The Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton, Somerset, is devoted to the history of British naval aviation and houses what curator David Morris described to Gates as "the biggest collection of historic naval aircraft in Europe" — 103 aircraft in total, including a Concorde. The museum sits on the grounds of RNAS Yeovilton, an active military airfield, giving visitors the unusual opportunity to watch modern military aircraft take off and land from dedicated viewing areas. Located about 7 miles (11 km) north of Yeovil and roughly 40 miles (64 km) south of Bristol, the site occupies the hangars of a former Royal Navy base that was operational during the Second World War. At its entrance stand anchors from HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle, fleet carriers that served the Royal Navy until the 1970s. Gates visited the museum in Season 13 to investigate the "Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild" project — an ambitious attempt to reconstruct the only surviving example of the Fairey Barracuda, a WWII carrier-based torpedo bomber of which more than 2,600 were built but not a single complete airframe survived the war.
RNAS Yeovilton operates as a crucial Royal Navy base during the Second World War, providing the infrastructure that would later house the museum
The Royal Navy eventually departs the base; the old hangars are repurposed for what becomes the Fleet Air Arm Museum
Gates visits the museum during Season 13 of Expedition Unknown, meeting curator David Morris and examining the early stages of the Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild project
Curator David Morris walked Gates through the scale of what the restoration team is attempting: reassembling a Fairey Barracuda from salvaged parts of crashed aircraft, one component at a time, with tens of thousands of pieces to account for. What makes the project particularly daunting, Morris explained on camera, is that the original engineering blueprints for the Barracuda have been lost — meaning the team must essentially write their own instruction manual as they go, reverse-engineering a complete aircraft from fragments.
The Fairey Barracuda holds a significant place in British naval aviation history. It served as the Royal Navy's primary carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber from 1943 onwards, and saw notable action including attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. Despite being produced in large numbers, the type was rapidly phased out and scrapped after the war, which is why no complete example has survived to the present day — a fate shared by many wartime aircraft types that were simply no longer needed once peace arrived.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum's Barracuda Live project is considered a serious conservation effort within the heritage aviation community. Rebuilding an aircraft from salvaged parts and self-generated documentation is painstaking work that can take many years, and the authenticity of each recovered component is carefully verified. The project is unusual precisely because it aims to produce not a replica but a reconstruction from original materials — a meaningful distinction in museum practice.
Gates' episode doesn't claim the project is complete or that a flyable Barracuda is imminent — appropriately, since the visit appeared to capture the early stages of what Morris called "a massive project." The episode's contribution is more about illuminating why this particular aircraft vanished so completely from the historical record, and why a dedicated team in Somerset is doing something Gates himself called, with affection, "officially crazy" to bring it back.
The museum holds 103 aircraft in total, including a Concorde — one of only a handful on public display anywhere in the world.
More than 2,600 Fairey Barracudas were built for the Royal Navy during WWII, more than any other naval aircraft type of the era, yet not a single complete airframe survived the war.
The museum is built in the former hangars of RNAS Yeovilton, a Royal Navy base that was active during the Second World War.
At the museum's entrance stand anchors from HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle, fleet carriers that served the Royal Navy until the 1970s.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is generally accessible to the public, with a large collection spread across multiple hangars at RNAS Yeovilton. Visitors can expect to see aircraft displays spanning the full history of British naval aviation, along with viewing areas overlooking the active airfield. Check the museum's official website for current opening hours, admission prices, and any temporary exhibition updates before visiting.
Yeovil, approximately 7 miles (11 km) to the south; Bristol is approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the north.
Somerset is generally mild but prone to rain year-round, as Gates himself noted on arrival. Spring and summer months offer the best weather for making the most of outdoor viewing areas on the airfield.
RAF Dunino Airfield
RAF Dunino Airfield is another British aviation heritage site investigated by Gates, connecting through the shared theme of WWII-era military aviation in the UK.
Normandy Beaches, France
The Normandy Beaches investigation covers the broader Allied WWII campaign that the Barracuda and Fleet Air Arm were part of, linking through the same conflict and era.
Wrocław (Breslau)
Wrocław (Breslau) is another Gates investigation into WWII-era European history, sharing the episode's overarching theme of uncovering lost or forgotten chapters of the Second World War.
Historical data sourced from Wikipedia