Operation Overlord and D-Day
Building a secret port
The majority of the work for the Mulberry project took place in
Southampton, although 26 bases around England contributed. The work
was kept secret, a very difficult task with over
20,000 workers ultimately involved in the construction
nationally. One local person recalls his father working on the
project ‘They didn’t know what they were building, they
were just building concrete barges but for what they had no
idea.’ Any movements of parts for the Mulberry Harbours
were performed in small amounts and often under smoke screens to
stop them arousing the interest of German reconnaissance
‘planes.
In September 1943 construction began at the George V dry-dock of
the Bombardons. Then in October the work commenced in Number 5
dry-dock on the Phoenix sections. Later, Whale pontoons were
delivered from all over the country to be fitted with the Spuds
that were being manufactured near the port. Most of the port’s wet
berths, those that weren’t full of landing craft, were given over
to completing the caissons. Over 1000 workers were employed in
Southampton to work on the Phoenix elements alone. In April 1944
over 200 workers were drafted from around the country to come to
Southampton to join the effort. Included in the Mulberry project
was the building of motorised pontoons codenamed ‘Rhino’. Their
purpose was to transport military vehicles straight from ship to
beach. Each one had its own tug, and 39 sets of each were
constructed near the King George V dock in 1944.
![[10025] Mulberry Bursledon](/images/10025%20mulberry%20bursledon_tcm4-60878.jpg "[10025] Mulberry Bursledon")
 Mulberry pontoons
being delivered
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Further work was carried out at Lepe Beach and on the Beaulieu
River, with the semi finished components then being brought to the
port for assembly. Miles of the Crocodile floating road were
assembled at Marchwood military port after the steel units were
brought from around the country by road and rail.
The national contribution to the Mulberry Harbour project was an
enormous drain on the country's resources of manpower and materials
on what may be viewed as a civil engineering gamble. Once completed
the Mulberry Harbour components were moored off Selsey Bill in
Sussex and Dungeness in Kent until they were needed.
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