The sea around them.
Evidence-led interpretation. Reported orders constrain the approach. Later manoeuvres are schematic; modern terrain and approximate event times provide context. Sources and uncertainties
Enter the Channel.
Explore the sea, the Brittany coast and all twelve warships. Play the sequence, pause at any stage and move around the scene.
12 warship models + terrain · approximately 12.5 MBAt 120×, one second represents two reported minutes. Times and manoeuvres remain approximate; jump buttons let you examine each event.
Twelve warships. One convoy.
Choose a vessel to focus the scene. The gold convoy symbols record presence and count; their shapes and spacing are not ship designs or formation evidence.
Force 28 7
4th Torpedo-boat Flotilla 5
Münsterland & close escort 9
The Type III sisters share a class model, as do the five Type 39 boats. Small anti-aircraft fittings, camouflage and exact hull sections need further evidence. Münsterland and V718/V719 remain individually named markers; the six minesweepers remain unnamed.
A setting to explore.
A record to question.
Charybdis now takes the reported port list and later stern-down attitude. The transitions between observations are interpreted, without a flooding simulation. Limbourne’s damaged bow has not yet been reconstructed; her intact hull remains a study reference. Ten other warships use class studies.
Understand the scene’s evidence Download models and import guide- Geographic reference
- Modern terrain off northern Brittany, with finer elevation sampling around Sept-Îles. Land and sea share a geographic scale; ships can be enlarged for visibility. Terrain colours are illustrative.
- Ordered approach
- The British report places Force 28 seven nautical miles on bearing 325° from Les Héaux at 00:30, then west on 267° at 13 knots. The orders specify three cables between ships. The scene derives a nominal approach from these orders and the official modern light position; actual station-keeping, current and the old chart datum remain unresolved.
- The night and sea
- Grenville reports southwest wind, a slight sea, moonrise at 01:25 and a heavy squall at 01:50 lasting about fifteen minutes. The moonlight direction follows an approximate sky rotation from the reported 066° rising bearing. Brightness, cloud cover and waves are interpretations. Overhead cameras and labels remain explanatory aids, including during poor visibility.
- Disagreements remain visible
- The narrative places Charybdis’s first hit about 01:45; the estimated action chart labels 01:47. That chart is an estimated reconstruction, not a surveyed track. The German report describes a different view of the encounter. Playback does not resolve these differences.
- After the attack
- Limbourne is shown about a mile northeast of Charybdis, following the reported relative position. Regrouping and rescue positions remain schematic. The stern-to-stern tow cue uses Talybont’s reported attempt from about 04:10 to 04:53; the signal log reports the parted tow at 05:02. The cue is hidden with enlarged ships. Rescuers now stay until about 06:25–06:30; Rocket remains for the final sinking. German positions disappear after the reported 03:24 reunion with the convoy. There are no verified continuous tracks, reconstructed tides, individual torpedo trajectories or located wreck models here.
Geography: Mapzen terrain tiles and data attribution. Produced using Copernicus data and information funded by the European Union - EU-DEM layers. Global SRTM / GMTED2010: USGS. ETOPO1: NOAA. Terrain sources and processing. Opening map: Natural Earth, public domain.
History: British Battle Summary and reports · Naval Intelligence report from captured German records. Ship models: original Operation Tunnel geometry. Charybdis retains its researched geometry. Limbourne uses a separate R3 viewing derivative here; its educational explorer remains on R2. Scene evidence and interpretation · Viewing-model provenance · Fleet evidence and limitations · Class-model manifest.