2023-10-12 11:17:36
What happened to the wrecks? In the spring of 1940, while the German armies were sweeping over Paris, an operation called Dynamo made it possible to evacuate several hundred thousand British, Belgian and French soldiers to Great Britain. For nine days and nine nights, a thousand boats of all types crossed the Strait of Pas de Calais to transport 338,000 survivors of the blitzkrieg waged by the German army.
This military operation gave rise in particular to two films Weekend in Zuydcoote released in 1964, with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and more recently Dunkirk, by Christopher Nolan. It also generated its share of mysteries at the bottom of the sea. This is why, more than 80 years later, France and the United Kingdom began new joint research three weeks ago off the coast of Dunkirk. , in the North, to find traces of certain sunken ships. The results are due to be revealed on Friday at a press conference. 20 Minutes takes stock of this high-precision underwater exploration*.
What is this research campaign?
The objective is to determine more precisely the location of certain ships and, why not, to find new ones. A thousand boats took part in this maritime transport operation in 1940, but research focuses on the 168 warships or transport ships which were sunk and more particularly on 31 wrecks whose position remains, even today, approximate.
“Some ships have been refloated, others are not located at all and pleasure ships have completely disappeared over time,” explains Claire Destanque, one of the two archaeologists of the French Department of Underwater Archaeological Research (Drassm)which is piloting the project with two British physicists from Historic England (the service which manages heritage in England).
Thanks to a multibeam echosounder, the exploration team must establish a very precise map of the position of the wrecks. “The objective is to very precisely locate these 31 wrecks and perhaps others not listed,” underlines Cécile Sauvage, the other Drassm archaeologist.
Why are we interested in these old wrecks?
“There is no question of rewriting the history of Operation Dynamo,” explains Claire Destanque, who also wrote a dissertation on the lost ships when she was a student at the University of Aix-Marseille. His work was based on archival research and the work of Jean Poiriez, member of the Dunkirk History and Archeology Society.
It is rather a matter of determining the heritage that still lies at the bottom of the seas. Because this mission foreshadows a second which will take place in 2024. Next year, divers must check the state of the wrecks, in partnership with the Dunkirk diving club. “The precise inventory and location of stranding areas will save a lot of time,” explains Cécile Sauvage.
No question of searching the ships, because they are war graves for the British. “But if bodies are spotted, the information will be reported to the authorities. Ditto in the event of remaining fuel in ship tanks to prevent possible future pollution,” she continues.
Necessary inventory?
Five years ago, the same type of underwater exploration was carried out in Normandy to list the wrecks of the landings with a view to classifying the beaches at UNESCO, explains, has The voice of the NorthBruno Pruvost, diver and guide offering visits to wrecks at low tide on the Dunkirk coast.
Classification is not the concern of the exploration team, but this inventory work remains necessary. A Drassm team had already come to explore the sea off Dunkirk, notably during the offshore wind turbine installation project. This type of work requires knowing the map of wrecks. “On the other hand, assures Cécile Sauvage, this is the first historical research project carried out in the sector. »
* Vessel « André-Malreaux » who participated in this underwater exploration will be visible and visitable, Saturday October 14 and Sunday October 15 (from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Freycinet quay, in Dunkirk.
#search #wrecks #disappeared #Operation #Dynamo