This anchor from a US Navy ship was the subject of an exceptional two-part salvage operation.
On December 7th, the anchor was first brought to the surface with the help of parachutes. It was then towed to the coastline, near the shore.
The delicate lifting operation took place yesterday morning and required an extraordinary crane: the anchor, like a sea monster, emerged from the water!
For decades, it lay in the roadstead of Villefranche-sur-Mer, at a depth of 22 meters.
Four tons of steel, which over the years, had turned into a trap for fishing nets.
A symbol of the American presence in Villefranche-sur-Mer until 1967, it marks the kickoff of the 50th anniversary of the US Navy’s 6th Fleet departure from Villefranche-sur-Mer, culminating on January 20th.
