In memoriam et pro gloria.
On April 29, 1944, the Canadian destroyer "HMCS Hatabaskan" was torpedoed off this coast, during a naval battle
Of the 261 Allied sailors, 128 died for the Liberationof France and the return to peace.
91 of them have since rested on Breton soil.
11 have been buried at Santec
On April 29, 1944, at around 3am, the Athabaskan patrolled with her sister-ship, the destroyer Haida, in support of a British mine-laying operation off the coast of France near the mouth of the Morlaix River. She receives the first in a series of orders from the Admiralty to intercept German warships near the Isle of Batz spotted by coastal radar in southern England. During the naval confrontation between the Allied flotilla and two German torpedo boats, the T27 and T24, she was sunk off the Île Vierge lighthouse in a battle. The sinking caused the death of 128 sailors, 44 were rescued by the Haida, and 83 were taken prisoner by three German minesweepers that had come ashore after the Haida's departure. The T27 was also lost in the battle and ran aground near Kerlouan. The bodies of 60 sailors were buried in the Plouescat cemetery's military cemetery.
Jean Postec, a farmer from Plouescat, testifies: "During the night of April 28 to 29, I was awakened by powerful explosions from offshore. Early in the morning, I went to Menfig beach to see what had happened, and witnessed a dramatic scene. The sea is black with oil and strewn with dozens of bodies and debris. Some of the survivors try to make their way ashore through the current and the oil patches. I try to give as much help as I can to the shipwrecked crew, helping them to remove their buoys and oil-black clothes, and bringing the lifeless bodies to the sand. Terribly marked by this day, I'm taking home these life jackets, in memory of the sinking of the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabascan, and of all those poor sailors in distress."
Wikipedia source
Philippe Boudot photo credit and contribution.
In memoriam et pro gloria.On April 29, 1944, the Canadian destroyer HMCS Hatabaskan was torpedoed off this coast, during a naval battleOf the 261 Allied sailors, 128 died for the Liberationof France and the return to peace.91 of them have since rested on Breton soil.11 have been buried at SantecOn April 29, 1944, at around 3am, the Athabaskan patrolled with her sister-ship, the destroyer Haida, in support of a British mine-laying operation off the coast of France near the mouth of the Morlaix River. She receives the first in a series of orders from the Admiralty to intercept German warships near the Isle of Batz spotted by coastal radar in southern England. During the naval confrontation between the Allied flotilla and two German torpedo boats, the T27 and T24, she was sunk off the Île Vierge lighthouse in a battle. The sinking caused the death of 128 sailors, 44 were rescued by the Haida, and 83 were taken prisoner by three German minesweepers that had come ashore after the Haida's departure. The T27 was also lost in the battle and ran aground near Kerlouan. The bodies of 60 sailors were buried in the Plouescat cemetery's military cemetery.Jean Postec, a farmer from Plouescat, testifies: During the night of April 28 to 29, I was awakened by powerful explosions from offshore. Early in the morning, I went to Menfig beach to see what had happened, and witnessed a dramatic scene. The sea is black with oil and strewn with dozens of bodies and debris. Some of the survivors try to make their way ashore through the current and the oil patches. I try to give as much help as I can to the shipwrecked crew, helping them to remove their buoys and oil-black clothes, and bringing the lifeless bodies to the sand. Terribly marked by this day, I'm taking home these life jackets, in memory of the sinking of the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabascan, and of all those poor sailors in distress.Wikipedia sourcePhilippe Boudot photo credit and contribution.
