Operation D-Day Mapping Expedition

Summary

On 6 June 1944, Allied forces launched the largest amphibious assault in history. In the first 24 hours, over 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported 160,000 Allied troops in their attempt to land on a 50 mile stretch of beach in Normandy. Almost 70 years later, over the course of 27 days in July and August of 2013, a team of archaeologists, hydrographers, remote-sensing operators, divers, and industry representatives surveyed over 511 km2 off beaches in Normandy.  The team identified over 350 shipwrecks, tanks, and other debris associated with the beach landings with the goal of creating the largest and most comprehensive map of the area.  Additionally, the data will assist in the process of nominating the area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provided material for a documentary marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.  This paper will discuss the results of the 2013 survey.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeological Research and Preservation of US Navy Ship and Aircraft Wrecks   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 296