Épave du Lord Gray - Tardinghen

This 120-foot (37 m) steam trawler was launched on 27 June 1911 and named Lord Tweedmouth.

Two years later she was renamed Lord Grey after the former British Foreign Secretary. The boat was then requisitioned by the British Army in 1915 for use as a minesweeper . She was assigned to the famous Dover Patrol, based at Dunkirk and Dover, whose mission was to prevent German warships from passing through the Channel.

In December 1917, a storm raged and the Lord Grey was battered by the waves. She ran aground on the shore of Barrière. The stoker John Bilsborough was the only victim of this shipwreck. The wreck is still visible a century later and is overgrown with seaweed, mussels and shellfish. A relic of the 20th century waiting to be discovered!

After more than 100 years, the wreck of the Lord Grey can still be seen at high tide on Tardinghen beach. The wreck, which is more or less visible depending on the season and year, has been on the beach for 97 years and serves as a natural aquarium at low tide. It is easy to see crabs, flatfish and starfish...

Willem Vandenameele