Saint-Nazaire
Encyclopedia
Saint-Nazaire is a commune
in the Loire-Atlantique
department in western France
.
The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary
, near the Atlantic Ocean
. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp
in France, called "la Brière
". Given its location, Saint-Nazaire has a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding
.
n Gaulish city populated by the Namnetes
tribe, which (according to the Greek navigator Pytheas
) was the second-largest Gaulish city, after Massilia (now Marseilles). Archeology suggests that the area has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic
period, as evidenced by the presence of monuments like the tumulus of Dissignac and the dolmen
located in the centre of the present-day city, and ancient bronzes found in the vicinity.
According to the 15th-century chronicler Alain Bouchart, Brutus of Troy
, the mythical ancestor of the Bretons, travelled toward Saint-Nazaire to set foot upon the new homeland of his people. Historical accounts note that at the end of the Roman Empire
, some Britons
colonized the Loire estuary, and later, the peninsula containing Guérande
. The furthest extent of the ancient Breton language in the Loire region is Donges
, to the east of Saint-Nazaire.
, the Roman Church sheltered the remains of the martyr Nazarius
in a local basilica. According to legend, the Breton chief Waroch II sent an emissary to seize the relics. The plot was foiled when the emissary fractured his skull upon the lintel of the church door. Waroch, interpreting this as a miracle, was deterred, and the village thenceforth took the name of Sanctus Nazarius de Sinuario.
After this point, the history of Saint-Nazaire, like much of Europe during the Dark Ages, is not well understood. Battles occurred, such as in 1380 when Jehan d'Ust defended the city in the name of John V, Duke of Brittany
(known in France as Jean IV) against the Castilian fleet during the Hundred Years' War
. After this time, Saint-Nazaire became the seat of a parish extending from Penhoët to Pornichet
, part of the Viscountcy of Saint-Nazaire.
Like the whole of Brittany, Saint-Nazaire formed part of the Duchy of Brittany until 1532, when it was annexed by France. In 1624, the city was threatened by the Calvinists. In 1756, a fort was built on the order of the governor of Brittany
to protect the town, which by then had 600 inhabitants. Until the French revolution
, Saint-Nazaire belonged to the province of Brittany.
, but its strategic location as the lowest possible navigation point for large ships, and the supply of pilots for navigation further up the Loire. In 1800, the parish of Saint-Nazaire had around 3216 inhabitants.
The modern Saint-Nazaire was created by the administration of Napoleon III, and came about from the various national and regional truces which had prevented its development up to that point. The population of 3216 in 1800 shows that battered history, with a mainly local (Brière), of Low-Brittany (of Morbihan in the Finistère-south), and minor representation from most other areas of France. From this point forward the population of Saint-Nazaire experienced an exponential growth, which was reflected in its nickname
of "Little Breton California
", or "Liverpool
of the West".
In 1802, a roadway was built to develop the port, which extended by 1835, to a breakwater
with a navigational lighthouse
at its end. The development, included new basins for ships to unload to barges which carried goods further up the river. This development moved the town into the area of the city which is now called the district of "Little Morocco". This development made the town the base for the passenger steamships of the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire line, as well as making the town the alternate port for ships which could not access Nantes
.
In 1856, the first wet dock basin was dug in the handle of "Halluard City", making it possible for ships to moor and turn. This brought about the construction of the town's first railway connection. In 1857, the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans railroad company of Orléans
connected Saint-Nazaire to Nantes
. In 1862, the first transatlantic telegraph lines
were installed from France towards South America
, which came ashore at Saint-Nazaire. 1862 also saw the construction of major ship building facilities, including those of Chantier Scott, which launched of the first French constructed ships with metal hulls (the company went bankrupt in 1866). In 1868, Saint-Nazaire became a sub-prefecture in lieu of the town of Savenay
. A second dock basin was created at Penhoët in 1881, to allow the servicing of larger ships, but a lock gate built to access it cut the town in two, thus creating Old Saint-Nazaire and an artificial island called "Little Morocco".
