I have come to this town often close to me and the sub prefecture of the Morbihan dept 56 . It really not well known off the beaten path even if has nice things to see especially as it relates to the sea. The city of Lorient means in breton An Oriant or the Orient as the companies that sail to the new world , the Americas were done here and across the bay at Port Louis (see post), We can go back to the Vikings! Indeed, between the 8C and the 10C, they used the harbor of Lorient to go up the Blavet river ! Therefore, let me tell you about the ports of Lorient, part I !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Company of the East Indies fix its naval establishment at the mouth of the Blavet river, towards the middle of the summer of 1665. One year later, that is to say in the month of June 1666, a royal ordinance sanctioned this choice and grants this company the most extensive rights and privileges to found and develop its establishment, by investing it with all the king’s rights over what may belong to him, both in the city of Port-Louis and on the banks of the Blavet and du Scorff rivers, and particularly at Faouëdic. The history of Lorient begins in 1666 with the aim of providing a base for the French East India Company. This role was to be reinforced in 1675 when it was decided to abandon the company’s other location, in Le Havre, where the Compagnie de l’Orient (East India Company) moved there in 1643, for the sole benefit of Lorient. In the 17C, the harbor served as a haven for the king’s vessels and the ships of the East India Company. It was the birth of the port of Lorient, which very quickly became the stronghold of the global spice trade. Today, the port lives to the rhythm of its many activities. The Royal Navy also settled there in 1688 to have boats built there. The Lorient Arsenal produced many ships over the following centuries,including the first French battleships.
The commercial port of Lorient located by 3 Bd de la Rade , leading port in the Brittany region, I have not told you about it in my many posts on Lorient, I like to do so now with some found old pictures from my vault, The oldest of the ports of Lorient, created in 1666 by Colbert, to respond to the development of the East India Company, has fundamentally shaped the territory. Lorient has been able to adapt over time and today the commercial port claims to be a raw and industrial place. The coming and going of cargo ships invites contemplation and offers an opening to the world through the floating pavilions of moored cargo ships.
Built in the 1910s, it was enlarged after WWII during the reconstruction of the city, the rubble being used to fill the handle of Kergroise. Its quays were extended again in the 1970s and new equipment made it possible to diversify its activities. Its access channel was dredged in the early 2010s, to facilitate access for Panamax type vessels. Its activities are mainly oriented towards the importation, mainly of hydrocarbons, agrifood products and construction materials. It is also occasionally used for the transport of passengers and by military ships in connection with the Lorient arsenal.
The commercial port, whose operation is delegated to the Lorient Bretagne Sud commercial ports SAS, has many facilities. These are the 150 meters quay built in 1985, which accommodates reefer ships, ships with conventional cargo and liners, The 656 meters multipurpose quay, made up of 8 different structures built between 1913 and 2010, which accommodates ships transporting mostly bulk for animal feed, and at its northern end multipurpose trafic, The 125 meters oil station built in 2009, which can accommodate vessels of up to 50,000 tonnes, The Ro-ro station for accommodating ro-ro ships, The 100 meters Rohu unloading dock receiving hourglass ships. A cruise ship reception activity is also provided at the commercial port. The only deep-water port between Brest and Saint-Nazaire, it allows boats up to 240 meters long to call; the city then serves as a starting point for excursions to other tourist sites in the region, such as Carnac or Saint-Goustan.
An emblematic monument of the city in the days of the Navy, the Tour de la Découverte is once again open to the public to go back in time and discover the maritime signaling of the 19C and the time ball which allowed sailors to adjust their navigation instruments before to go to sea. Built for the first time in 1737 on the site of the reservoir, the Tour de la Découverte was destroyed twice by lightning in 1751 and 1784. In 1786, it was rebuilt on the Faouëdic hill by the architect Philippe Guillois who then equips it with a lightning rod. It is a watchtower to signal the approach of ships and monitor possible smuggling maneuvers on the coast of the island of Groix. Also called reconnaissance tower or signal tower, it was equipped during the 19C with a dome which housed a signaling projector allowing optical communications between the maritime establishments of Lorient.
The Lorient commercial port : https://lorient.port.bzh/
There are other ports in Lorient . For reference, these are the Keroman fishing port: second fishing port in France in terms of tonnage and first in added value with 700 embarked and 130 boats registered at the port of Lorient. The Fishing port with an “Elidra 650” boat lift ,the largest equipment of this type operating in Europe, The fishing port of Lorient thus maintains its reputation as a complex always at the forefront of modernity as its creators wished at the beginning of the 20C. The port of Lorient welcomes all types of fishing vessels: trawlers, gillnets, traps, purse seiners…. More than 300 boats frequent it and 620 sailors are registered in the maritime district of Lorient. 26,000 T of fish are landed each year, to which are added the direct contributions of wholesalers and processors (shellfish, crustaceans, shrimps, fillets, prepared or processed products) to reach 80,000 T of seafood products processed in the port.
The Pleasure Marina at 2 Bd Adolphe Pierre with numerous pontoon places spread over the port of Lorient, 370 to give you a number in addition to the 880 meters of pontoons of the offshore racing pole fitted out on the site of the former Keroman submarine base, and reserved for racing, rental and passenger boats. The Passenger port or gare maritime sailing cruises and ferries towards the islands of Groix and Belle-Île-en-Mer. The Military port with the arsenal and Lann-Bihoué The Lorient Dry port PC de La Base, a marina for motor boats of 280 spaces.
The Lorient South Brittany tourist office on the ports : https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/immanquables/lorient/rade-et-ports/
The city of Lorient on its heritage : https://patrimoine.lorient.bzh/histoire/architecture/
The city of Lorient on its history : https://www.lorient.bzh/en/discover-lorient/history/
There you go folks, a nice way to do some walking around beautiful ports of Lorient,and past the afternoon with the family, while looking into some historical facts of our past such as the old submarine base and museum (see post). Again, hope you enjoy this brief post on the ports of Lorient, part I !! as I. .
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 