewing the project to save the world’s only Second World War Fairey Barracuda from extinction.

The museum, now in its 60th year, was opened by His Royal Highness Prince Phillip in 1964.

Barracuda Live showcases the complex engineering and archaeological task of rebuilding the iconic aircraft, as part of visitor experience at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Piece by piece, a passionate team of staff and volunteers at the museum has been given Ministry of Defence (MOD) permission to gather scattered parts from wreck sites across the British Isles.

Their unwavering commitment is driven by a desire to not just preserve the aircraft but also to honour the courageous individuals who built, flew and maintained them.

A Fairey Barracuda in action

Matthew Sheldon, CEO of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said: “It was such a privilege to host Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

“We are very proud of the ground-breaking work that our team of conservationists are putting into the Big Rebuild.

“What we’re learning here will benefit other conservation projects across the UK and beyond. We hope Her Royal Highness thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild gives people the chance to hear the incredible story of the aircraft and Fleet Air Arm Museum’s 50-year journey to rebuild it.

Their mission is to reconstruct a complete (non-flying) Barracuda aircraft. For an in-depth look at the restoration work, visit www.nmrn.org.uk.