In early 1870, Nantes born Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau joined the bar in Saint-Nazaire. In September he became, in spite of his youth, secretary to the municipal commission temporarily appointed to carry on the town business. He organized the National Defense
at Saint-Nazaire, and marched out with his contingent, though they saw no active service due to lack of ammunition (their private store having been commandeered by the state). In 1873, he moved to the bar of Rennes
, following the establishment of the Third Republic
in 1871.
On 30 March 1894, a strike occurred at the forging mills of Trignac in opposition to a reduction of the work force. What had seemed a small dispute escalated after a shooting in Fourmies
, resulting in the town getting its national nickname of "Red City". Socialists flocked to the town in defense of the striking workers joining in the declaration of the "Fusillade de Fourmies".
In 1900, the commune of Pornichet
was created by stripping off the larger commune of Saint-Nazaire.
, the city became an important unloading port of the allied troops, and particularly in the latter stages for the United States Army
. When they entered the war in 1917, they developed the town and port infrastructure, by adding additional drinking water
storage ponds for the town's water treatment
plants, and a refrigeration
terminal to the docks for shipment and storage of meat and dairy products to supply their troops.
However, the presence of legal brothels (Maisons Tolérée)
resulted in a diplomatic incident. As a result of strict reformist public health concerns at home, the American Expeditionary Force
placed the Maisons Tolérée off limits, resulting in a dispute between the towns brothel owners backed by the mayor, versus the US Army forces. With the dispute escalating, President Georges Clemenceau
sent a memo to Gen. John Pershing offering a compromise: American medical authorities would control designated brothels operated solely for American soldiers. Pershing passed the proposal to Raymond Fosdick, who on giving it to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
promptly responded: “For God’s sake, Raymond, don’t show this to the president or he’ll stop the war.” Only after the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, when the US Army could no longer plead military necessity as grounds for curtailing leave, did venereal disease rates among US Army troops shoot up.
s from 1922. In 1926 the district of Paimbœuf
was suppressed and merged with the district of Saint-Nazaire, thus reinforcing the influence of the city on the south bank of the Loire River.
Although having built the SS Paris, between 1913 and 1921, and SS Ile de France
between 1925 and 1926, as a result of the 1930s Great Depression
the French government commissioned a series of state programs to aid national economic activity. The state owned shipping company Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
commissioned the ship builders of Saint-Nazaire to construct a new large passenger ship, which as a result between 1928 and 1934 created the Albert Caquot
engineered the Louis Joubert
dry dock
- at 3937 feet x 196.850 feet, the largest of its kind in the world at the time - necessary to be able to accommodate the construction of the SS Normandie
. In 1932, the casino of Saint-Nazaire came bankrupt and was resold to the town of Nantes: the site was redeveloped from 1935 with the first part of the current Saint-Louis school.
As a result of the national general strike of June 1936, to ensure completion of the nationally prestigious project SS Normandie, the government nationalised the various private shipyards into one state owned entity, the 1861 founded Chantiers de l'Atlantique
.
by Nazi Germany
's Wehrmacht
army at the start of World War II
, the combined forces of the French Army
and the British
Expeditionary Force
failed to hold the oncoming onslaught. As part of Operation Ariel
, Saint-Nazaire like Dunkirk
became an evacuation point for the British back to England
, with those successfully embarking including the writer John Renshaw Starr
.
On 17 June 1940 an estimated 9,000 British Army soldiers were embarked aboard the Clyde
-built troopship RMS Lancastria
, which was then attacked and sunk by German Junkers Ju 88
bombers, mainly from Kampfgeschwader 30
, taking with her around 4,000 victims. It is the worst disaster in British maritime history, and the worst loss of life for British forces in the whole of World War II
. Winston Churchill
banned all news coverage of the disaster on learning of it and it remained largely forgotten by history.
