About

Please note, this is now fully booked. If you wish to attend, please contact the organisers who are running a wait list.

How were UK and overseas naval establishments occupied in constructing, supplying, and transporting harbours and pipelines?

The Allied assault on German-occupied France on and after D-Day (6 June 1944) was only possible through naval support, from the largest warships and merchant vessels through to the smallest landing craft. Existing dockyards, harbours and shipyards in the UK, the US, Canada and Bermuda played a vital role in building, preparing, maintaining and repairing the Allied fleets. Remains of these coastal installations survive as tangible heritage of this endeavour.

However, the magnitude of the projected naval and land forces required many more temporary bases and facilities, which entailed systematic forward planning. The roles of these establishments included supporting landing craft flotillas, building Mulberry Harbours, embarking troops and supplies, and supplying fuel via the PLUTO pipeline. Workforces were dedicated to planning, victualling and furnishing all kinds of supplies. Personnel went through an equivalent period of training and preparation.

At the Naval Dockyards Society's 28th annual conference - being held at The D-Day Story in Portsmouth, eight speakers will address these themes with a series of informative and fascinating talks. This conference is part of the wider programme of events taking place throughout the year to mark D-Day 80 - commemorating 80 years since Operation Overlord took place.

See the Naval Dockyards Society website for further details on the conference, or download the itinerary via the PDFs on the right-hand side of this page.

The conference is sponsored by the Society for Nautical Research.