Second World War (1939-1945)
The Navy in European Waters  - D-Day and the Normandy Landings

Over 100 Canadian warships and some 10,000 Canadian sailors supported D-Day, the 6 June 1944 landings in Normandy. Canadian ships and sailors helped protect the invasion fleet, cleared German minefields, and ferried Allied troops across the Channel.

LCI(L) 249 in Drydock, Portsmouth, England

Landing craft LCI(L) 249 is seen here in a Portsmouth drydock after being damaged on D-Day.

Striking a mine on the way in to the beach, 249 was one of several landing craft from the 260th Flotilla that were damaged during the D-Day landings. None of the 192 soldiers on board were injured, but they had to disembark in deeper water than had been planned and struggled to get their equipment ashore. Another landing craft towed 249 back to England, where the damage was repaired.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20020039-001_p20a