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Show Float 2 Ports to Norman Coast Artificial Harbors Built in Britain Used to Supply Invasion. LONDON. Two artificial harbors, har-bors, built in secret and towed across the channel behind the assault as-sault forces for installation on the Normandy beaches, supplied the invasion in-vasion armies and "mad poi.fi'jle the liberation of western Europe," supreme headquarters disclosed recently. re-cently. - ' The worst channel storm In 40 years wrecked one before it was completed, but not before it had contributed con-tributed heavily to the stream of men and equipment pouring into France. The other was finished as planned a port as big as Dover, complete with docks, piers, and breakwaters, capable of unloading at least 12,000 tons of stores and 2,500 vehicles daily. The ports were built in three sections, sec-tions, blockships, caissons (seawalls),, (sea-walls),, and breakwaters. To provide immediate protection for the smaller ships, 60 old ships were sunk forming five small breakwaters break-waters along the French coast. Several Sev-eral British and Dutch warships were sent to the bottom with the old flotilla that provided 24,000 feet of breakwater. Gigantic Task. Planning of the gigantic construction construc-tion task began in June, 1943, when American and British operations officers of-ficers decided that French ports falling into allied hands during the invasion could not possibly have the capacity for the quantity of stores necessary. One harbor was earmarked for the Americans and the other for the British. A decision to go ahead was made at the Quebec conference of the combined com-bined chiefs of staff and involved: 1. Building 150 concrete caissons (harbor walls) of six different sizes to suit various depths of water up to 5M: fathoms (33 feet). -The largest caisson displaced 6,044 tons and the smallest 1,672. 2. Prefabrication of seven miles of pier equipment and its assembly into towing pieces 480 feet long. 3. Constructing outer breakwaters made from steel floats weighing 15,-000 15,-000 tons. 4. Preparation of the blockships 1 so they could be sunk easily and rapidly on even keeL Towed by 85 Tugs. In addition to the construction, plans had to be made for: 1. Towing the caissons, floating the breakwater and pier equipment from as far distant as Leith and Glasgow with 85 tugs necessitating 500 tows in the face of enemy action. ac-tion. 2. Servicing and general preparations prepara-tions of the tug fleet. 3. Forming and training staffs and personnel of the United States navy, the royal navy, and engineers. Soon after the assault troops hit the beach the old block ships arrived, ar-rived, and in spite of their age, all made the crossing. They were sunk by explosive charges and within five days troops and equipment ashore were provided very valuable shelter during this critical period. (Continued on page 5) (Continued from page 1) Meanwhile the breakwaters, caissons cais-sons and piers were being towed across at an average speed of four knots through choppy water. Luckily Luck-ily few tugs were lost to enemy action. ac-tion. By D-day plus eight heavy moorings moor-ings had been laid in deep water to which the floating breakwaters were attached as they arrived. Port parties of American Seabees, royal engineers and royal marines cleared mines, cut ramps and prepared pre-pared roadways down to the beaches to receive theshore end of the piers. |