In June 1944, following the D-Day landings, the Allies built two artificial ports known as Mulberry off the coast of Normandy. These temporary ports, made of prefabricated concrete structures and floating docks, allowed the Allies to unload vast amounts of vehicles and supplies without relying on natural deep-water harbors. The Mulberry project had started in 1942 under the direction of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and involved the construction of 212 massive concrete blocks, called "Phoenix" caissons, along with 23 floating piers and 15 kilometers of tracks, all built in England and shipped across the English Channel. Each Phoenix caisson was as long as a football field and weighed between 2,000 and 6,000 tons. These structures were transported at a slow speed of 8 kilometers per hour across the Channel, a journey that took several hours and required constant protection from enemy aircraft and submarines. By June 9, 1944, the caissons were placed in position and sunk to form a seawall, behind which floating piers adjusted to the tides using telescoping legs. However, a powerful storm that hit from June 19 to 22, 1944, severely damaged the American Mulberry A port before its pontoons were fully secured. The destruction was so extensive that the port was abandoned, causing a significant delay in the unloading of supplies. American forces had to improvise, using flat-bottomed boats and amphibious trucks to unload directly onto the beach. In contrast, the British Mulberry B port near Arromanches suffered less damage and was quickly restored. Engineers even used parts from the damaged American port to repair Mulberry B. This British port, later renamed Port Winston in honor of Churchill, became the main logistical hub for the Normandy campaign, operating until November 1944. During that time, it handled 500,000 vehicles, 4 million tons of cargo, and 2.5 million troops. The port was dismantled in 1945 after the Allies captured and restored deep-water ports in Cherbourg and Antwerp. Some of its metal walkways, known as "Whales," were later reused to rebuild bridges, including the "Arromanches bridges." Today, the remains of the Phoenix caissons can still be seen at low tide along the Normandy coast, though eroded by time. Some of the unused caissons remain in the port of Portland on the English coast and are now protected as historical monuments.