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ÃŽle des Morts (''Island of the Dead'') is a 7-hectare island in the Bay of Roscanvel, to the south-west of the
In 1868, with the railways' arrival in Brest, the French Navy decided to build a new powder magazine at the Saint-Nicolas powder-factory, at Guipavas. Even so, the ÃŽle des Morts continued in use in both World Wars, during which time the metal "
Poudrières de l'île des Morts (Inventaire général de Bretagne)
*''Bretagne Magazine'' n°31 (November/December 2005-January 2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ile Des Morts Fortifications of Brest, France Landforms of Finistère Islands of Brittany Brittany region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
ÃŽle des Morts (''Island of the Dead'') is a 7-hectare island in the Bay of Roscanvel, to the south-west of the roadstead of Brest
The roadstead of Brest (''rade de Brest'') is a roadstead or bay located in the Finistère Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. The surface area is about 180 km² (70 sq ...
, between the Quélern
Quélern is a hamlet in Roscanvel, in the department of Finistère (Brittany), in western France.
Fortifications
Fortified lines
The Quélern lines defended the entrance to the goulet de Brest against capture from behind the defences of the Rosca ...
peninsula and ÃŽle Longue
Île Longue (French for "Long Island") is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest in the department of Finistère in the Brittany region. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive an ...
. It is 26m above sea level at its highest point.
History
In 1720, the neighbouring island of Trébéron became a quarantine island orlazaret
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. ...
for lepers
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
, with ÃŽle des Morts as its cemetery. During the 18th century, the arsenal at Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Brest, ...
was supplied with gunpowder from the powder-mills of Pont-de-Buis. Transported by boat, the gunpowder made a last stop at the île d'Arun, at the mouth of the River Aulne. However, the magazine on the île d'Arun was small and remote from Brest and was not convenient in the context of the Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, with the British fleet blockading Brest. In 1808, Jean-Nicolas Trouille, director of the maritime works at Brest, decided to develop Île de Morts by adding powder magazines.Poudrières de l'île des Morts http://www.fortiff.be/iff/index.php?page=m189 The rock-breaking works done by convicts from the Brest prison allowed him to level a plateau on which to build three 45m-long and 12m wide two-level powder-magazines (in which the use of metal was banned to avoid risk of explosion). In completing the magazines, he also built a mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
out towards île Trébéron, several landing points and a barracks for the magazines' garrison.
In 1868, with the railways' arrival in Brest, the French Navy decided to build a new powder magazine at the Saint-Nicolas powder-factory, at Guipavas. Even so, the ÃŽle des Morts continued in use in both World Wars, during which time the metal "Decauville
Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel ...
" road was built, which still survives. In 1960, the installations on the island were decommissioned and some years later the island became included in the protective perimeter around ÃŽle Longue
Île Longue (French for "Long Island") is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest in the department of Finistère in the Brittany region. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive an ...
– it is still closed to public access.
Sources
External links
Poudrières de l'île des Morts (Inventaire général de Bretagne)
*''Bretagne Magazine'' n°31 (November/December 2005-January 2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ile Des Morts Fortifications of Brest, France Landforms of Finistère Islands of Brittany Brittany region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia