Shipwrecks survey uncovers location of three Dunkirk boats
The wrecks of three boats used in the Dunkirk evacuation in the Second World War have been uncovered for the first time by a detailed survey of 30 shipwrecks off the coast of France.
More than 338,000 Allied soldiers were rescued by small boats from Dunkirk over nine days between 26 May and 4 June 1940.
Historic England and its French counterpart, Drassm, carried out detailed surveys of 30 wrecks showing their position, characteristics and condition in “remarkable detail”.
The multibeam survey of the wreck of the destroyer HMS Keith
Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said: “It’s very moving to see new details emerge from 30 shipwrecks linked to Operation Dynamo for the first time since the events at Dunkirk during the Second World War.
“We’re pleased that a geophysicist from the UK, commissioned by Historic England, has been integral to the survey that has successfully captured these details alongside Drassm’s incredible team of scientists.
“The results give us a striking insight into our shared heritage that still lies beneath the waters off Dunkirk.”
The main instrument used for the survey was a multi-beam echo sounder mounted beneath the hull of the Drassm research ship Andre Malraux.
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The instrument emits a fan of sound that is recorded as it bounces off the seabed and the data is used by geophysicists to create a highly detailed three-dimensional image of seabed features such as shipwrecks.
A total of 27 Operation Dynamo wrecks were located and studied, with the precise location of 12 not previously known.
Four wrecks, either destroyed or covered by sand, could not be located.
Multibeam survey of the wreck of the Moussaillon
Multibeam survey of the wreck of the Denis Papin
Previous identification ‘had confused the two wrecks’
A Historic England spokesperson said: “A further 19 features have been studied, three of which appear to correspond to the location and characteristics of vessels lost during Operation Dynamo that were previously undiscovered.
“The identities of two wrecks – the French auxiliary minesweepers Denis Papin and Moussaillon sunk by air attacks on 1 June 1940 – have been corrected.
“The new data showed that previous identifications had confused the two wrecks.”
A Historic postcard of the packet boat Normannia
The multibeam survey of the wreck of the Normannia
Many Dynamo wrecks ‘in relatively good condition’
The spokesperson said the survey data was detailed enough to confirm the identification of 19 wrecks by matching dimensions and features with historic photographs.
“On one wreck, the davits from which lifeboats once hung can be seen in the survey data. Their precise form – together with other details and dimensions – confirm that it is the Normannia, requisitioned as a troop carrier and sunk by an air attack on 30 May,” they said.
“The survey has confirmed that many of the Dynamo wrecks are in relatively good condition.
“However, the new data also shows recent changes.
“The destroyer HMS Keith was surveyed in 2016 and 2019 by the Port of Dunkirk (Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque – GPMD). The 2023 survey shows that part of the destroyer’s hull has degraded in just a few years, collapsing away from its former position.”
The survey is the first part of an ongoing project which will see local divers carry out further investigations next year, with the findings to be displayed in museums and online.
Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.
West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.
Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
Watkins performing in 2004. Pic: PA
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He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.
At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.
Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.
A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.
When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.
After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.
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