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Musée Des Épaves Sous-Marines Du Débarquement, Commes, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France

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Location Category ID: 6055
Added to Database: April 2009
Last Edited: 9 August 2009
Address:
Telephone:
Email:
Opening Times:
Official Website:
Other Links:
Latitude, Longitude: 49.33413125 , -0.75660825
Location Accuracy: 10
Tanks Previously Here:


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.

Location Images - Photographs and NavPix (click to expand or browse)

August 2007

Overview
1: Overview

Taken: 27 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 93
Added: 9 August 2009
Views: 273
Has Priority: 0
    

 

Entrance
2: Entrance

Taken: 27 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 92
Added: 9 August 2009
Views: 216
Has Priority: 0
    

 

Sherman turret
3: Sherman turret

Taken: 27 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 94
Added: 9 August 2009
Views: 221
Has Priority: 0
    



Sherman turret
4: Sherman turret

Taken: 27 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 95
Added: 9 August 2009
Views: 163
Has Priority: 0
    



Sherman turret label
5: Sherman turret label

Taken: 27 August 2007
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 96
Added: 9 August 2009
Views: 197
Has Priority: 0
    

    



July 1984

An overview of the museum before opening
6: An overview of the museum before opening

Taken: 31 July 1984
Contributor: T. Larkum
Location Photo ID: 112
Added: 13 August 2009
Views: 253
Has Priority: 0