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gone or unknown (details here)
Location Category ID:
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6055
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Added to Database:
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April 2009
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Last Edited:
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9 August 2009
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Address: |
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Email: |
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Opening Times: |
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Latitude, Longitude: |
49.33413125
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-0.75660825
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Location Accuracy: |
10
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Tanks Previously Here: |
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For many years Monsieur Jacques Lemonchois has made a business from salvage work off the Normandie beaches. He has recovered a number of military vehicles that were lost during the Normandy Invasion in June 1944. These are on display in an ‘Underwater Wrecks of the Landings’ Museum, displaying numerous military items recovered from the sea. All the items are intended to be displayed as they were recovered, so the vehicles are very rusted and encrusted with barnacles. The Museum is located near Commes in Calvados, between Port-en-Bessin and Escures, on the road to Bayeux. It officially opened in 1991. As well as those vehicles displayed in the Museum, M. Lemonchois was also responsible for recovering from the sea the M7 Priest 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriages belonging to the Saumur Armour Museum (#118) and the 68th Artillery Regiment at Valbonne (#46). He has salvage rights to half of the sea-bed off the coast of Normandie, the other half belongs to M. Jean Demota who recovered the Sherman DD Tank displayed at Courseulles-sur-Mer (q.v.), Calvados. Since the first edition a second M7 Priest listed has been moved from this museum, and is now on display at Ouistreham (q.v., source: T. Royall). Inside the museum there are displays of artefacts related to the recovered vehicles. One display is labelled as “M4 DD of 741st Tank Battalion: Once the two tons of mud inside were removed, the items and weapons of the crew appeared to be in perfect condition”.
As well as the vehicles listed here, the museum displays a Sherman turret; it has a label that states “DD M-4 TANK TURRET, 741 ST TANK BATTALION, Torn off a tank deeply embedded in sand”. All of the vehicles are displayed outside, each mounted on rocks and in fenced enclosures.
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August 2007
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1: Overview
Taken: 27 August 2007 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 93 Added: 9 August 2009 Views: 294 Has Priority: 0
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2: Entrance
Taken: 27 August 2007 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 92 Added: 9 August 2009 Views: 233 Has Priority: 0
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3: Sherman turret
Taken: 27 August 2007 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 94 Added: 9 August 2009 Views: 240 Has Priority: 0
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4: Sherman turret
Taken: 27 August 2007 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 95 Added: 9 August 2009 Views: 183 Has Priority: 0
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5: Sherman turret label
Taken: 27 August 2007 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 96 Added: 9 August 2009 Views: 215 Has Priority: 0
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July 1984
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6: An overview of the museum before opening
Taken: 31 July 1984 Contributor: T. Larkum Location Photo ID: 112 Added: 13 August 2009 Views: 270 Has Priority: 0
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