RE: Abandoned
A lot of what you've heard applies to equipment supplied to Britain and her commonwealth countries, Australia, Canada, etc. Under terms of the lend lease agreement (material in exchange for the right to construct bases on their soil) the equipment had to either be destroyed or returned at the end of the war. The cost of returning the equipment was prohibitive so much of it was dumped or buried, case in point the Spitfires. The other thing to consider is that many of the aircraft were obsoleted by the coming of jets so their value was basically nil. Aircraft dumped off of the carriers were considered worn out and of little value. Their value is high only in light of the passage of time. At the end of the war they had only scrap value. Many brand new planes were flown from the factory to the scrap yard because the aluminum was needed more than the plane!
Larry