StP 'Hasso', Dannes Sea Mines storage tunnels

STORES · Hardelot - Merlimont K.V.A. D1. · AOK 15 Nord Pas de Calais · France

StP 'Hasso', Dannes Sea Mines storage tunnels

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

Built to store sea mines and torpedoes for use on ships in the channel ports of Boulogne, Calais & Dunkerque.
E Boats out of Ostende
E Boats out of Ostende
E Boat (Schnellboot) Cherbourg.
E Boat (Schnellboot) Cherbourg.
Sea mines.
Sea mines.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Situated to the east of Dannes near the Holcim cement plant which uses the limestone to produce cement. 'The announcement of Holcim France to stop the oven, so the manufacture of clinker to cement at Dannes will end.' looks like there are problems with the cement plant.

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Holcim France, Dannes.
Holcim France, Dannes.
Cement bags from Dannes.
Cement bags from Dannes.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
View from across the valley.

23 October 2013

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
This is how it was to look with the finished tunnels showing and the proposed site beyond. From the road to the chalk quarries you first pass a well with the sign "Puits Allemande" (more later) and park at the end of the road on the left by a gate. The depot was to consist of about 38 galleries and two railway tunnels to hide the train engines at times of allied bombing. As far as I can see 15 galleries were built or remain and the others were under construction or planned.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Two areas of excessive damage.
Two areas of excessive damage.

StP Hasso.

StP Hasso.
1 - Tunnel entrances. 2 - Standard gauge railway. 3 - Covered storage. 4 - Stores. .

18 October 1943 (NA) - 03 September 2014(Geoportail)

Spitfire cameras.
Spitfire cameras.
Photo reconnaissance Spitfire.
Photo reconnaissance Spitfire.

StP Hasso.

StP Hasso.
A day time raid probably by Lancaster bombers. SAV 323/403-16 Photo number. Neg. No.36933. Into 1944 any targets that related to the future of D-day and also V weapons sites were attacked by allied bombers.

20 March 1944 (NA)

Bomber stream.
Bomber stream.
Lancaster and crew.
Lancaster and crew.
Lancaster bomb bay.
Lancaster bomb bay.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The railway coming in off the main line, then the depot and then the depot that was either destroyed or not built or in the process of being constructed.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The route in.

23 February 2014

The route in.
The route in.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The start of the depot.

23 February 2014

Plan.
Plan.
Rommel's visit.
Rommel's visit.
Rommel's visit.
Rommel's visit.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The first storage tunnel on the right with a blown up tunnel to its right.

23 February 2014

Torpedo.
Torpedo.
Torpedo on its trolley made ready to load on a bomber.
Torpedo on its trolley made ready to load on a bomber.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Through the entrance which would have had a hinged double door. Along a short passage and turn right into the main tunnel This one and one other we could see had an aerial railway to carry heavy items in and out.

23 February 2014

Aerial runway to convey torpedoes into the tunnel..
Aerial runway to convey torpedoes into the tunnel..
Aerial runway system for shells.
Aerial runway system for shells.
A British aerial runway carrying torpedo's at RNAS Gosport.
A British aerial runway carrying torpedo's at RNAS Gosport.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Now turning into the main tunnel, the walls are finished in a very well made concrete surface. You can see the fittings for the aerial runway on the apex of the tunnels roof.

23 February 2014

Aerial runway fittings in the roof.
Aerial runway fittings in the roof.
Fort de Roule, Cherbourg torpedo storage.
Fort de Roule, Cherbourg torpedo storage.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Then it turns into a very well made brick.

23 February 2014

PERFORAPERFORA printed onto the bricks.
PERFORAPERFORA printed onto the bricks.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Continuing on. There seems to be no fittings or fixtures, no light sockets or oil lamp niches. Almost as though it was built but never used???

23 February 2014

Bunker lamp.
Bunker lamp.
Bunker light switch.
Bunker light switch.
Lamp bunker niche. None of these were her??
Lamp bunker niche. None of these were her??

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Getting closer. The trailer is an old farm trailer and why it needed to be manhandled up the platform and then dragged to the rear of this tunnel I have no idea. I suppose i makes a change from old freezers.

23 February 2014

Aerial track way fittings.
Aerial track way fittings.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The end.

23 February 2014

Air ventilation.
Air ventilation.
They also stored sea mines here.
They also stored sea mines here.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The dog leg is to stop or slow down blast if an accident were to happen.

