Exploring the Sunken Ships of Dunkirk: Uncovering World War II History

Ships sunk during World War II lie at the bottom of the Dunkirk Canal

Archaeologists have managed to locate the British destroyer “Keith”, which had been lying at the bottom of the Dunkirk Channel since it sank during Operation “Dynamo” in 1940 during World War II, and they are working from their research ship to conduct an inventory of this piece, which is about 100 meters long and 10 wide. It shows traces of a number of bombs.

According to Agence France-Presse, the warship appears in three dimensions on the screen of a geophysicist from the British government agency Historic England, which is participating in this debris transport campaign led by the French Department for Underwater Archeology Research.

The multi-beam echo sounder, suspended below the boat, measures the depth of the water, allowing it to create “a three-dimensional model of the sea floor and any shipwrecks that may be present there,” according to the geophysicist.

The scientist describes “seeing the ship appear on the screen” as “an impressive matter, as these sunken ships represent a shared cultural heritage between England and France.”

The ship appears in three dimensions on the screen of a geophysicist from Historic England (AFP).

However, Cécile Sauvage, an archaeologist from the French Department for Underwater Archaeological Research, who co-directed the search operation that began on September 25, reported that this wreck “will disappear little by little” despite its “large size.” She explained that indexing it allows “protecting the memory of these ships and the human history behind their wrecks.”

Operation “Dynamo”, which was immortalized in the movie “Dunkirk” in 2017, took place from May 26 to June 4, 1940, and was represented in an attempt to evacuate the Allied forces besieged by German forces in northern France, and enable them to head to England.

In 9 days, 338,220 fighters were evacuated, most of them British, but also including Frenchmen (123,000) and Belgians (16,800), in unprecedented circumstances and on board various boats, including military ships, others designated for fishing, ferries, tugboats, and so on.

The shortest route between Dunkirk and Dover did not exceed 60 kilometers, but it was within range of enemy guns stationed in Calais.

As for archaeologist Claire Destanques, who co-managed the operation, she explains that “between 1,000 and 1,500 ships of all types crossed,” 305 of which sank due to “bombardment, enemy torpedoes, and mines, as well as collisions resulting from the panic accompanying the operation.” About 5,000 soldiers drowned, according to historian Patrick Odon of Dunkirk.

Sunken ships represent a shared cultural heritage between England and France (AFP)

Over the course of three weeks, the two archaeologists, supported by two geophysicists, surveyed the North Sea to inventory these missing ships, which is the first time this has happened in French waters.

These shipwrecks had previously been located by volunteer divers in the area, but archaeologists were supposed to confirm the locations and compare them with archival data to formalize the identity of each wreck.

The researchers then headed towards a French cargo ship about 100 meters long that came in 1940 from Algeria to unload goods in Dunkirk, and was asked to evacuate 1,200 soldiers. But she drowned shortly after leaving the port, as a result of being hit by a mine, according to Claire Destanques.

The researcher points out on the screen the impact that the mine had on the ship, which was spotted more than 80 years after it sank. She says, “The story of her drowning is very touching.”

Archaeologists announced that this research campaign made it possible to identify with certainty 27 shipwrecks that sank during Operation Dynamo.

The wreckage of 3 other pieces was also located, but their “severe damage” requires “examination by diving” during the second research phase in 2024, to confirm their identity.

Cécile Sauvage explains that the goal of such a research campaign “is to determine the location of these remains and form a better idea about them.” The goal is also to “protect these (antiquities) better, especially in the event of implementing development projects that could destroy them, such as wind farms.”

There has been a project to establish a wind farm for years off the coast of Dunkirk.

She points out that it is also an opportunity to introduce the public to this heritage, noting that “Dynamo is an important station in World War II,” but it is known to a much lesser degree in France than in Britain.

Claire Destanques explains that the wreckage of these pieces, which were hidden under the water, represents “305 stories in history.”