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Saxon thegn | Anglo Saxon History 
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| | Battle of Hastings 1066AD - D - Sailing - Dives sur Mer to St Valerie |
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| | List of Contents |
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| Introduction ▲ |
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William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066 is one of the most studied military operations in history. But between the assembly of the fleet at Dives-sur-Mer and its eventual crossing to England, something went badly wrong — and William went to considerable lengths to make sure nobody found out.
A storm struck the Norman fleet as it left Dives. The slower, non-oared transport and supply ships were driven along the Alabaster Coast by a wind that veered from west to north-west, and wrecked. The faster warships with oarsmen fought through to St Valérie-sur-Somme. William had his drowned men buried in secret.
The difference between the ship count recorded in the Ship List at Dives — 777 vessels — and Master Wace's figure of 694 ships leaving St Valérie suggests that approximately 83 ships were lost. At the likely composition of those vessels, this was not primarily a loss of fighting men. It was a loss of horses, fodder, food and equipment — the supplies an invading army needed to survive once it landed.
This page examines what the storm did, why the secrecy mattered, and what the weeks of further delay at St Valérie may really have been about. The wind was part of it. But William may also have been waiting for something else entirely.
| | Dives to St Valerie ▲ |
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There is only one Chronicle referring to this event, so it is not corroborated hence shown in red:
There is very little documentary evidence for this part of the journey, however the following is from the 'The Gesta Guillelmi of William of Poitiers':
Presently the whole fleet, equipped with great foresight, was blown from the mouth of the Dives and the neighboring ports, where they had waited for a south wind to carry them across, and was driven by the breath of the west wind to moorings at Saint-Valery.
There too the leader, whom neither the delay and contrary wind nor the terrible shipwrecks nor the craven flight of many who had pledged their faith in him could shake, committed himself with the utmost confidence of prayers, gifts and vows, to the protection of heaven.
Indeed meeting adversity with good council, he concealed (as far as he could) the loss of those who drowned, by burying them in secret; and by daily increasing supplies he alleviated want. By divers encouragements he retained the terrified and put heart into the fearful.
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The trip from Dives appears to have been very bad, so most likely the wind started from the South which would take the fleet into the Channel and then the wind veered to the West and built up into a storm which blew the fleet along the Normandy Coast to St Valerie, where a large number of ships were destroyed.
The daily increase in supplies could have meant that the fleet support ships had been wrecked and that William was desperately trying to get supplies from the towns near to St Valerie. These would all take time to reach the port, but as time passes more and more would reach St Valerie.
Master Wace has a different version
The duke rejoiced greatly at receiving the gonfanon, and the license which the apostle gave him. He got together carpenters smiths and other workmen, so that great stir was seen at all the ports of Normandy, in the collecting of wood and materials, cutting of planks, framing of ships and boats, stretching sails, and rearing masts, with great pains and at great cost. They spent all one summer and autumn in fitting up the fleet and collecting the forces; and there was no knight in the land, no good Serjeant, archer, nor peasant of stout heart, and of age for battle, that the duke did not summon to go with him to England: promising rents to the vavassors, and honors to the barons.
When the ships were ready, they were moored in the Somme at St Valeri, and there delivered to the barons. Many were the ships and boats in the river there, which is called the Somme, and separates Ponthieu and Vimou. Vimou extends as far as Ou, which separates Normandy from Vimou, a country under different government. Ou is a river, and Ou is also a fair castle situate upon that river.
Master Wace Chronicle was written some time after the event so the story of the storm and loss of life may have been removed by William.
As St Valerie was not part of Normandy then it would seem unlikely that William would risk his ships being brought together in a foreign country, and Dives would seem more likely.
There is another issue with St Valerie, as it is close to the coastal cliffs of Northern France the wind needs to come from the South or South East for sailing ships to leave the Somme estuary safely, whereas in Dives you can leave the harbour with a South West, South or South East breeze. The prevailing wind in the Channel is South West hence Dives is a better harbour to sail from.
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The above map shows a possible scenario that explains why William's fleet landed at St Valerie sur Somme.
The first piece of information is that the storms in the Northern hemisphere rotate in an anti-clockwise manner.
The Normans leave Dives with a South West wind heading towards Pevensey (orange line) as they reach the Channel the storm moves quickly up the channel (purple line). The wind would then veer to the West and push the ships along the Alabaster Coast. As they start to get towards St Valerie, the storm would then make the wind direction change from West to North West pushing the ships towards the cliffs on the French Coast (shown in red). The faster ships with rowers carrying the troops would probably made it to St Valerie, but the slower non oared supply ships would have been wrecked probably between Dieppe and Le Treport by being blown onto the cliffs.
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This is an animation of Storm Benjamin that passed by 23/10/2025 that shows the wind changes along the French coast and in the Channel, this animation is based on a time lapse from https://www.netweather.tv, and shows the type of storm from the last image.
| | Damage to the Fleet between Dives and St Valerie ▲ |
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There are two sources of information regarding the vessels sailing to Britain, the first is the The Ship list of William the Conqueror which describes the Williams Fleet presumably before leaving Dives with 777 ships.
