Divers solve D-Day tanks mystery
A team of divers from Southsea SAC have solved a mystery of how two tanks, two bulldozers and a field gun came to rest on the sea bed eight miles off the South Coast. The historic World War Two armoured vehicles and gun lie jumbled up on the sea bed in Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, at a depth of 20 metres. But there is no known associated shipwreck nearby.
The Southsea SAC team spent five days in July surveying the site. As a result of their work the divers believe they now have the evidence to prove that the vehicles were lost from a tank landing craft (LCT) and not from a section of Mulberry Harbour as many locals believed.
Underwater photographs and video have allowed experts at The Tank Museum in Bovington to identify the tanks as Centaur CS IVs – the type used exclusively by the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of continental Europe that started on 6 June 1944 (D-Day). Their purpose was to arrive first at ‘H-Hour’ on D-Day and use their powerful Howitzer 95mm guns to take out enemy gun positions. Their LCT was specially adapted with ramps so they could fire from the craft as it approached the Normandy beaches.
A total of 80 Centaurs were to be used on D-Day but only a small number actually made it across the English Channel and only two are believed to have survived as war memorials in Normandy.
The bulldozers are also believed to be unusual, in that they were specially armoured Caterpillar bulldozers - one of a series of modifications to different types of war equipment known as ‘Hobart’s Funnies’. This type of armoured bulldozer was used by the British Army 79th Armoured Division and Royal Engineers to clear obstacles from the beaches. Little is known about the modifications made and there are no known surviving bulldozers of this type.
The underwater survey of the wreck site revealed a number of other surprising discoveries. A large ‘Kedge’ anchor, tucked just beneath a tank, two ammunition sleds, two propellers and ammunition were among the many other items found at the site. These items, and much research into the Royal Marine War Diaries, lead to the mystery of the wreck finally being solved.
The historic War Diaries of the 2nd Royal Marine Armoured Support Group, who took part in the D-Day landings at Juno Beach supporting Canadian forces, confirmed that one LCT was forced to turn back half-way across the Channel after engine trouble, and reported two Centaurs as being lost at sea. The weather was very bad during the crossing and a further Naval War Diary entry confirms that the same LCT capsized whilst under tow. All crew and Royal Marine personnel were rescued.
The diving project was led by Alison Mayor of Southsea SAC and had the approval of the Ministry of Defence. The survey team will submit its full report later this year. Teams of 12 divers took detailed measurements, photographs and video of the site to record the location, orientation and condition of the military vehicles. Some divers also conducted a survey of the marine life which has made its home on the wrecks.
“This was a great example of meaningful, purposeful club-based diving,” said Mary Tetley, BSAC’s chief executive. “It’s a great story. It has war, history, drama, human interest, big mechanical stuff, investigation, puzzle-solving and, of course, scuba diving. Lots of it.”
“The mystery of how these awesome World War Two fighting machines ended up on the sea bed in Bracklesham Bay has long puzzled Club members and now it seems we have finally found the answers,” Alison Mayor said. “These wrecks have been dived for many years but it is only when you start looking at the story behind their sinking that you begin to appreciate their true historical significance”.
The project received a grant from the British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust and was supported by Silent Planet Ltd, Portland. The Tank Museum at Bovington provided assistance in the identification of the wrecks.
Page last modified: 28th Oct 2008 - 11:12:53