Following the surrender of France to German forces later in June 1940, the port immediately became a base of operations for the Kriegsmarine
(German Navy) and was as such the target of Allied
operations. A heavily fortified U-boat
submarine base
was built by Organisation Todt
shortly after occupation, with its 9 m (30-ft) thick concrete ceiling, was capable of withstanding almost any bomb in use at the time.
The base provided a home during the war to many of the most well known U-Boat staff, including:
The base still stands today, as its extremely sturdy construction makes demolition uneconomical. The base is now used by cafes, a bar and on the roof is a exhibition about Saint-Nazaire.
s Bismarck
and Tirpitz
. This gave the port a strong strategic importance to both the Axis Powers
and the Allies during the Second World War.
After Operation Rheinübung
on 18–27 May 1941, in which the Bismarck and heavy cruiser
Prinz Eugen
were to have ended the operational raid at Saint-Nazaire, but which resulted in the sinking of HMS Hood
and the sinking of the Bismarck; the need for the Allies to take the Joubert dry dock out of operation was increased.
On 28 March 1942, a force of 611 British Commandos and the Royal Navy
launched the St. Nazaire Raid
against the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire, codenamed Operation Chariot
. An obsolete American-built destroyer
HMS Campbeltown
was used as a ram-ship loaded with explosives, and it and the commandos succeeded in destroying the gates and machinery of the Joubert drydock, prevented its further use by Nazi Germany during the war. The Joubert dry dock was not brought back into operation until 1948.
fighter opposition to the daylight raids by USAAF
Eighth Air Force
bombers. On 3 January 1943 Col. Curtis LeMay
led 85 Boeing
B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 1st Bombardment Wing against the U-Boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, on the Eighth Air Force's sixth raid against the facility. LeMay also introduced the combat box
defensive formation, echeloning three-plane elements within a squadron
, and squadrons within a group, to concentrate defensive firepower against fighter opposition. Only 76 aircraft found and hit the target, and during the mission seven bombers were shot down and 47 damaged.
The damaged aircraft included the seventh B-17 mission of Staff Sergeant
Alan Magee
, from which Luftwaffe
fighters shot off a section of the right wing causing the aircraft to enter a deadly spin. Wounded ball turret gunner Magee leapt from the plane without a parachute
, rapidly losing consciousness due to the altitude. Magee fell over four miles before crashing through the glass roof of the St. Nazaire railway station, which mitigated Magee's impact. Found alive on the floor of the station, Magee was taken prisoner of war
and given medical treatment by his captors. He had 28 shrapnel wounds, several broken bones, severe damage to his nose and eye, and lung and kidney damage; and his right arm was nearly severed. Magee was liberated in May 1945 and received the Air Medal
for meritorious conduct and the Purple Heart
. He was later featured in the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the ten most remarkable survivals of World War II.
As a result of the raid, on 14 January 1943 under directive (S.46239/?? A.C.A.S. Ops), the Allies implemented incendiary bomb tactics against U-Boat pens, under the Area bombing directive
. To minimize civilian casualties during air attacks, the Allies devised a plan to force evacuation of the town. For three days in 1943, British Royal Air Force
and American aircraft dropped scores of leaflets warning the population of a planned fire-bombing raid. At the end of the third day, the raid came and burned the entire city to the ground. Casualties were light as most of the civilians had heeded the warning and fled to the safety of the countryside, but after that point except for the self-contained U-boat base, Saint-Nazaire remained abandoned until the end of the war.
After D-day
and the liberation of most of France
in 1944, German troops in Saint-Nazaire's submarine base refused to surrender, and they holed up (as did their counterparts in the La Rochelle
and Lorient
bases). Since the Germans could no longer conduct major submarine operations from the bases without a supply line, the SHAEF commander, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
decided to simply bypass these ports, and the Allied armies focused their resources on the invasion of Germany
. Saint-Nazaire and the other two German "pockets" remained under Nazi control until the last day of the war in Europe, 8 May 1945.
