After checking out Southend’s wartime sea-defenses, we then had a look from the seawall at the ‘Mulberry Harbour’ back in 2011, split in half and stranded out in the sea. Many people visit it out on speedboats e.t.c., or even walk out when the tide is exceptionally low. It can be seen clearly today even when the tide is in. It was basically a concrete harbour to be afloat near the D-Day beaches, in order to work as a supply base for the allied invasion. Rumour has it this is where Canvey’s concrete barge drifted from. Unfortunatley it never made it to French waters, as Southendtimeline.com tells us:
D-Day Relic – The Pheonix, mulberry harbour one of 135 units that were built on the banks of the river Thames. This particular unit was one of several that were anchored in the Thames awaiting movement round to Dungeness on the Kent coastline, having broken away from its anchor the Phoenix ran aground & broke into 2 pieces where it has remained.
