Cherbourg Naval Base
Cherbourg Naval Base | |
---|---|
Location | |
Location | France |
Coordinates | 49°39′9.000″N 1°38′3.001″W / 49.65250000°N 1.63416694°W |
Cherbourg Naval Base is a naval base in Cherbourg Harbour, Cherbourg, Manche department, Normandy. The town has been a base of the French Navy since the opening of the military port in 1813.
History
Early works
Cherbourg had been a stronghold since Roman times, and was one of the strongest fortresses of the
By the 1770s, with French involvement in the
La Bretonnière suggested the construction of a breakwater composed of sunken hulks and rocks, to be a foundation for further construction. Ultimately an alternative proposal, by engineer Louis-Alexandre de Cessart, was preferred, that of a breakwater created by the sinking of 90 wooden cones weighted with stones, 50 meters in diameter at the base and 20 meters in height. Work began in the 1780s. Île Pelée was fortified, and the wooden cones filled with stone were sunk outside the harbour(one in the presence of the king), to serve as a foundation for the breakwater. The cones were damaged by bad weather, and were gradually replaced by a continuous breakwater in pierres perdues, when the works were interrupted by the French Revolution.
Nineteenth century
Work resumed in 1803 under the orders of
Work began on the Charles X basin (420 × 200 × 18 meters) in 1814, and it was inaugurated on 25 August 1829 in the presence of the Dauphin. A second basin, Napoleon III (290 × 220 × 18 meters), was begun in 1836 and inaugurated on 7 August 1858 in the presence of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. The continuous expansion of the military port and dockyard eventually came to consume between 3 and 4 million gold francs a year. By the end of the nineteenth century the United Kingdom was no longer the main adversary. The city had become a major industrial centre and employer, with 4,000 workers from all over France based at the arsenal, which became the "backbone of the city". With the naval importance of the port reduced, the well-developed harbour became a base for transatlantic trade connecting northern Europe with the east coast of the Americas.
Second World War
The city was first bombed by the Luftwaffe on 15 June 1940, during the Battle of France. The port was used as the evacuation point as British and French soldiers withdrew ahead of the advancing German Army, Cherbourg becoming the "Norman Dunkirk". The east fort on the breakwater was destroyed by the French Navy. German forces arrived at Cherbourg on 17 June, and on 18 June the city council declared Cherbourg an open city. Maritime prefect Vice-Admiral Jules Le Bigot ensured three submarines under construction at the arsenal, Praya, Roland Morillot and Martinique, were destroyed, and then surrendered the city to General Erwin Rommel.
Battle of Cherbourg
Cherbourg, the only deep-water port in the region, was the primary goal of US troops landed at
The Germans had systematically damaged the port prior to surrendering. Ships, tugs, cranes and other equipment had been thrown into the water in the basins, blocking the harbour and delaying the arrival of the first ships until the end of July. In November 1944, the local Cherbourg bailout commission was created to organise the salvaging of ships and clearing accesses to the port. The port was only partially back in service by mid-August. On 14 July 1944 the Place du Château, renamed Place du Maréchal-Pétain during the German occupation, was renamed Place Général De Gaulle, while the Quai de l'Ancien-Arsenal was renamed Lawton-Collins Quay, after the American commander of VII Corps, which had liberated the city.
American troops of the Fourth Major Port of Embarkation and French transport corps carried out sufficient repairs to the port for it to accommodate the first
Cherbourg was returned to France by the Americans on 14 October 1945. It is quoted in the order of the army of 2 June 1948 and was awarded the
Current ships assigned
Cherbourg is one of three naval bases of metropolitan France (the other two are
The naval base occupies 120 hectares and commands 13 ships:
- the three Flamant-class patrol vessels of the French Navy: Flamant, Pluvier and Cormoran,
- the radiological surveillance swift boat Coralline,
- the tugboatsFréhel and Saire,
- the mine clearance diving support vessel Vulcain,
- the diving support swift boat Acanthe and Magnolia,
- the patrol boats of the Maritime Gendarmerie Athos and Aramis,,
- the support vessel Élan.
Other vessels present:
- Chartered salvage tug Abeille Liberté,
- Patrol boat Thémis (operated by Affaires maritimes)[1][2]
Cherbourg Arsenal
The arsenal of Cherbourg specializes in submarine construction. These are nuclear vessels for the French Navy, such as the
References
- ^ « Journée « portes ouvertes » de la base navale de Cherbourg Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine », préfecture maritime de Cherbourg, 21 septembre 2007
- ^ « Ports d'attache des bâtiments de la Marine nationale en 2008 Archived 2011-09-05 at the Wayback Machine », Netmarine.net, 2008