Rare D-Day landing craft set to be renovated and relocated
The Grade-II listed structure in Southampton is set to be given a new home
A “rare surviving” relic of the D-Day landings could be relocated to the entrance of an Army port.
Plans have been unveiled to move the ‘Whale’ roadway section of a Second World War Mulberry Harbour which is currently at Town Quay in Southampton.
Associated British Ports (ABP) wants to take the Grade II listed structure from the east of Royal Pier, carry out restoration work and install it as a ‘gate guardian’ at Marchwood Military Port.
ABP hopes to begin the relocation process in time for the 80th VE Day anniversary on Thursday, May 8.
“The Whale is a roadway designed to form part of the Mulberry Harbour used in support of the D-Day landings in the Second World War,” an ABP spokesperson said.
“Many of the component parts for the Mulberry Harbours were manufactured in Hampshire and embarked to France from Marchwood Port.
“ABP has submitted a listed building consent application to the city council to relocate the roadway section from its current location, restore it, and return it to display at the entrance to Marchwood Military Port.”
The proposal comes after several e-petitions called on Southampton City Council to purchase the ‘Whale’ and buffer pontoon with a view to finding a permanent home on council land.
A heritage statement submitted as part of the application said the council is not in a position to acquire, relocate and maintain the heritage assets in perpetuity.
This left ABP’s restoration and relocation proposal as the only viable option to preserve the listed ‘Whale’, the statement said.
The buffer pontoon has sunken into the seabed. Under the plans, it will be left in situ due to its poor condition and fragility.
The structure at Town Quay was designated by Historic England in 2017 due to its connection to Operation Overlord, its status as a “rare surviving” example of its type and the connection to Southampton’s role in Operation Overlord and D-Day.
“In its current location, the ‘Whale’ is inaccessible to the general public and due to the exposure to a cycle of wetting and drying of sea water it is expected this will lead to an accelerated rate of corrosion and eventual failure,” the heritage statement said.
Marchwood was one of the two Royal Engineer depots to assemble Whales in the latter years of the war.
The ‘Whale’ and buffer pontoon were installed at Royal Pier in 1950. Originally it had two sections of ‘Whale’ but only one remains.
In the past it was used as a roadway linking the landing stage for the Isle of Wight ferry.
The only other known surviving ‘Whale’ section in England, apart from two that are sunken off Selsey Bill in West Sussex, is at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.