Lancastria "should be war grave"

[Bob Vincent]

I'll never forget a film I seen on the first penetration dive made on the U52 a German U-Boat. Many years ago at the dive shop. The divers got the front escape hatch open but they used an explosive charge to do it. That escape hatch opened up-wards. Then I hate to guess but it looked like about 5 ft down there was another hatch. A diver went head first into the hatchway and he was unlocking the hatch with the wheel you see on vessels of that type.

Then all at once you seen this guy that was opening the hatch his fins was the only thing you could see and then all at once his fins were going nuts he set a world record for finning. He was trying for all he was worth to back out of the hole.

When he was out he swam back-wards and was grabbed and settled down then the camera looked over the hole and open hatches. Inside there was bodies of Germans that must of been trying to get out of the escape hatch and didn't make it.

That hit home to me. Alot of mixed feelings seeing that.

 

[Bob Vincent]

Well skeletons in German uniforms not bodies. But you all knew that.

 

[Ron Mahoney]

I find the French position on the Lancastria to be completely confused.

Firstly regarding diving it, last time I heard of a group of divers visiting the wreck was years ago - the reason we heard about it was that they had their RIB and dive gear confiscated by the French authorities and were heavily fined. I'm sure she gets a few clandestine visits but nothing formal has been arranged which I find odd due to her historic importance and the loss of life.

The reason for this is up and around the Cherbourg penninsula and she's a wreck called the Leopoldville. She was sunk on Christmas Eve 1944 by and in the mayhem that followed over 800 and possibly as many as 900 GI's were lost.

Now she again is in French waters, has a huge loss of life however she can be dived by charter boats who obtain a permit from the French authorities. She lies on her port side with a maximum of 56m (180') but you reach the starboard at around 26m (85'). There are numerous police, customs & coastguard vessels that patrol the busy port of Cherbourg and if when you get boarded (it is a case of when - especially British dive boats) they find anything aboard that should't be their the skipper cab be fined $6000 and his boat impounded until he pays the fine - the diver(s) can also be prosecuted. Needles to say if your going to dive the Leopoldville or any of the other D-Day wrecks that litter the coast - the Skipper himself will tell you to leave the hammer and chisel in the boot (trunk) of your car!!

Personaly I don't have a problem with this - if it gets me to visit this important legacy of our past.

What I did find a little distasteful and again a classic example of the French Authorities confused attitude, is on-shore there are numerous museums dedicated to the D-Day invasion and just down the coast from Omaha Beach is the privately run Port-en-Bessin museum where you'll find several tanks, guns and other items salvaged from the wrecks by French divers.... oh along with GI's helmets with authentic bullet holes through them on sale in the shop!!!:thumbs_down:

If you like to know more about the Leopoldville you can see a small overview we did about her http://web.ukonline.co.uk/newfrontie...opoldville.htm

Don't forget to turn your speakers up if you play the flash file!

 

[BTW]

Im new here and all, but I do thing that any underwater "grave site" should be protected, but I don't think they should be closed off to diving unless there are still known bodies, I mean they deserve to rest in peace, I might catch some flack for this but to this day I still think they shouldn't of removed any artifacts from the Titanic, a lot of people lost there lives, let them rest in peace, no need to disturb, yea the video and photos are neat but leave it there..just my 2 cents...
Brad

 

[audission]

I find the French position on the Lancastria to be completely confused.

Firstly regarding diving it, last time I heard of a group of divers visiting the wreck was years ago - the reason we heard about it was that they had their RIB and dive gear confiscated by the French authorities and were heavily fined. I'm sure she gets a few clandestine visits but nothing formal has been arranged which I find odd due to her historic importance and the loss of life.

The reason for this is up and around the Cherbourg penninsula and she's a wreck called the Leopoldville. She was sunk on Christmas Eve 1944 by and in the mayhem that followed over 800 and possibly as many as 900 GI's were lost.

Now she again is in French waters, has a huge loss of life however she can be dived by charter boats who obtain a permit from the French authorities. She lies on her port side with a maximum of 56m (180') but you reach the starboard at around 26m (85'). There are numerous police, customs & coastguard vessels that patrol the busy port of Cherbourg and if when you get boarded (it is a case of when - especially British dive boats) they find anything aboard that should't be their the skipper cab be fined $6000 and his boat impounded until he pays the fine - the diver(s) can also be prosecuted. Needles to say if your going to dive the Leopoldville or any of the other D-Day wrecks that litter the coast - the Skipper himself will tell you to leave the hammer and chisel in the boot (trunk) of your car!!

Personaly I don't have a problem with this - if it gets me to visit this important legacy of our past.

What I did find a little distasteful and again a classic example of the French Authorities confused attitude, is on-shore there are numerous museums dedicated to the D-Day invasion and just down the coast from Omaha Beach is the privately run Port-en-Bessin museum where you'll find several tanks, guns and other items salvaged from the wrecks by French divers.... oh along with GI's helmets with authentic bullet holes through them on sale in the shop!!!:thumbs_down:

If you like to know more about the Leopoldville you can see a small overview we did about her http://web.ukonline.co.uk/newfrontie...opoldville.htm

Don't forget to turn your speakers up if you play the flash file!

Interesting post Ron, cheers - although your link was a 404 not found?