H.M.S. Crested Eagle - Bray-Dunes (F)
Posted by: Axel-F
N 51° 04.548 E 002° 29.493
31U E 464380 N 5658377
At low tide visible wreck of the Crested Eagle, left behind after Operarion Dynamo at the beginning of in WWII.
Waymark Code: WM11BPB
Location: Hauts-de-France, France
Date Posted: 09/23/2019
Views: 7
When the British left Dunkirk in June 1940 they abandoned a huge amount of material, including many damaged or destroyed ships, now beached on the sand along the coast. Some were repaired and reused by the Germans, and others cut up for scrap, but incredibly the wrecks of several of them are clearly visible on the beach today. Indeed, some can easily be found using Google Earth.
The most impressive wrecks are this vessel Crested Eagle and the Devonia which lie between Zuydcoote and Bray-Dunes. They can be reached on foot from the parking areas close to the seafront apartments at Bray, but can only be seen at low tides. Both were paddle steamers – the Crested Eagle worked the Essex and Kent coast and the Devonia the Bristol Channel.
The Crested Eagle caught fire after coming under German attack, It’s thought that more than 300 soldiers on board perished in the flames. Today both sets of remains and more than a dozen other small ships are largely used as mussel beds.
source: (http://www.historyextra.com/feature/dunkirk-where-history-happened)
At the wreck site of the vessel a Plaque memories the operation Dynamo. This Plaque is only visible and accessable at low tides.
Remembrance poppies are left here on a regular basis.
(own observation)
Relevent website: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours: always at low tides....
Date dedicated: 05/24/2015
Sponsor(s): Prince Michael of Kent and Paul Christophe
Entrance fees (if any): Not listed
Parking coordinates: Not Listed
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