ePetition details

SAVE THE WORLD WAR 2 'WHALE'

We the undersigned petition the council to ..save the World War 2 Whale. Southampton's historic monuments are set for a £6.7m revamp. Yet the impressive list of 'heritage assets' does not include any artefact from the period of the city's greatest achievement, as the 'springboard' for D-Day and Operation Overlord. In particular it does not mention the Grade 2 listed structure part of the World War 2 Mulberry Harbour descibed as the 'Whale Roadway Section and Buffer Pontoon', currently rusting in the water next to the Royal Pier. According to the official description from Historic England, it is a 'reminder of the prominent role of the City of Southampton in the preparation and launching of Overlord'. The previous petition was rejected because Southampton City Council was 'not in a position to purchase the protected structure owned by a third party'.

We now petition Southampton City Council to spend a fraction of the money already allocated to rescue this unique 'heritage asset', as the plaque on the dockgate reads in 'memory of the men and women of the forces of the United Nations who sailed from this port during the great war against aggression to secure the freedom of mankind'.

This ePetition ran from 29/12/2021 to 09/06/2022 and has now finished.

16 people signed this ePetition.