The second reference is from Master Wace who reports'but I heard my father say I remember it well, although I was but a lad that there were seven hundred ships, less four, when they sailed from St. Valeri ; and that there were besides these ships, boats and skiffs for the purpose of carrying the arms and harness. I have found it written (but I know not whether it be true) that there were in all three thousand vessels bearing sails and masts. Any one will know that there must have been a great many men to have furnished out so many vessels.'
| | Conclusion ▲ |
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If the Williams Ship List showing 777 ships and Master Wace's 694 ships leaving St Valerie are true then the fleet would have lost 83 ships between Dives and St Valerie.
This would have been over 10% of the fleet, which would make the report from William of Poitiers of concealment of the drowned fairly important, as there would have been a significant number possibly in the hundreds of troops, horses and a great deal of supplies.
William secretly buried the drowned, and simultaneously faced an urgent shortage of supplies that required daily replenishment from the surrounding area.
The most logical explanation linking these two facts is that the ships lost in the storm were predominantly the slower, non-oared transport and supply vessels. These would have been the last to leave Dives, the least able to fight the storm, and the most likely to be wrecked on the Alabaster Coast cliffs as the wind shifted from West to North West. The faster troop-carrying warships, with oarsmen able to work against the weather, would have made St Valerie.
This means William arrived at St Valerie with most of his army largely intact — but critically short of food, fodder for the horses, and equipment. The secret burials were not simply about morale. A public count of 83 lost ships would have immediately revealed the scale of the supply crisis to every soldier waiting on the beach. Panic and mass desertion would have followed.
The urgent sourcing of replacement supplies from towns near St Valerie, and the weeks of further delay at St Valerie waiting for a favourable wind, now take on a different meaning: William may not simply have been waiting for the wind. He may also have been waiting until he had enough food to sustain an invasion.
| | This is what the DeepSeek AI output ▲ |
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My Question:
Is it probable that the Norman fleet in 1066AD was blown by a storm from Dives sur Mere to St Valerie ?
The Norman fleet's journey in 1066, as part of William the Conqueror's invasion of England, is a well-documented historical event. According to historical accounts, the Norman fleet did experience a storm that forced it to divert from its original departure point at Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. This storm is often cited as a significant event in the lead-up to the Battle of Hastings.
Key Points:
Departure from Dives-sur-Mer:
William the Conqueror assembled his fleet at Dives-sur-Mer in Normandy, where they waited for favorable winds to cross the English Channel.
The Storm:
Historical records, such as the Bayeux Tapestry and chronicles like those of William of Poitiers, mention a storm that scattered the fleet and caused significant delays.
The storm likely occurred in September 1066, forcing the fleet to seek shelter and regroup.
Relocation to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme:
After the storm, William moved his fleet north to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, a port with better wind conditions for crossing the Channel.
This relocation was strategic, as Saint-Valery was closer to England and provided a more favorable launching point for the invasion.
Historical Probability:
The storm and the fleet's diversion are considered historically probable, as they are supported by multiple contemporary sources.
The English Channel is known for its unpredictable weather, and storms in this region are common, especially in late summer and early autumn.
Impact on the Invasion:
The delay caused by the storm allowed Harold Godwinson, the English king, to mobilize his forces and prepare for the Norman invasion.
However, Harold's army was later weakened by the need to march north to repel Harald Hardrada's invasion at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, just before facing William at Hastings.
Conclusion:
It is highly probable that the Norman fleet was blown off course by a storm in 1066, forcing it to relocate from Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. This event is well-documented and aligns with the known weather patterns of the English Channel. The storm played a crucial role in the timing and logistics of William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England.
| | Bibliography ▲ |
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Primary Sources (as cited on this page)
Taylor, Edgar, trans. Master Wace: His Chronicle of the Norman Conquest from the Roman de Rou. London: William Pickering, 1837.
→ Source for the fleet size at St Valerie (694 ships) and the description of the Somme anchorage.
William of Poitiers. The Gesta Guillelmi of William of Poitiers. Edited and translated by R. H. C. Davis and Marjorie Chibnall. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.
→ Sole contemporary account of the storm-driven passage from Dives to St Valerie, including the secret burials and supply crisis.
Fleet Lists & Naval Logistics
“The Ship List of William the Conqueror.” [Manuscript source to be confirmed by site owner].
→ Cited as the source for 777 ships at Dives. Requires verification and full citation.
Meteorological Data & Storm Modelling
Netweather.tv. “Storm Benjamin – 23rd October 2025.” Time-lapse animation. https://www.netweather.tv.
→ Real-time storm track used as a modern analogue for the 1066 weather system. Demonstrates anti-clockwise rotation and wind veering from SW → W → NW.
AI Historical Analysis
DeepSeek AI. “Is it probable that the Norman fleet in 1066AD was blown by a storm from Dives sur Mer to St Valerie?” Generated for SaxonHistory.co.uk, November 2025. https://saxonhistory.co.uk/FORMS-Page-Builder.php?Pg=1066AD_Williams_route_across_the_Channel_Dives.
→ Synthesis of primary sources and meteorological probability, published integrally on this page.
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Local Interest
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