ÃŽles Saint-Marcouf
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

ÃŽles Saint-Marcouf comprise two small uninhabited islands off the coast of
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. They lie in the Baie de la Seine region of the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
and are east of the coast of the Cotentin peninsula at Ravenoville and from the island of Tatihou and the harbour at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. In addition to the fortifications described below, on the larger island there is a lighthouse that dates to 1948. The larger island, île du Large, is east of the smaller île de Terre. They have a total area of and a maximum altitude of . The islands take their name from Saint Marcouf, a saint born in Bayeux, whom it was said could cure anyone of scrofula. He died on the ÃŽles Saint-Marcouf on 1May 588 CE. There was a monastic presence on the islands until the 15th century.


British occupation

During the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
, the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
held the islands for nearly seven years as a strategic forward base. In July 1795, British sailors and
marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
from the Western Frigate Squadron under the command of Captain Sir Sidney Smith in occupied the islands. Smith dedicated several gunvessels, including , , , and , the last purpose-built for the role, to provide materials and manpower for fortifying the islands and establishing a naval garrison. Royal Engineers helped construct redoubts and shore batteries that detachments of marines and Royal Artillery, who augmented the sailors, helped man. In December 1795, the crew of ''Shark'' mutinied, in part because of the harsh conditions on the islands, and handed her over to the French. The islands served as a forward base for the blockade of
Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
, a launching point for intercepting coastal shipping, and as a transit point for French émigrés. The British repelled a major attack on 7 May 1798 by French troops at the battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf, with minimal British but heavy French casualties. The islands almost made naval history in late 1800. On 12 September,
Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...
sailed his submarine
Nautilus A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina. It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type genus, ty ...
to Growan, near Isigny-sur-Mer, a small harbour near the islands. His objective was to use his submarine to attack the gunvessels protecting the islands. He made two attempts, but each time his targets sailed before he could reach them. Increasingly poor weather as winter approached prevented any further attempts. Although Fulton continued work on his concept, he never again threatened the islands.


French control

The British returned the islands to France under the terms of Article 3 of the 1802 Treaty of Amiens; the last British forces left the islands in May 1802.
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
ordered the islands fortified and the work began in 1803. The primary defences consisted of a fort on ÃŽle du Large, 170 meters in diameter. The main structure is a circular fort with a diameter of 53 meters, with 48 firing ports for cannon on two levels of 24
casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...
s each. This work was completed by 1812. There are seven underground chambers and a cistern. The fort could accommodate 500 troops. In 1840, a lighthouse was constructed within the fort. German forces destroyed it during World War II. Later construction, between 1860 and 1867, added a quay, a powder magazine, and a semaphore station, the whole encircled with moats carved into the rock. The total complex covers 2.5 hectares. The quay has since disappeared, reclaimed by the ocean. In 1871, 200 Communards from the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
were incarcerated here in deplorable conditions. On ÃŽle de Terre, the fortifications date to between 1849 and 1858. They consist of a shore battery and a guard house capable of housing some 60 troops. Neither island was attacked again until the 20th century.


World War II

In
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the islands became the first French territory that seaborne Allied forces took on D-Day. At 04:30 on 6 June 1944, four US soldiers, armed only with knives, swam ashore from two-man rubber boats. When they had verified that the islands were unoccupied, 132 troops from 4th and 24th Squadrons of the U.S. 4th Cavalry Group landed on the islands to secure the approaches to Utah Beach. Although they faced no resistance, the island was heavily mined, resulting in American casualties.


Nature reserve

The French government directly administers the islands, which have the status of a protected
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
with restricted access. Île de Terre has been a designated nature preserve since 1967. Île du Large has been off-limits since 1991 for reasons of safety. The primary bird species are seagulls and cormorants. In winter, tens of thousands of seagulls shelter on the islands. Although access to the islands is forbidden, anchoring between them is permissible. Currently, the fortifications are falling into ruins. Since 2003, the association "Les amis de l'île du large Saint-Marcouf" (Friends of Saint-Marcouf), together with students from the Collège de Carentan, have initiated a campaign to convince the authorities once again to permit recreational access to the Île du Large. In 2009, the Friends of Saint-Marcouf received permission to commence preservation work on the fortifications and they have been working there since then. (See

Website, in French, of "les Amis de l'île du Large Saint-Marcouf".)


Citations


References

*Flexner, James Thomas (1993) ''Steamboats come true: American inventors in action''. (Fordham Univ Press). *Laws, Lt. Col. M.E.S. "The Defence of St. Marcouf", ''Journal of the Royal Artillery'', Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 298–307
Pdf version
*


Further reading

*Gérard Morizot — ''Histoire des îles Saint-Marcouf en Cotentin, jusqu'au XIXe siècle''


External links



* ttp://www.lesilesdefrance.com/diapo.php?ville=1 Aerial photos {{DEFAULTSORT:Iles Saint Marcouf Saint Marcouf French Revolutionary Wars Operation Overlord Sea forts Uninhabited islands of France Islands of Metropolitan France