After the construction of the in 1961, the last Compagnie Générale Transatlantique liner and the subsequent closure of the Suez Canal
, Chantiers de l'Atlantique began building large oil tankers, including Batillus
, Bellamya
, Pierre Guillaumat
and Prairial
. A new dry dock (Basin C) was planned for the construction of tankers over 1,000,000 tonnes but this fell through with the re-opening of the Suez Canal. The was constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 2003.
The Junior schools have nearly 7,000 pupils divided in 12 colleges: public colleges Albert Vinçon; Pierre Norange; Manon Roland; Jean de Neyman; Jean Moulin, accommodate around 1350 pupils each. Private colleges include:
The high-schools educate 6,000 pupils divided into 11 colleges, with the technical Aristide Briand having some 3 500 pupils, one of the largest colleges of France [ref. necessary]; the experimental college, public lycée managed jointly by the teachers and the pupils; the private college of Saint-Louis mainstream education; the hotel private college Holy-Anne; the private of mainstream education and technological college Our-Lady-in Espérance. The Cité Scolaire of Saint-Nazaire is one of largest of France, with nearly 4 000 high-school pupils.
, the second largest university in France with approximately 35 001 students, including nearly 5,000 on the university pole of Saint-Nazaire. The campus resident of Saint-Nazaire is composed of four university fields: Gavy, Océanis, Heinlex and the Cité Scolaire of Saint-Nazaire.
The Route nationale N165
/N161 (E60 route
), gives motorway access to Nantes and Rennes
via the Pont de Saint-Nazaire, which crosses the Loire. Paris is then accessed via the a10/A11 (in Nantes). Valves, Lorient, Quimper and Brest are accessed via the N165.
A project to review a second crossing of the Loire between Nantes and Saint Nazaire is being considered to be constructed and operational by 2025.
Saint-Nazaire railway station
is served by both the TGV
and the regional trains and buses of the TER Pays de la Loire
. TGV
(high speed train) connection to Paris
, Lyon
, Marseille
, Lille
, and Strasbourg
, with trains to Paris via the LGV Atlantique
taking just over 2 hours. TER Pays de la Loire provides links to Nantes, Angers
, Le Mans
, La Roche sur Yon, and many other regional cities and towns.
.
International travel is accessed via Nantes Atlantique Airport
, the biggest airport in western France, linking with several French and European cities, as well as Montreal
in Canada and some northern Africa cities. It is currently planned that this airport will be supplemented by a new Aéroport du Grand Ouest
, that will be situated 30 km to the north-west of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes
. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2012 and a opening date in 2015.
The economy of the city is founded on the activity of the port
: exportation of products manufactured, but also on the services, being given sizeable size of the city. Commercial fishing has almost completely disappeared, in spite of the subsistence of a small fleet of fisheries and fishing vessels.
Saint-Nazaire suffered heavily from the downsizing of shipbuilding activity in western Europe in the 1960s and '70s
, during which again she completed the new national passenger liner SS France
. For a long time in the 1980s, Saint-Nazaire remained an economically depressed area with unemployment rates above 20%. Today, the local economy is more diversified and its situation is more in line with that of France
as a whole. The major industries are:
Saint-Nazaire is one of the two seats of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire which is that of Loire-Atlantique.
with: Avilés
, Spain
Kribi
, Cameroon
Peillac
Saint-Hubert
, Canada
- since 1991 Sarrelouis, Germany
- since 1969 City of Sunderland
, England
- since 1 May 1953
It has also cooperation agreements with: Cienfuegos
, Cuba
- since 1996
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
department in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, near the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
in France, called "la Brière
Brière
Brière is the marsh area to the north of the Loire estuary in France at its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The residents of Brière are called Brièrons...
". Given its location, Saint-Nazaire has a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
.
