DIEPPE FECAMP COURSEULLES PORT EN BESSIN St Vaast La Hogue CHERBOURGH
To the east of Cherbourgh, in the top left hand corner of the Seine Bay is the beautiful & picturesqe harbour of St Vaast La Hogue. Primarily a fishing village it has become a mojor tourist attraction for visiting boats mainly from the UK but also the rest of Europe. The harbour has been built from reclaimed land from the sea and only allows access into harbour 2 hours either side of high water. The harbour has ample moorings for visiting boats and the services it provides are excellent for the visitor. St Vaast has set itself up as the gate way to the Baie De Seine shipwrecks, from here you can access all the landing beaches, Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold & Juno.
There are plenty of good restaurants & bars in the village too choose from these are dotted along the quayside and around the square, and although a small village it has plenty of character. The Debarcadeere bar & restaurant seems to be a very popular venue with locals and our visiting divers. Whether it is a meeting/starting point for your evening or as your final place for the evening/night it has great atmosphere.
There are some really nice restaurants in the village and The Marina which overlooks the harbour from the yachtie side is excellent, other favorites are the Bisquine and the Vauban. There are several bars along the front with a cyber bar and a local fishermans bar in the village square, well worth a visit.
The Hotel La Demeure du Perron
The accommodation that we recommend ranges from B&B in the village of Quettehou, this village is just outside St Vaast and the hotel is owned & run by a local diver who has his own private dive boat in the harbour. The hotel La Demeure du Perron is only a 5 minute drive from the boat pickup point in the harbour. In St Vaast itself there are 2 main Hotels one is the hotel La Granitiere, & the other is The Fuchsias, The Fuchsias has a first class restaurant that is visited from far & wide and is a favorite with the visiting yachtsman, This can be an expensive hotel.
The Hotel La Granitiere The Hotel Fuchsias
By far the most convenient accommodation that we have found has to be the self catering house’s of Keith Perkins, Keith has 2 houses in the center of town one is a 9 bed house and the other is a 6 bed house, both are fully furnished with garden area and BBQ, table & chairs.
For additional information visit St Vaast Tourist Information Centre or The Cotentin Tourist Information Centre
There is something for all levels of diver here from the sports diver up to the more experienced deep air / trimix diver, it gives access to the American sectors of the Invasion beaches, Omaha & Utah and offers some exceptional diving. It is possible to venture further East and dive some of the other landing areas but it is quite a distance.
The wrecks range from 20mtrs up to and beyond 50mtrs & depending on your groups limitations we will try and cater for your needs.
Western Bay Wrecks
SS Turquoise - This armed Belgian coaster was under German command when it came under attack from Steam Gun Boat 7 (SGB7) who on the 19th June 1942 slammed a torpedo into the front off her.
Today the wreck of the Turquoise sits upright and very intact in 42mtrs, her bows laying over on her port side with the bridge sits high with her guns and munitions spread around. Good marine life on this wreck.
SGB7 - Lost on the 19th June 1942 the wreck of Steam Gun Boat No7 rests in 32mtrs on a sand & shingle sea bed, the ship is very open and stands up about 4mtr high with her engine & boiler visible amongst the debris of boxes and live shells. Most of the structure has now collapsed down and covered by shingle but is still a very interesting dive. There is lots of life on this wreck and is very good for seeing crabs, lobsters & Plaice.
German Patrol Boat - A small distance from SGB7 is the remains of a German patrol boat, not much is known about this wreck or to her identity, but only that it is German due to the markings seen on the wreck. Lots to see & loads of fish in 30mtrs
HMS Computator - This British armed trawler was lost on 21st January 1945 after being in collision with HMS Vanoc 24 miles to the north of Port en Bessin, she now rests in 36mtrs at Low water. The actual wreck is sitting upright and very intact and is a superb dive.
HMS Landing Ship Tank 523 - There are plenty off landing crafts littering the Bay de Seine and probably the most impressive is the LST523 with its cargo of sherman tanks tipped out onto the seabed like a spilt toybox. She also struck a mine and sank swiftly in only 30mtrs of water to the seabed; the stern section is upside down with 2 bare prop shafts and 2 rudders in place however the 2 props have been easily salvaged. As you go forward the LST comes upright but quite broken. It is possible to access the stern area where boxes of shells lay in amongst the masses off fish lurking inside especially the big bass.
Landing Craft Infantry Landing Craft Infantry
USS Meredith - On 6th June 1944 the American destroyer USS Meredith gave gunfire support to the landing forces on Utah Beach and early in the morning of the following day. whilst she was patrolling the offshore waters as a screening vessel she struck an enemy mine and was severely damaged, the result of the explosion was the loss of seven killed and over 50 wounded and missing, The USS Meredith was towed to an anchorage in the Bay de Seine to be salvaged. However, on the morning of 9 June, her seams were further opened by an enemy bombing raid and shortly after she broke in two without warning and sank.
