Lorient Submarine base, bunkers, WWII relics and flip flops
Lorient ‘La Base’, aka Lorient Submarine Base is a major historical site built by the German army between 1941 and 1944 during World War II to shelter submarines (U-boats) as part of the Battle of the Atlantic. It’s the largest submarine base built in Europe, consisting of three massive reinforced concrete blocks (K1, K2, K3) covering approximately eight hectares. This Lorient submarine base (code name Keroman) ‘withstood the most powerful bombs of the era and saw more than 203 U-boats (U-Boote) pass through’. This base can be visited today, here’s my report.
Lorient Submarine base, bunkers, WWII relics and flip flops
An international competitive sailing maritime hub
Today, Lorient La Base has become an international competitive sailing maritime hub, a business district, a nautical activities park, and an unmissable tourist and cultural destination in South Brittany (hence the flip flop headline). The site notably hosts the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly, a museum dedicated to sailing and offshore racing, as well as the submarine Flore S645 (which will be the subject of a future blog post), a unique museum where you can discover life aboard a French submarine.
The site offers various tourist activities: guided tours of the K3 block, cruises, walks along the quays to see the great racing yachts, concerts, bars and restaurants. It attracts thousands of visitors and is recognised as Europe’s leading offshore racing hub, with several major skippers having chosen Lorient La Base as their home port (Thomas Coville [Sodebo], Armel Le Cléac’h [Banque populaire], Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier [Gitana Team], etc.).
The Lorient Pocket
The base also bears witness to the military history and resilience of the region, having been a major strategic point during the war and having survived numerous allied bombings … which destroyed the surrounding city, but not the base itself.
An armoured door showcasing ‘Deutsche Qualität’
The K3’s armoured door consists ‘of two armour plates 20 mm and 15 mm thick. The total weight, including the machinery parts for movement, is 95 tons’ [source].
[The pun works phonetically, even though Tod means death is German and Todt is a family name]
The masters of concrete (with a bit of help from the locals)
More disturbing are the following facts and figures:
—Lorient’s population dropped from 47,000 inhabitants in 1939 to fewer than 4,000 in spring 1945
—The Lorient pocket was formed in August 1944, bringing together up to 26,000 German soldiers. More than 20,000 civilians were trapped inside.
—The official surrender of German troops was signed on May 7, 1945, Lorient was liberated on May 10, 1945. That is three days after the end of the war and Berlin’s surrender!
—About 4,000 to 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Lorient between 1942 and 1943 during Allied air raids
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Je suis photographe et aquarelliste. Je pratique la photographie depuis l'enfance et la photographie numérique depuis 1995. J'en ai fait mon activité principale en 2021. Je possède un studio photo dans le 15e arrondissement de Paris
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