Antiquity
Archaeologists believe that Saint-Nazaire is built upon the remnants of Corbilo, an ArmoricaArmorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
n Gaulish city populated by the Namnetes
Namnetes
The Namnetes were a tribe of ancient Gaul, living in the area of the modern city of Nantes near the river Liger .They were neighbours to the Veneti people , the Redones , the Andecavi and the Pictones ....
tribe, which (according to the Greek navigator Pytheas
Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia or Massilia , was a Greek geographer and explorer from the Greek colony, Massalia . He made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe at about 325 BC. He travelled around and visited a considerable part of Great Britain...
) was the second-largest Gaulish city, after Massilia (now Marseilles). Archeology suggests that the area has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, as evidenced by the presence of monuments like the tumulus of Dissignac and the dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
located in the centre of the present-day city, and ancient bronzes found in the vicinity.
According to the 15th-century chronicler Alain Bouchart, Brutus of Troy
Brutus of Troy
Brutus or Brute of Troy is a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Æneas, known in mediæval British legend as the eponymous founder and first king of Britain...
, the mythical ancestor of the Bretons, travelled toward Saint-Nazaire to set foot upon the new homeland of his people. Historical accounts note that at the end of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, some Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
colonized the Loire estuary, and later, the peninsula containing Guérande
Guérande
The medieval town of Guérande is located in the département of Loire-Atlantique in western France.The inhabitants are so called Guérandais, for men, and Guérandaise, for women....
. The furthest extent of the ancient Breton language in the Loire region is Donges
Donges
Donges is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department*Parc naturel régional de Brière...
, to the east of Saint-Nazaire.
Middle Ages
According to the late-6th-century writer Gregory of ToursGregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
, the Roman Church sheltered the remains of the martyr Nazarius
Nazarius
Nazarius, , Latin rhetorician and panegyrist, was, according to Ausonius, a professor of rhetoric at Burdigala . The extant speech of which he is undoubtedly the author Nazarius, (4th century AD), Latin rhetorician and panegyrist, was, according to Ausonius, a professor of rhetoric at Burdigala...
in a local basilica. According to legend, the Breton chief Waroch II sent an emissary to seize the relics. The plot was foiled when the emissary fractured his skull upon the lintel of the church door. Waroch, interpreting this as a miracle, was deterred, and the village thenceforth took the name of Sanctus Nazarius de Sinuario.
After this point, the history of Saint-Nazaire, like much of Europe during the Dark Ages, is not well understood. Battles occurred, such as in 1380 when Jehan d'Ust defended the city in the name of John V, Duke of Brittany
John V, Duke of Brittany
John V the Conqueror KG was Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort, from 1345 until his death.-Numbering:...
(known in France as Jean IV) against the Castilian fleet during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. After this time, Saint-Nazaire became the seat of a parish extending from Penhoët to Pornichet
Pornichet
Pornichet is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.- Location :Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located a tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire.The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire and La Baule-Escoublac....
, part of the Viscountcy of Saint-Nazaire.
Like the whole of Brittany, Saint-Nazaire formed part of the Duchy of Brittany until 1532, when it was annexed by France. In 1624, the city was threatened by the Calvinists. In 1756, a fort was built on the order of the governor of Brittany
Emmanuel-Armand de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon
Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon was a French soldier and statesman and a nephew of Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under Louis XV.-Early life:Before the death of his father, he was known at court...
to protect the town, which by then had 600 inhabitants. Until the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Saint-Nazaire belonged to the province of Brittany.
19th century industrialization
At the beginning of the 19th century, the port only consisted of one simple harbor. As the town was so far inland, its main economy was not based on commercial fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, but its strategic location as the lowest possible navigation point for large ships, and the supply of pilots for navigation further up the Loire. In 1800, the parish of Saint-Nazaire had around 3216 inhabitants.
The modern Saint-Nazaire was created by the administration of Napoleon III, and came about from the various national and regional truces which had prevented its development up to that point. The population of 3216 in 1800 shows that battered history, with a mainly local (Brière), of Low-Brittany (of Morbihan in the Finistère-south), and minor representation from most other areas of France. From this point forward the population of Saint-Nazaire experienced an exponential growth, which was reflected in its nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of "Little Breton California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
", or "Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
of the West".