23 February 2014

The dog leg.
The dog leg.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Here was a sliding door. A large sliding door closed off the tunnel from the dog leg.

23 February 2014

A plan of how I see the inner entrance. The brown sliding door and the arch is filled in with brickwork, (there are signs of where brickwork went around the arch) and there would have had to have been a slot to allow the aerial runway to be used and then there would been been two smaller shutters to close off the slot at the top. All this has now gone
A plan of how I see the inner entrance. The brown sliding door and the arch is filled in with brickwork, (there are signs of where brickwork went around the arch) and there would have had to have been a slot to allow the aerial runway to be used and then there would been been two smaller shutters to close off the slot at the top. All this has now gone
Aerial runway slot in an ammunition bunker at Re303, Keringar MKB 'Graf Spee' 5./M.A.A.262
Aerial runway slot in an ammunition bunker at Re303, Keringar MKB 'Graf Spee' 5./M.A.A.262

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
A large double door would have closed the entrance off. There are remains of hinges that have been cut off but when Rommel visited the doors were open.

23 February 2014

Three heavy hinges were fitted to a steel frame around the entrance.
Three heavy hinges were fitted to a steel frame around the entrance.
Rommel's visit showing an inwardly opening door with an air vent in it.
Rommel's visit showing an inwardly opening door with an air vent in it.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
We have no idea what this was, it may have been something to do with ventilation. Ventilation is very important when you store ammunition.

23 February 2014

Rear air vent.
Rear air vent.
Air vent in door by Rommel's leg.
Air vent in door by Rommel's leg.
A tin shuttered air vent inside in the outer wall.
A tin shuttered air vent inside in the outer wall.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
There are three types of front walls.

23 February 2014

An oblong block camouflage.
An oblong block camouflage.
A very odd type of camouflage.
A very odd type of camouflage.
No camouflage at all.
No camouflage at all.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
A very narrow platform with a steel runner protecting the concrete edge.

23 February 2014

The platform was cantilevered out from the wall, I did not see any struts underneath it (I did not look too hard) there was also odd niches and air vent slots. Most of this area is now covered by earth pushed in.
The platform was cantilevered out from the wall, I did not see any struts underneath it (I did not look too hard) there was also odd niches and air vent slots. Most of this area is now covered by earth pushed in.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
This one has the door bricked up and may have been contemporary to the depot or could be post war.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Notice the exceptional Finnish to the concrete. Also the brickwork filling in marks on the left arch with the fittings for a sliding door.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Again a very good finish to the walls.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
It looks like a breeze block meticulously cut and fitted in.

23 February 2014

Breeze block.
Breeze block.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The end wall with its air ventilation tube. There seems to be no damp at all and the air is very fresh..

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
A different style of camouflage probably the old empty sacks of cement screwed up and placed into the concrete to create this shape.

23 February 2014

Concrete sacks.
Concrete sacks.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
And it seems there was a fire inside as the walls are all blackened. Also this tunnel seems to have fittings for an aerial runway as well.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
With the two different types of camouflage and the base of the railway lines.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
What looks like a channel between the two tunnel face I think is a gutter space where a rain water down pipe should have fitted. Nothing remains so its all supposition.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Boming damage where ammunition is placed in one tunnel and detonated.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The damaged concrete.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
These six must have been the first to be built and cannot be accessed.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
From the notice board. During the second world war, the Germans have built here even an important part of the Atlantic wall to a counter an eventual landing in the Pas-de-Calais. It was an ammunition depot giant composed of 44 galleries and tunnels for the convoy of trains of armament. More than 300 Jews sentenced to the work forces and imprisoned a Dannes fulfilled this military complex.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The first six. All these six are sealed off for bats to live in.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Entrance of No.6. Funnily enough its the only graffiti we saw in a sealed off tunnel.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Five & six.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
This one the last on the right was also blown up for some reason.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Looking down into the damaged section of this sealed tunnel.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
German barbed wire entanglement post possibly still in place after all this time.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Looking down at the gutter running the length of the depot. The railway ran from left to tight and linked up with the main line.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The tunnels would have continued to the left and some the other side where the settlement tanks now sit.

23 February 2014

Red the damaged tunnels.
Red the damaged tunnels.
Where we are.
Where we are.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
Water would have been needed for the steam trains in large quantities.

23 February 2014

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.

StP Hasso, Dannes, Pas-De-Calais.
The well head. The End

23 February 2014

A French railways/military water tower.
A French railways/military water tower.