Île Longue
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Île Longue (; French for "Long Island"; ) is a peninsula of the
roadstead of Brest The roadstead of 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 mi). The po ...
in the department of
Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
region. It is the base of the French nuclear ballistic missile submarines (), and as such one of the most secretive and heavily defended places in France.


Geography

Île Longue is a
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
on the commune of
Crozon Crozon (, ; , , ) is a commune in the department of Finistère and the administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. As well as the town of Crozon, the village of Morgat is part of the commune. Crozon is located on the Crozon penin ...
, attached to the
Crozon peninsula Crozon (, ; , , ) is a commune in the department of Finistère and the administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. As well as the town of Crozon, the village of Morgat is part of the commune. Crozon is located on the Crozon penins ...
. its altitude is 42 metres and has an area of 1.10 km2. To the north of the peninsula there are two small islands: Ile des Morts and Ile Trébéron. Originally the isthmus was a mere sand bank, and crossing was only possible at low tide. During the 19th century, it was improved with a stone pathway. During the construction of the strategic base (1967–1972), it was widened, made insubmersible, and changed into a big parking space. The peninsula is a stone plateau surrounded by cliffs. It harbours several water springs, which made human habitat possible. In the 19th century, three villages were built on the peninsula: Kernalleguen (less than a kilometre of the isthmus), Kermeur (1.5 km of the isthmus) and Bothuelc'h, slightly North.


History


Description of the peninsula in 1895


Quarries

Exploitation of porphyry started in the 18th century. By the end of the 19th century, half a million cobblestones were produced each year. Up to eleven quarries were exploited around the peninsula. The largest, Vengleuz Braz, was located west from Kermeur.


Fortifications

With its cliffs, local water resources, isthmus crossable only at low tide and its location defending Brest harbour, Île Longue is an easily defendable, strategic location. It was fortified by Vauban and as to render the roadstead impossible to hold by an enemy fleet and to allow a counter-attack against an enemy landing party attempting to seize Quélern. had a fort constructed at the top of the peninsula around 1776. It featured a hemicircular lower battery with small buildings protected by a ditch, with a
bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
and a
drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...
. In 1879, a wall was built south of the peninsula, as to defend it against the land. It featured a drawbridge defended by a casemate and two bastions. Remains of the main gate and of the casemate still exist, but are enclosed in the military area, and not accessible to the general public.


First World War

From 1914 to 1919, Île Longue was used as an internment camp for German citizens captured after the seizure of the ship ''Nieuw Amsterdam'', intercepted by the French 2nd Light Squadron on 2 September 1914. From 3–23 September, the 1500 passengers were interned at Crozon fort and in Brest; from 4 November, they were transferred to a camp built on Île Longue for the occasion. The last prisoners were released on 31 December 1919.


Second World War

During the occupation, the Germans used Île Longue as an anti-aircraft battery, which remained active until 1944. Megalithic monuments were destroyed by the construction of bunkers.


Île Longue strategic submarine base

In 1965, President
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
chose Île Longue as home for the sea-based component of the
Force de frappe The ''Force de dissuasion'' (), known as the ''Force de frappe'' ('Strike Force') prior to 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the French nuclear deterrence force. The ''Force de dissua ...
. The place was chosen because it was close to a large harbour, yet distant enough to stay out of the public's eye, and was easily controlled and defended. Île Longue is the command center for France's SSBNs. Work began in 1967 and took 5 years. The peninsula was completely changed, as the isthmus was widened and consolidated, and the peninsula itself gained 30
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s. Two dry docks were built, as well as numerous habitation, engineering and defence buildings, and approximately 24 vertical missile silos. Missiles are assembled just south of the base, at the Guenvénez Missile Storage and Maintenance Area. In 1972, the base was made operational and '' Le Redoutable'' departed for her first patrol. Île Longue has been the base of the
SSBN A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capabil ...
of the ''
Force Océanique Stratégique The Strategic Ocean Force () is one of two terms that describe the submarine component of the French Navy. Prior to 1999, FOST grouped ballistic missile submarines with a role in France's nuclear deterrent. Since 1999, they have been integrated ...
'' ever since. Maintenance of the submarines is done at Île Longue, as well as storage of the nuclear components (warheads and fuel bars). Chemical pyrotechnics for the missiles and conventional warheads are stored in Guenvénez, 4 km away. The base is divided into three colour-coded zones: * Zone Blue comprises the security installations and personnel, including the fire department and the
Fusiliers Marins The ''Fusiliers marins'' (lit. "Sailor Riflemen") are specialized sailors of the ''Marine nationale'' (French Navy). The ''Fusiliers marins'' serve primarily as the Navy’s security forces, providing protection for naval vessels and naval inst ...
responsible for the defence of the site. This zone also comprises offices and catering. * Zone Red encompasses the pyrotechnics and bunkers to hold nuclear warheads. * Zone Yellow encompasses the harbour and submarine installations, notably two roofed 200-metre long docks. A 170-metre long bunker between the two docks is used to load and unload nuclear materials. Since 2006, work has been undertaken at Île Longue to prepare the base for the new
M51 SLBM The M51 SLBM is a French submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by ArianeGroup, and deployed with the French Navy. Designed to replace the M45 SLBM (in French terminology the MSBS – ''Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique'' "Sea-ground-Strategic ...
.


Controversy

In 2005, a controversy broke out when it was realised that this area is clearly visible from
Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...
. But since 2018, it is not possible anymore to view good quality satellite images of this sensitive area in most western map websites - but Russian mapping and search provider
Yandex Yandex LLC ( rus, Яндекс, r=Yandeks, p=ˈjandəks) is a Russian technology company that provides Internet-related products and services including a web browser, search engine, cloud computing, web mapping, online food ordering, streaming ...
continues to provide high quality images. In addition, taking pictures from the surrounding coastline is banned by the authorities.


Notes and references


Bibliography

* Maël Prigent, ''Ile longue. Regards discrets'', 2008


External links


French Ministry of Defence

Satellite photographs
on
Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ile Longue French Navy submarine bases Geography of Brest, France