In 1802, a roadway was built to develop the port, which extended by 1835, to a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
with a navigational lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at its end. The development, included new basins for ships to unload to barges which carried goods further up the river. This development moved the town into the area of the city which is now called the district of "Little Morocco". This development made the town the base for the passenger steamships of the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire line, as well as making the town the alternate port for ships which could not access Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
.
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
connected Saint-Nazaire to Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
. In 1862, the first transatlantic telegraph lines
Transatlantic telegraph cable
The transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable used for telegraph communications laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed from , Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island, in western Ireland to Heart's Content in eastern Newfoundland. The transatlantic cable connected North America...
were installed from France towards South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, which came ashore at Saint-Nazaire. 1862 also saw the construction of major ship building facilities, including those of Chantier Scott, which launched of the first French constructed ships with metal hulls (the company went bankrupt in 1866). In 1868, Saint-Nazaire became a sub-prefecture in lieu of the town of Savenay
Savenay
Savenay is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France and the Pays de la Loire region. Located on the Sillon de Bretagne , north of the Loire, its landscape is characterized by the hillside overlooking the marshes of the Loire...
. A second dock basin was created at Penhoët in 1881, to allow the servicing of larger ships, but a lock gate built to access it cut the town in two, thus creating Old Saint-Nazaire and an artificial island called "Little Morocco".
In early 1870, Nantes born Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau joined the bar in Saint-Nazaire. In September he became, in spite of his youth, secretary to the municipal commission temporarily appointed to carry on the town business. He organized the National Defense
National defense
National defense may refer to:*National security, a nation's use of military, economic and political power to maintain survival*National missile defense, a military strategy to shield a country from missiles...
at Saint-Nazaire, and marched out with his contingent, though they saw no active service due to lack of ammunition (their private store having been commandeered by the state). In 1873, he moved to the bar of Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, following the establishment of the Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
in 1871.
On 30 March 1894, a strike occurred at the forging mills of Trignac in opposition to a reduction of the work force. What had seemed a small dispute escalated after a shooting in Fourmies
Fourmies
Fourmies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The inhabitants are called Fourmisiens.-Geography:Fourmies is situated in the Euroregion of Thiérache, a region of Northern France and Southern Belgium. It is from Valenciennes, from Lille, and from Paris...
, resulting in the town getting its national nickname of "Red City". Socialists flocked to the town in defense of the striking workers joining in the declaration of the "Fusillade de Fourmies".
In 1900, the commune of Pornichet
Pornichet
Pornichet is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.- Location :Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located a tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire.The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire and La Baule-Escoublac....
was created by stripping off the larger commune of Saint-Nazaire.
First World War
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the city became an important unloading port of the allied troops, and particularly in the latter stages for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. When they entered the war in 1917, they developed the town and port infrastructure, by adding additional drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
storage ponds for the town's water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
plants, and a refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
terminal to the docks for shipment and storage of meat and dairy products to supply their troops.
However, the presence of legal brothels (Maisons Tolérée)
Prostitution in France
Prostitution in France is not illegal, but several surrounding activities are. These include soliciting, procuring, operating a brothel , living off the avails, and paying for sex with someone under the age of 18.During the Napoleonic era France became the model for the regulatory...
resulted in a diplomatic incident. As a result of strict reformist public health concerns at home, the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
placed the Maisons Tolérée off limits, resulting in a dispute between the towns brothel owners backed by the mayor, versus the US Army forces. With the dispute escalating, President Georges Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
sent a memo to Gen. John Pershing offering a compromise: American medical authorities would control designated brothels operated solely for American soldiers. Pershing passed the proposal to Raymond Fosdick, who on giving it to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
Newton D. Baker
Newton Diehl Baker, Jr. was an American politician who belonged to the Democratic Party. He served as the 37th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1912 to 1915 and as U.S. Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921.-Early years:...
promptly responded: “For God’s sake, Raymond, don’t show this to the president or he’ll stop the war.” Only after the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, when the US Army could no longer plead military necessity as grounds for curtailing leave, did venereal disease rates among US Army troops shoot up.
