The Channel Ports are seaports in southern England and the facing continent, which allow for short crossings of the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. There is no formal definition, but there is a general understanding of the term. Some ferry companies divide their routes into "short" and "long" crossings. The broadest definition might be from
Plymouth east to
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and from
Roscoff
Roscoff (; br, Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France.
Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure ...
to
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zee ...
although a tighter definition would exclude ports west of
Newhaven and
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
. A historic group of such ports is the
Cinque Ports of south-east England, most of which have ceased to be commercial ports.
Ports
England
The ports vary in size and their relative importance has fluctuated during recent history.
Dover has established a lead in the cross-Channel ferry routes through its geographic position and development of its facilities and
hinterland
Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...
. This business has been sustained despite competition from the
Channel Tunnel. Other minor ports in Kent and
Sussex have retained some trade but these tend to be single routes, such as
Newhaven–
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
.
Longer routes mainly radiate from
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
but there are lesser ports at
Poole and
Plymouth, with routes to
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, Brittany and Spain.
France
The major French port with cross-Channel connections is Calais, with frequent sailings to Dover. Other close French channel include
Dunkirk and Dieppe.
Longer routes are served from
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
,
Caen,
Cherbourg,
Roscoff
Roscoff (; br, Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France.
Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure ...
and
St Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
. There are services to Ireland (
Rosslare and
Cork).
Strategic importance
The ports are important commercial facilities, reinforcing connections between the British and European road systems. They are also vulnerable to
industrial action such as strikes by port employees or
blockade
A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force.
A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...
s by disgruntled fishermen.
Their importance as military facilities was demonstrated during two World Wars.
World War I
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the British and French Channel ports were major conduits for British
materiel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specif ...
and troops.
The Belgian ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge were considered a major threat by British Admiral
Admiral Jellicoe. He was concerned by their use not only as German U-boat ports, but also as torpedo boat bases and even possible departure points for a cross-Channel attack. This concern was transmitted via Whitehall to the British chief of staff on the Western Front,
General Haig, for whom it merely confirmed the need for an offensive in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
, and eventually led to the
Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres).
World War II
During World War II, likewise, the Channel ports provided major supply routes which had to be reopened in 1944.
Dunkirk was the route from which British and Allied troops were
evacuated in 1940; see
Dunkirk evacuation
In September 1944, the
First Canadian Army (Canadian, British, Polish, Czechoslovak and other national units) was to capture the ports from Le Havre to Zeebrugge.
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
and Ostende were undefended but major military actions were required for
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
(
Operation Astonia
Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Fought from ...
),
Boulogne (
Operation Wellhit
Operation Wellhit (the Battle of Boulogne) from 17 to 22 September 1944, was an operation of the Second World War by the 3rd Canadian Division of the First Canadian Army to take the fortified port of Boulogne in northern France. The 9th Canadian ...
) and
Calais (
Operation Undergo
Operation Undergo was an attack by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on the German garrison and fortifications of the French port of Calais, during September 1944. A subsidiary operation was executed to capture German long-range, heavy artill ...
). It took several weeks to bring the ports back into use at a time when Allied armies badly needed supplies.
Dunkirk was
left under siege until the general German surrender.
See also
*
Operation Stack
Operation Stack is a procedure used by Kent Police and the Port of Dover in England to park (or "stack") lorries on the M20 motorway in Kent when services across the English Channel, such as those through the Channel Tunnel or from the Port o ...
*
List of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean
This is a list of ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean, excluding the ports of the Baltic Sea.
For inland ports on rivers, canals, and lakes, including the Great Lakes, Saint Lawrence Seaway, and Mississippi River, see inland port.
Country n ...
*
Cinque Ports (in England)
*
France–UK border
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
A commercial site promoting cross-channel traffic
{{Ports and harbors
Ports and harbours of England
Ports and harbours of France
Ports and harbours of the English Channel