Can you visit the submarine pens in La Rochelle?
The city remained under German control until 1945, one of the last French cities to be liberated by the Allies, after which the U-boat pens sat empty. Today, they are intermittently used by the French navy, and as such are not open to the public.
Is St Nazaire in Brittany?
listen); Breton: Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir; Gallo: Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the submarine base of Saint-Nazaire?
The submarine base of Saint-Nazaire is a large fortified U-boat pen built by the Germans during the Second World War in Saint Nazaire . It is one of the five large submarine bases built by the Third Reich in Occupied France . Before the Second World War, Saint-Nazaire was one of the largest harbours of the Atlantic coast of France.
What is the Bassin de St Nazaire?
Across the Bassin de St Nazaire is what looks like a single sub pen, but is actually a fortified lock. Built later in the war to protect submarines as they transited from the estuary to the basin and sub pens. Right now it’s home to a submarine, and it’s where we’re headed next.
What happened at St Nazaire in WW2?
The attack, known as the St Nazaire Raid, successfully destroyed the adjacent dry-dock by ramming an explosive-filled destroyer into it, but the U-boat pens were not targeted. The base in its late stages of completion, April 1942 Rommel inspecting the base, 18 February 1944 A submarine at Saint-Nazaire
What’s inside Saint-Nazaire’s U-boat base?
Saint-Nazaire’s German U-boat base still stands, and in it, France’s Espadon sub. Here’s a look inside. The massive hulk of the Saint-Nazaire submarine base. Inside are several museums, and across the basin is the submarine Espadon . For the story behind this base and this tour, check out Silent steel and a concrete castle.