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Plans to restore 'rare' D-Day pontoon

Jason Lewis
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal The Whale roadway section and buffer pontoon of a Mulberry Harbour to the east of Royal Pier at Town Quay in Southampton. A Red Funnel Ferry is passing by. It is a clear day.Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal
Several e-petitions called on Southampton City Council to purchase the Whale and buffer pontoon so that it finds a permanent home on council land

A "rare surviving" relic of the D-Day landings could be relocated to the entrance of an army port.

Associated British Ports (ABP) has submitted a proposal to move a flexible roadway section of a World War Two Mulberry Harbour called Whale, which is currently at Town Quay in Southampton.

ABP wants to move the Grade II listed structure from the east of Royal Pier, restore it and display it as a "gate guardian" at Marchwood Military Port.

It hopes it could begin the process in time for the 80th VE Day anniversary.

Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal A side view of the Whale roadway section and buffer pontoon of a Mulberry Harbour to the east of Royal Pier at Town Quay in Southampton. It looks in a poor condition. A ferry is seen nearby. It is a sunny day.Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal
Under ABP plans, the sunken buffer pontoon would be left in situ due to its poor condition and fragility

The proposal comes after several e-petitions called on Southampton City Council to purchase the Whale and buffer pontoon with a view to finding a permanent home on council land.

A heritage statement submitted as part of the application said the council was not in a position to acquire, relocate and maintain the heritage assets in perpetuity.

This left ABP's restoration and relocation plans as the only viable option to preserve the Whale, the statement added.

The structure was listed by Historic England in 2017 due to its connection to Operation Overlord and its status as a "rare surviving" example of its type.

The only other known surviving Whale section in England, apart from two that are sunken off Selsey Bill in West Sussex, is at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal The Whale roadway section and buffer pontoon of a Mulberry Harbour to the east of Royal Pier at Town Quay in Southampton. A Red Funnel Ferry is sailing nearby. It is a clear day.Associated British Ports/ SCC planning portal
The structure was designated by Historic England in 2017 due to its connection to Operation Overlord and its status as a "rare surviving" example of its type

"The Whale is a roadway designed to form part of the Mulberry Harbour used in support of the D-Day landings in the Second World War," an ABP spokesperson said.

"Many of the component parts for the Mulberry Harbours were manufactured in Hampshire and embarked to France from Marchwood Port."

Marchwood was one of the two Royal Engineer depots to assemble Whales in the latter years of the war.

The Southampton Whale and buffer pontoon were installed at Royal Pier in 1950 and today, only one of its two original sections remain.

The heritage statement said the Whale was "inaccessible to the general public" in its current location and the exposure to sea water was expected to lead to "an accelerated rate of corrosion and eventual failure".

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