The Mulberry Harbours—undiminished after 60 years

The Mulberry Harbours were the outstanding feat of maritime military engineering of the twentieth century and their story has all of the drama one could wish for in a major engineering project.

By 1944 the defeat of Nazi Germany was probably inevitable, but the Allied invasion was essential to prevent the Red Army from overrunning the whole of Western Europe following the German collapse. Although Mulberry B was used for six months until the capture of Antwerp, the harbours' main function was completed within a few weeks; this was to ensure the Allied forces could land sufficient equipment and supplies...