Inter-war period
The post-war period brought about a period of economic depression for the ship builders, who consequently diversified into building seaplaneSeaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s from 1922. In 1926 the district of Paimbœuf
Paimbœuf
Paimbœuf is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department*:fr:Paimbœuf...
was suppressed and merged with the district of Saint-Nazaire, thus reinforcing the influence of the city on the south bank of the Loire River.
Although having built the SS Paris, between 1913 and 1921, and SS Ile de France
SS Ile de France
The SS Ile de France was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The ship was the first major ocean liner built after the conclusion of World War I and was the first liner ever to be decorated entirely with designs associated with the Art Deco...
between 1925 and 1926, as a result of the 1930s Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
the French government commissioned a series of state programs to aid national economic activity. The state owned shipping company Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
commissioned the ship builders of Saint-Nazaire to construct a new large passenger ship, which as a result between 1928 and 1934 created the Albert Caquot
Albert Caquot
Albert Caquot was considered as the "best living French engineer" during half a century. He received the “Croix de guerre 1914-1918” and was Grand-croix of the Légion d’Honneur...
engineered the Louis Joubert
Louis Joubert Lock
The Louis Joubert Lock also known as the Normandie Dock, is a lock and major dry dock located in the port of Saint-Nazaire, in Loire-Atlantique northwestern France...
dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
- at 3937 feet x 196.850 feet, the largest of its kind in the world at the time - necessary to be able to accommodate the construction of the SS Normandie
SS Normandie
SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.Her novel...
. In 1932, the casino of Saint-Nazaire came bankrupt and was resold to the town of Nantes: the site was redeveloped from 1935 with the first part of the current Saint-Louis school.
As a result of the national general strike of June 1936, to ensure completion of the nationally prestigious project SS Normandie, the government nationalised the various private shipyards into one state owned entity, the 1861 founded Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
.
World War II
After the invasion of PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
army at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the combined forces of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
and the British
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
failed to hold the oncoming onslaught. As part of Operation Ariel
Operation Ariel
Operation Ariel was the name given to the World War II evacuation of Allied forces from ports in western France, from 15–25 June 1940, due to the military collapse in the Battle of France against Nazi Germany...
, Saint-Nazaire like Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
became an evacuation point for the British back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with those successfully embarking including the writer John Renshaw Starr
John Renshaw Starr
John Renshaw Starr , was one of two sons of Alfred Demarest Starr and Ethel Renshaw . He was a grandson of William Robert Renshaw. He was an artist and a soldier during the Second World War. His story is told in a book, The Starr Affair, by Jean Overton Fuller.-Military career:When war broke out...
.
On 17 June 1940 an estimated 9,000 British Army soldiers were embarked aboard the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
-built troopship RMS Lancastria
RMS Lancastria
The RMS Lancastria was a British Cunard liner sunk on 17 June 1940 during World War II with the loss of an estimated 4,000 plus lives. It is the worst single loss of life in British maritime history and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces , in the whole conflict and claimed more lives...
, which was then attacked and sunk by German Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
bombers, mainly from Kampfgeschwader 30
Kampfgeschwader 30
-Service history:Formed on 15 November 1939 in Greifswald. I Gruppe formed 1 September, II Gruppe on 23 September and III Gruppe on 1 January 1940, based in Greifswald then Barth...
, taking with her around 4,000 victims. It is the worst disaster in British maritime history, and the worst loss of life for British forces in the whole of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
banned all news coverage of the disaster on learning of it and it remained largely forgotten by history.
U-Boat pens
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
(German Navy) and was as such the target of Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
operations. A heavily fortified U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
submarine base
Submarine base
A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel.Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue , Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Naval Submarine Base New London, and Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base .The Israeli navy bases its growing submarine...
was built by Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt
The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
shortly after occupation, with its 9 m (30-ft) thick concrete ceiling, was capable of withstanding almost any bomb in use at the time.
