These Spitfire's are the Mark XIV, which are equipped with the Rolls Royce Griffon engines.
Crank



Like a treasure chest stuffed with priceless booty, as many as 20 World War II-era Spitfire planes are perfectly preserved, buried in crates beneath Burma and after 67 years underground, they're set to be uncovered.

The planes were shipped in standard fashion in 1945 from their manufacturer in England to the Far East country: waxed, wrapped in greased paper and tarred to protect against the elements. They were then buried in the crates they were shipped in, rather than let them fall into enemy hands, said David Cundall, an aviation enthusiast who has spent 15 years and about $200,000 in his efforts to reveal the lost planes



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/...#ixzz1sZJQttAO

They couldn't 'fall into enemy hands', by the time they got to Burma, there was no enemy...I take it that they were 'surplus to requirements' and to save the cost of returning them to where they also were not needed...
Evan, WB #12.

Sooooo, they'll get them back to England and then we'll see them on ebay??

Wayyyy outta my price range!

I just hope the hydroplane guys don't get a hold of those Griffon engines. They were meant to fly.