Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The shapes of radub n°3 and n°5, located at Dunkirk in the Hauts-de-France, were built in 1889 and 1882 respectively, during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. These stone-sized infrastructures, designed to accommodate boats of 80 meters (form n°3) and 107 meters (form n°5), mark the second phase of extension of the port of Dunkirk. They were restored in 1903 and modernized in the 1920s with the addition of fresh water and electricity supplies.

The form factory, also known as the pumping station, was put into service in 1892 to dry the shapes and allow the repair of the ships. It still retains its original machinery and a metal frame signed by Fives-Caille-Babcock. These installations, classified as Monument Historique in 1999, illustrate the increasing industrialization of the port under the impulse of figures like Charles de Freycinet, who also supervised the creation of docks II to IV and the basin of Commerce.

This development is part of a broader context of modernization of the port of Dunkirk, marked in the 19th century by the arrival of the railway (1848), the creation of a towing company, and the completion of the Trystram lock in 1896. These developments allowed for ever-larger ships, consolidating Dunkirk's role as the third French port in the early 20th century.

The forms of refit and their factory, together inseparable, symbolize the adaptation of the port to the needs of the commercial and military navigation of the time. Their preservation offers a tangible testimony of the industrial techniques and port ambitions of France at the end of the 19th century, in a region then undergoing economic change.

The 1999 classification protects all forms 3 and 5, as well as the facades, roofs and interior fittings of the factory. These elements, located on Rue de l'Ecluse-Trystram, remain key remains of the Dunkerquois maritime history, linked to varied activities such as fishing, racing, and later heavy industry and trans-manche traffic.

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