The huge Joubert drydock built for SS "Normandie" was the only port on the Atlantic capable of servicing the German battleships and . This made the port strategically important to both the Axis Powers and the Allies during World War II. After Operation Rheinübung on 18–27 May 1941, in which "Bismarck" and the heavy cruiser which resulted in the sinking of and the sinking of "Bismarck", the need for the Allies to take the Joubert dry dock out of operation was increased. The "Bismarck" and the "Tirpitz" were to have ended their raid at Saint-Nazaire. On 28 March 1942, a force of 611 British Commandos and the Royal Navy launched the St Nazaire Raid against the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire, codenamed Operation Chariot. An obsolete American-built destroyer was used as a ram-ship loaded with explosives, and it and the commandos succeeded in destroying the gates and machinery of the Joubert drydock, preventing its further use by the Germans during the war. Of the 600+ navy and commando personnel, 220 returned, half were wounded. Five Victoria Crosses and 69 other decorations were awarded. The Joubert dry dock was not brought back into operation until 1948.