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Memorial park in Denmark to commemorate historic naval battle
Christian Wenande
June 1st, 2016
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The Battle of Jutland marking its centenary this week
Artist Paul Cederdorff stands in front of the memorial park (photo: Paul Cederdorff)
The memorial park dedicated to ‘The Battle of Jutland’ has officially opened in Thyborøn on the west coast of Jutland.
The World War I battle was fought by England and Germany from 31 May to 1 June 1916. Some 8,600 sailors perished in the North Sea waves about 145 km west of Thyborøn.
The Danish shipwreck diver Gert Normann Andersen is behind the memorial park.
“I was captivated by the huge battle already as a boy when my grandfather told of how he could hear the cannons roar across the waters in 1916,” Andersen said according to Metroxpress newspaper.
“Since then, I got to work as a diver for several museums, and over the years I have recovered many things from the bottom of the ocean. In 2015 we made a considerable map of all 25 shipwrecks from the battle with a British TV station.”
READ MORE: Tomb of the unknown sailor identified 100 years after his death
On neutral ground
The many artefacts recovered by Andersen led to the opening of the new Sea War Museum Jutland maritime museum, which opened in September last year in Thyborøn.
The memorial park will consist of 20,000 sqm, and delegates attending the opening next week will include the descendants of the two admirals who led the battle from either side.
Designed by the Danish artist Paul M Cederdorff, the memorial park is located in the dunes by the sea and consists of 25 large granite blocks each bearing the name of one of the sunken ships, along with an extra block listing the names of those who died while serving on ships that didn’t sink.
The news comes in the wake of a body of a British sailor, who was among the thousands who lost their lives during the battle. He was last month finally identified after being buried near Esbjerg 100 years ago.
(photo: Grandiose)
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