The story
Allied cargo transfer point on Omaha Beach, 19 Jul 1944.
British battleship Centurion in the center of background.
Her final act after a long and somewhat understated career was to be sunk as a breakwater off the Normandy beaches after D-Day.
Reportedly the Germans thought that the old vessel had been sunk by shore batteries of the German 352nd Division with great loss of life when only 70 crewmen were observed leaving the sinking vessel; in fact the 70 men were the entire crew.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.