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French maritime authorities are investigating damage to the wreck of a World War II Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft after the luxury sailing yacht Orient Express Corinthian reportedly anchored directly above the historic site in Les Lecques Bay, near Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean coast. The incident has prompted renewed calls for stronger protection of underwater cultural heritage.
According to the French Maritime Prefecture, Orient Express Corinthian anchored in the bay on July 16th, an area where anchoring is generally permitted. Divers inspecting the site the following day discovered that the aircraft wreck, which had rested approximately 38 metres below the surface since being shot down in 1944, had suffered extensive damage. Large sections of the fuselage and wings were found broken apart and scattered across the seabed. Authorities have confirmed that the vessel's anchor caused the damage, while an official investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
The P-38 Lightning wreck, rediscovered in 1996, had become one of the best-known dive sites along the French Riviera and served both as an important underwater historical site and an artificial reef supporting local marine life. Local diving organisations have described the damage as a significant loss for France's maritime heritage and have renewed appeals for the introduction of permanent mooring buoys or no-anchoring zones to protect submerged archaeological sites.
Following the discovery, the French Maritime Prefecture imposed a temporary prohibition on diving and anchoring around the wreck while archaeological specialists assess the extent of the damage. The Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research (DRASSM) has reported the incident to judicial authorities, and legal proceedings may follow as investigators examine the destruction of the protected cultural site.
The incident has also highlighted shortcomings in the protection of underwater archaeological sites. Although the aircraft wreck was well documented and widely known within the diving community, it was located within an authorised anchorage area and lacked physical exclusion measures that would have prevented vessels from anchoring directly above it.
Orient Express Corinthian, officially named in April 2026, is currently operating its inaugural Mediterranean season. The 220-metre vessel, promoted as the world's largest sailing yacht, accommodates 110 guests in 54 luxury suites and is the first ship in the Orient Express Sailing Yachts fleet.