USS Tide - An American Auk class Minesweeper built in 1942 with armaments off 2 x 3" guns & 2 x 40mm and 2 x 20mm anti aircraft guns. Whilst carrying out sweeping duties off Utah & Omaha beaches on the 7th June the USS Tide struck a mine killing the ships commanding officer Lt Commander George Crane instantly, the explosion broke the ship back and whilst under tow by USS Swift she broke in two pieces and sank. Today the broken & scattered remains of USS Tide lie 3 miles nrth from Grandcamp Maisy in 15mtrs, a good rummage dive
S.S. Norfolk - This big ship was built in Seattle Washington, USA in 1918 for the Norwegian government. She was 410ft long and had a beam of 54ft she spent most of her life transporting supplies through the Mediterranean before seeing action off the Normandy beaches where she struck a mine, after that it was decided to use the Norfolk as a blockship for the American Mulberry A off Omaha beach.
Today the wreck of SS Norfolk sits upright in only 20mtrs of water and stands some 6mtrs high in places, you can swim from Bow to Stern dropping into the 4 holds engine space and accommodation area. She rests on the side of a big sand bank that shifts covers and uncovers. The marine life onboard can be exceptional and is a favorite with local Bass fisherman
SS Brackenfield & SS Dungrange - These 2 ships were in a 20 ship convoy leaving from Southampton bound for Normandy when at 3.00am in the morning they came under attached from German E boats from the 2nd M.T.B. flotilla based at Boulogne. The ships were loaded with a volatile cargo of fuel & munitions and when attacked both ships sank in minutes. Today these ships rest in 42mtrs one lays at 45 degrees on her port side the other has her bows upside down and then twist back and opens up and accessible, because there 2 wrecks are 30miles offshore we only visit them on channel crossings or when the conditions allow but when we do the marine life is phenomenal with loads to see from crabs & lobsters to big fish Ling, Bass, Pollack & congers. We have lots of targets in this area still to be explored.
Susan B Anthony - This American troop ship was almost 500ft long and had a beam of 33ft she was Built in 1930 at Camden, New Jersey and weighed in at 8183 tons. She saw service in North Africa, Sicily and then as a transport ship between the United States & the UK ferrying troops and supplies in preperation for the big push into Europe and Operation Overlord.
In the early hours off the 7th June 1944 Susan B Anthony was approaching Omaha Beach, It was 08.20am when she struck the mine under No4 hold, the ship began to list almost immediately and fire broke out and spread in the engine & fire rooms. The ship settled quickly and on an even keel some 8 miles north of port en Bessin in only 30mtrs of water. Being such a large ship she rested on the bottm with her decks above water allowing landing crafts to come alongside and evacuate the crew & troops to land.
Today the wreck of the Susan B rests in 30mtrs of water with her bow laying on its port side with large deck guns still in place, the main body of the ship is upright and the stern is pretty broken up and like a scrap yard. There are some amazing swim throughs on this wreck but great care must be taken, this is a fabulous dive with big guns anti- aircraft guns and amunnitions spread around. Sea life is good with the usual fish and plenty of lobsters, crabs & scallops throughout the wreckage.
HMS Empire Broadsword is another great wreck, she stands an impressive 15mtrs off the seabed and lays on her starboard side.
On the 2nd July almost a month after D-Day the Broadsword was again back at Omaha beach landing troops and equipment when she struck 2 mines, the explosions lifted the ship and broke her back and she settled on the seabed very quickly in only 25mtrs water.
The wreck lies east/west and on her stbd side, she is broken just aft of the engine room & it is possible to access the engine & boiler rooms although great care must be taken as the years of strong tides, gales and shallow depth has weakend the structure.
From stern to bow there is much to see and explore, a massive rudder starts you off but no prop, this has been salvaged. A Large 4" deck gun dominates the stern, pointing skywards as if ready to fire with lots of ammo skattered around. You pass the engine room area and come accross the bridge area, still large and pretty together giving great access & penetration just be careful. On the fore deck again there are more guns, big 4-inch and the smaller anti-aircraft guns and yes more munnitions. This is a great dive in a really good depth.
LST314HMS Minster
U390
There are lots of unknown targets that we have still to look at and groups willing to be adventurous diving guinea pigs the results can be rewarding
There are lots of wrecks to choose from when diving over in Normandie, many unidentified and most very rarely dived. The marine life is absolutely incredible, teaming with fish, crabs, lobsters, and free swimming congers. The only thing is, the reason that there is so much to see and look at, is because the French have a strict law which states, that no one shall, whilst diving with aqualung remove anything from the seabed or especially from any ship wreck, be it metal or edible. And this is a strict rule which applies to everyone, so please
look don't touch.