Information of relatives
It is from 8 am that the first families are notified. Toulon begins to be crisscrossed by cars which, with loudspeakers, ask, without further details, sailors on leave to urgently return to their post. It is urgent to warn relatives to prevent them from learning the news by accident or the media.
Notify families as soon as possible
The Admiralty immediately took the decision to urgently inform the families of the members of the missing submarine. Obviously, the news must not reach them through the media, which will be quickly informed.
In 1968 few people had a telephone (15% of households), television was not in all homes (60%).
Family visits
As is customary in such circumstances, two men of the same rank as the missing person go to the address of relatives "to be notified in the event of an accident".
Sometimes it's a young sailor barely 20 years old, automatically designated, crushed by emotion, not knowing how to announce such news, who rings at a door., quickly warns a stunned wife and leaves just as suddenly without adding anything.
For married sailors, it is therefore both parents and wives who are notified. For those who simply had a fiancée, unknown to the Navy, it is through the media or their relatives that they will be informed.
Many sailors, who are single, have parents who live in towns where there is no representative of the Navy. In this case, it is the Mayors who are responsible for notifying the families. They receive a telegram like the one reproduced below, which we can see is worrying without specifying anything. But it's a Sunday and they can't always be reached andsome will learn of the disappearance of their son or brother through the news on the radio or television.They will then wait, paralyzed by worry, for the visit of the one who will confirm to them the tragedy that is affecting them.
The wait will also be cruel for the parents of those who could, or should, have been on the Minerve. They will remain in doubt until the one they don't know is alive gives them news.
Standard telegram - here intended for the family of Jacques Priard, intended for the Town Hall to inform the parents of the disappearance of Minerva.
Comment ont-ils appris la nouvelle ?
Testimonials
Jean-Paul KRINTZ, one of the sailors "survived"; from the Minerve :
"On Monday 29, I was assigned a vehicle with driver, in order to visit the families, to comfort them, me, giving them hope, because I believed in it hard as iron, when it was screwed up.
The second week was of the same kind, except that I was under the orders of the former 02 of Minerva Bernard de Truchis de Lays, who announced the bad news to him. I still have in me the vision of these poor people looking at me with questioning eyes (but the young quartermaster lied to us, gave us false hopes).
I cannot forget this trauma caused in these painful moments. I almost threw myself under a train, but reason won out anyway."
Hervé FAUVE, Fils du commandant André FAUVE
Je me souviens parfaitement de ce matin du dimanche 28 janvier. Ma mère ne s'inquiète pas, elle est habituée aux retours décalés de mon père pour des questions de service qu'il ne détaille jamais.
En milieu de matinée la sonnette d'entrée retentit, je me précipite derrière ma mère qui va ouvrir, ce sont deux officiers de Marine. J'en reconnais un, Georges Albatro, un ami de mes parents.
Ils l’accompagnent dans le salon où ils lui annoncent la terrible nouvelle. Ma mère s'effondre. Je me demande ce qui se passe et à mon tour, en larmes, elle me dit directement "Ton Papa est mort son sous-marin a coulé."
Elle prévient alors la famille, dont certains apprendront néanmoins la nouvelle par la radio ou la télévision.
Par la suite, de nombreux journalistes chercheront à nous prendre en photo, à obtenir des interviews qui amènent rapidement ma mère à nous retirer de l’école pour aller s’installer chez des amis. Nous n'y retournerons plus.
A Brest, d'autres journalistes essaieront d'entrer chez ma grand-mère, allant jusqu'à coincer le pied dans sa porte, pour avoir des photos de la mère du commandant disparu.
Heureusement, les marins connaissent la signification du mot solidarité, et les amis de la Marine se relaieront pour nous aider voire nous protéger contre cette curiosité publique. Nous nous sommes fait héberger, chez d'autres sous-mariniers, à l'abri des regards.
Bernard de TRUCHIS, former second in command of the Minerva and future commander of the Eurydice:
I was informed of the accident by telephone in a laconic way, "the accident is certain, we must contact the families, and leave them little hope of finding them".. A 10h. I phoned VINOT for details.
"The MINERVE submarine has been missing since last night, we have lost contact since, I warn you to contact the families you know well."
So I made contact during the day with my families and from that day on I only took care of the families, not asking myself much about the circumstances and the causes".
Many people today still remember his help and support.
Some articles from 1968 relating the way the drama was experienced
