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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The forms of the Rochefort arsenal, located in Charente-Maritime, constitute an exceptional set of three basins designed for the manufacture and repair of ship hulls. The oldest, known as "old Form", was built between 1669 and 1671 by engineer Le Vau on an English model, marking a first in France. Initially closed by wooden lock doors, it was masonized and paved due to the collapse of the earth walls and the collapse of the bottom. Greatly enlarged between 1874 and 1878, it adopted a doorboat and a steam pump in the 20th century, before being restored around 1990 after a post-Second World War siltation.

The "Double Form", built between 1683 and 1725 in the vicinity of the first, introduced two major innovations: a door-boat for closing and stadden walls facilitating internal work. In the 18th century, a hydraulic machine operated by a horse ride was used to evacuate water from the basins. These forms, supplemented by machines and blankets, illustrate the technical evolution of French arsenals, before being classified or listed as Historical Monuments between 1928 and 1989.

The third form, known as Napoleon III, was built between 1853 and 1861 to accommodate the great warships of the time. Also closed by a doorboat, it completes this remarkable ensemble, now devastated and restored. These three basins, protected and labelled (notably by the Grand Site de France in 2020), testify to the strategic importance of Rochefort in French naval history, from the beginnings of the Royal Navy to the industrial era.

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