45 min · on board

Live History from the sea

On board an amphibious vessel, a unique maritime experience off Arromanches, discovering the remains of the Mulberry “B” artificial harbour.

Live History from the sea

Step aboard a striking amphibious vessel for a one-of-a-kind maritime experience off Arromanches, and discover the remains of the Allied artificial harbour built for the Normandy landings.

For 45 minutes, with a bilingual audioguide in French and English, immerse yourself in History: an immersive tour with an exceptional viewpoint over the famous Phoenix caissons, the floating breakwaters and the still-visible traces of Operation Mulberry.

An experience that is historical, educational and immersive, as close as it gets to a maritime heritage unique in the world.

What you will discover

  • A page of D-Day history seen from the sea
  • The making of the artificial harbour
  • The remains of Mulberry “B”
  • The Phoenix caissons
  • Unique viewpoints from the water

From the water, the remains take on a wholly different scale and reveal their full magnitude. The audioguide will walk you through the history and the engineering secrets of this colossal structure that supplied the Allied forces after D-Day.

A friendly and spectacular outing for young and old alike.

The Mulberry harbour

The one artificial harbour that held.

Two artificial harbours had been towed across from England in the days following 6 June. Mulberry “A” off Omaha was destroyed by the storm of 19 June 1944. Mulberry “B” at Arromanches, also known as Port Winston, remained the sole operational harbour until November 1944. Over its operational life, it handled in the order of 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tonnes of matériel.

Today, from the sea, you can see the Phoenix caissons offshore, the sixteen Beetles still visible from the shoreline and three sections of floating roadway at anchor. A reading impossible from the beach alone.

Highlights

  • A page of D-Day history seen from the sea
  • The making of the Allied artificial harbour
  • The remains of Mulberry “B”
  • The Phoenix caissons
  • Unique viewpoints from the water
Duration
45 min · on board
Departure
Cale Neptune, Arromanches-les-Bains
Historical aerial view of the Mulberry harbour in operation at Arromanches: caissons, piers, Allied ships being unloaded.
Remains of a Phoenix caisson from the Mulberry harbour visible today on the Arromanches shoreline.
Phoenix caisson seen from the Arromanches shoreline, line of Allied artificial harbour remains.
Close-up view of a Phoenix caisson on Arromanches-les-Bains beach.