StP Gavres Lo362 Fort de Port Puce

 

The old fort covered the east side of the port. Finding these old French fortifications attached or very near the Atlantikwall is great fun. We were very lucky at the time that we could get inside and photograph it. The occupying forces used these fortifications as barracks, storage for ammunition and training.

StP Gâvres is made up of four Wn's, L0335 a battery of four casemates. Lo361 a Flak battery covering Lorient. Lo362 an old French fort and Lo112 a defence site for the town.

Originally built in 1695 on the Gâvres peninsular and covering the entrance of the Blavet river into Lorient. The parts we see today are a Corps de Garde crenellated pattern 1846 No.1 type fort. 1 x Casernment. 1 x Vf58c Tobruk.

Built around a Corps de Garde keep with surrounding wall. The centre section is the main fortress keep with a large outer wall.

View from the town. Recent history it was a boys summer camp.

Main Gate with musket slots in the wall.

Above the main gate.

Passageway.

Outer wall. Later latrines and washing area.

La Batterie de Gavres a Lorient 2 x 19cm Mle 1864-66 guns. I believe there were three French batteries laid out along this front.

Looking back towards the entrance. Latrines up against the outer wall.

Facade du Corps de Garde.

Facade du Corps de Garde.

Main door.

Main door. The drawbridge mechanism and one of the hooks to hold the door open.

View through the front door down its length.

The first room.

Part of the outside wall.

Concrete ammunition space.

Earlier stone ammunition space.

Ammunition space.

Ammunition space with a small niches either side?

Steps up to the ramparts.

Roof of the Corps de Garde. Internal staircase.

The view towards Lorient. The red circle is a gun mounting of the same as I have seen around the French coast. When this fort was built Lorient was becoming a major port in France and world wide and needed protecting. This and many other 17th, 18th & 19th century forts were built here.

French Gun Base. There are several gun bases around this fort and they all look like pre-WW2 types.

Ammunition Casemates. The two ammunition casemates and the view out to Ile de Groix.

More gun bases around here of all sorts of types.

View Towards Lo335 Batterie. Green: Tobruk. Yellow: Fire control bunker. Red: the four casemates of Lo335 MKB Gavres.

Port-Louis fort across the inlet with inset: a gun bunker.

View towards Fort Talut. Lorient harbour entrance.