Twenty-eight points appear on the map, between Thionville and Sierck-les-Bains. They correspond to the twenty-eight wrecks identified by the surveys of the Waterways of France and the gendarmerie carried out at the bottom of the Moselle. The data was cross-referenced. The wrecks have been modeled. One of them suggests a car on its back, wheels in the air, others are less obvious to decipher. Since Monday, a team from the river brigade of the Metz gendarmerie has been crisscrossing the area to determine the nature of the elements spotted, to confirm their position.
GPS coordinates, depth, distance from the shore accompany each image, orient the boat and guide the twenty-eight programmed dives. The sky is clear but underwater, visibility is reduced. From the first hours of the gendarmerie operation, two stolen cars were however identified. The number plates are still legible. One of the carcasses has been missing since 2012.
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Evacuate carcasses
The divers also came across vehicles crushed by barges, an old Volkswagen utility, a nondescript sheet metal plate. Over the next few months, Voies navigables de France will rely on this initial research to bring up the wrecks, still under the control of the river brigade. The maneuver has a cost. “The carcasses will be placed on a barge and then landed on a vacant lot,” explains Warrant Officer Christian Pacho.
Investigations will continue on the surface. “We generally manage to identify 80% of the vehicles released”, continues the commander of the river brigade.
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Four divers
The operation is repeated regularly. This portion from Thionville to Sierck has not been raked for a few years. The gendarmerie star is carrying four divers, two Mosellens as well as two specially detached Alsatians. One of them is a technician in underwater investigations.
A blue and white flag, erected at the back of the boat, warns of their presence. “A notice to skippers was also sent to alert the other mariners,” adds Warrant Officer Eric Gress, deputy commander of the brigade. The gendarme pilot has his eyes riveted on the screen which identifies the arrival of any boats on the intervention portion. The scouting mission lasts three days and ends on Wednesday.
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