The harbour and supplies · Reference 85113
Installing the Corncob blockship breakwater
English reading guide
About this dossier
The page follows the installation of the blockships known as Corncobs, scuttled to form the Gooseberry breakwater at Omaha Beach. A harbour plan accompanies lists of vessels and proposed dates of placement. Several names, numbers and dates are marked as uncertain in the collection. The dossier provides detailed material for comparing the planned line with photographs while avoiding an unsupported certainty about every ship's identity or exact position.
This English guide introduces the dossier. Yves Cordelle’s archival text, quotations and captions are preserved in the linked French edition, including any original-language passages. The guide does not replace the original document or resolve its uncertainties.
Read the French edition →Consult the original archive
The full text, detailed image captions, maps and source references are available in the French edition. Quotations, witness recollections and historical uncertainties remain attached to that original record.
Mise en place de la digue des blockships "Corncobs"
Open the original dossier in French →Original site reference: WebMulberry/85113-Blockships.html. About the collection and its preservation.