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Origin and history

East Fort is located at the eastern end of the Cherbourg-en-Cotentin dam, in the English Channel, in Normandy. It was one of three forts (East, Central, West) built to protect the artificial harbour, the construction of which began in 1783 under Louis XVI and finished in 1853 for the central dam. The eastern dike, where the fort is located, was built between 1890 and 1895, 4 km from the coast, with a length of 3,640 m and a height of 27 m.

The fort was destroyed during World War II and has since been in a state of ruin. It was designed to strengthen the defence of the 700-metre-wide East Rade Pass and complemented a defensive system including Forts Central and West. The Cherbourg harbour, the second largest artificial harbour in the world after Ras Laffan (Qatar), covered about 1,500 hectares and played a major strategic role for the French Navy.

The construction of the harbour was marked by technical and political challenges. Originally conceived by Louis-Alexandre de Cessart with wooden cones filled with stones, the method was abandoned after repeated failures in the face of storms. Under Napoleon I, work resumed according to the plans of The Bretonnière, with a central dam armed with cannons. The eastern dyke, completed in 1895, included East Fort as a key element of coastal defence.

In 1944, despite the German occupation, the Cherbourg dykes were not destroyed, thus preserving this military heritage. The East Fort, though ruined, remains a testimony of 19th century defensive architecture. It was inscribed in the historical monuments by decree of 15 July 2021, recognizing its importance in the history of the French maritime fortifications.

The Cherbourg harbour, with its dykes and forts, illustrates the evolution of naval and military construction techniques, as well as the strategic stakes of Normandy in the defence of the French coast. East Fort, although less documented than other works such as Pelee Island or Querqueville, is part of this collective heritage.

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