The roadstead of Lorient (, ) is a

roadstead A roadstead (or ''roads'' – the earlier form) is a body of water sheltered from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swell where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.United States Army technical manual, TM 5- ...

located to the west of

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

The harbor of Lorient constitutes the mouths of the rivers Blavet,

Scorff The Scorff (; br, Skorf) River flows from central Brittany and enters the Atlantic Ocean on the south coast in Lorient. The Scorff rises north of Langoëlan, in the Morbihan department, and flows through the towns of Guémené-sur-Scorff and Pon ...

and the Ter in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. It has several port facilities, including marinas but also the infrastructure of the Lorient Submarine Base. Oriented northeast-southwest, it has an island in its center, Île Saint-Michel, and communicates with the Atlantic Ocean to the south by two passes, the ''Passe du Sud'' and the ''Passe de l'Ouest'', separated by reefs. Its northern part is more specifically called the harbor of Pen-Mané while that to the south is called the harbor of Port-Louis. It is bordered to the west by the communes of Larmor-Plage, Lorient and

Lanester Lanester (; br, Lannarstêr) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany, in north-western France. It is the largest suburb of the city of Lorient, across the river Scorff to the east. Demographics Inhabitants of Lanester are called ' ...

and to the east by those of

Kervignac Kervignac (; br, Kervignag) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.Locmiquélic Locmiquélic (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Toponymy From the Breton ''loc'' which means hermitage (cf.: Locminé) and ''miquélic'' which means Little Michael. Demographics Inhabitants of L ...

Port-Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's eco ...

and

Gâvres Gâvres (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. French Navy Minister Hyde de Neuville chose this place as a military testing area in 1829 for heavy marine ordnance.See the governmental directions of Jun ...

Port facilities

Lorient

* Lorient Submarine Base * : the second-largest fishing port in France in tonnage and first in added value. 27,000 tons per year, 3,000 direct jobs including 700 on board and 130 boats registered in the port of Lorient. *

Port of Kergroise The Port of Kergroise is a commercial port located in the district of Kergroise, Lorient, on the south coast of Brittany, France. It is owned by the Region of Brittany since 2007 and managed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Morbihan. Ba ...

: second-largest port in Brittany, 2.6 million tonnes per year (as of 2021) including petroleum products, animal feed, sand, containers. * Passenger port: more than 457,500 passages per year to the islands of Groix and Belle-Île-en-Mer. * Naval base: nearly 3,800 soldiers work between the arsenal, the as well as the staff of the maritime force of marine riflemen and commandos. * Marina: 370 pontoon berths in the port of Lorient.

Larmor-Plage

* Kernevel marina (1,000 berths)

Locmiquélic

* Marinas (Sainte-Catherine and Pen Mané) * Fishing port

Port-Louis

* Marina (450 berths) * Fishing port

Gâvres

* Marina (57 berths)

Wrecks

More than 350 wrecks are listed in the harbor, including that of the ', the ship that transported the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

References

{{Morbihan-geo-stub Geography of Morbihan Roadsteads of France Lorient Morbihan geography stubs