16 Novembre, 2000

Dear Ed,

    Many thanks for all the information you give me on the sinking of the USS Rich and the USS Glennon.

    I am 62 years old and at first I was a diver, after I work for a newspaper, and now I am a manager in a French casino. I work on the sinking of many ships around Normandy for ten years.

    About the diver of whom you speak in your last letter, like him 15 years ago I dive like many divers from Normandy on many wrecks of the D-Day.

    About the USS Rich, USS Glennon, and the USS Corry, sunk near the St. Marcouf Island, you can't find more than some tools but no ship wreck.

    The explanation is after the war, the divers of the French navy and of the English navy, controlled the position of all wrecks to clean the enters of the harbors and the passage of the commercial ships. Also many fishing boats fished in these waters and sank because they took bombs and mines in their nets. Only for the city of St. Vaast la Hougue at four miles of these wrecks, six fishing boats were destroyed and around twenty fisherman died.

    It's why all these wrecks were destroyed for the protection of the other ships and men. During ten years between 50th and 60th a big industry to take off all these wrecks stay in Normandy. Each year, also now, the French navy explode more than 50 bombs or mines. One month ago a fishing boat sank after he catched a depth-charge in the trawl.

    Now sometimes, a fishing boat catch a piece of metal and call the divers to clean the trawl. For example, some years ago with my brother who is a professional diver we go to clean a trawl wedge in an obstruction and we find a big screw. The screw stay now at the center of the city of St. Vaast la Hogue. I give you a photocopy of this screw with the inscriptions write on it. (It's the place where the USS Rich sank, I try to find if this screw came from the USS Rich or the USS Glennon?)

    I had the chance to dive on the most beautiful wreck of the channel. It's the Leopoldville, sunk by a German U-boat in the night of Christmas, 1944. More than 780 G.I.'s died in this ship. It's a very impressive wreck when you know the story of this ship. When you arrive on this wreck, all is respect.

    I try to find informations on the sinking of three minesweepers

YMS 350 - sunk 2 Juillet, 1944
YMS 306 - sunk 30 Juillet, 1944
YMS 382 - sunk 7 Mai, 1945

    I have seen the reference of a book "At Close Quarters" where they speak of the loss of these ships but I never find this book in France.

My best wishes to you.

Sincerely,
Gerrard

Editors note: Click here to see the pictures of the screw Gerard sent to Ed Black.