The base provided a home during the war to many of the most well known U-Boat staff, including:
- CommanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Georg-Wilhelm SchulzGeorg-Wilhelm SchulzGeorg-Wilhelm Schulz was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From September 1939 until retiring from front line service in September 1941, he sank 19 ships for a total of 89,885 GRT. For this he received the Knight's Cross, among other commendations.-Early life:Schulz was born on...
who transferred 6th U-boat Flotilla from Danzig to the port in February 1942, where it became a combat flotilla. - Kapitänleutnant Carl EmmermannCarl EmmermannLieutenant Commander Carl Emmermann was a German U-boat commander during World War II. In his time as commander, he succeeded in sinking 27 ships for a total tonnage of .Emmermann began his naval career in 1934...
- took command of 6th U-boat Flotilla over from Schulz in November 1942, until it left Saint-Nazaire for NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in August 1944 - Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant CommanderLieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Herbert SchultzeHerbert SchultzeLieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze , was a German U-boat commander of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded for eight patrols during the early part of the war, sinking and earning him eighth place on the Aces of the Deep list...
- second in commend of 7th U-boat Flotilla from September 1940
The base still stands today, as its extremely sturdy construction makes demolition uneconomical. The base is now used by cafes, a bar and on the roof is a exhibition about Saint-Nazaire.
St. Nazaire Raid
The huge Joubert drydock built for SS Normandie was the only port on the Atlantic capable of servicing the German battleshipBattleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
and Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
. This gave the port a strong strategic importance to both the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
and the Allies during the Second World War.
After Operation Rheinübung
Operation Rheinübung
Operation Rheinübung was the sortie into the Atlantic by the new German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen on 18–27 May 1941, during World War II...
on 18–27 May 1941, in which the Bismarck and heavy cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
were to have ended the operational raid at Saint-Nazaire, but which resulted in the sinking of HMS Hood
HMS Hood
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hood after several members of the Hood family, who were notable Navy officers: was a 91-gun second-rate ship of the line, originally laid down as HMS Edgar, but renamed in 1848 and launched in 1859. She was used for harbour service from 1872 and was...
and the sinking of the Bismarck; the need for the Allies to take the Joubert dry dock out of operation was increased.
On 28 March 1942, a force of 611 British Commandos and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
launched the St. Nazaire Raid
St. Nazaire Raid
The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined...
against the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire, codenamed Operation Chariot
St. Nazaire Raid
The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined...
. An obsolete American-built destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMS Campbeltown
HMS Campbeltown (I42)
HMS Campbeltown was a "Town"-class destroyer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was originally an American destroyer , and, like many other obsolescent U.S. Navy destroyers, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. Campbeltown...
was used as a ram-ship loaded with explosives, and it and the commandos succeeded in destroying the gates and machinery of the Joubert drydock, prevented its further use by Nazi Germany during the war. The Joubert dry dock was not brought back into operation until 1948.
After Operation Chariot
The U-boat threat to supply convoys across the Atlantic made Saint-Nazaire a constant target of Allied air forces. In the face of determined LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighter opposition to the daylight raids by USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
bombers. On 3 January 1943 Col. Curtis LeMay
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968....
led 85 Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 1st Bombardment Wing against the U-Boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, on the Eighth Air Force's sixth raid against the facility. LeMay also introduced the combat box
Combat box
The Combat box was a tactical formation used by heavy bombers of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. The combat box was also referred to as a "staggered formation"...
defensive formation, echeloning three-plane elements within a squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
, and squadrons within a group, to concentrate defensive firepower against fighter opposition. Only 76 aircraft found and hit the target, and during the mission seven bombers were shot down and 47 damaged.
The damaged aircraft included the seventh B-17 mission of Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Alan Magee
Alan Magee
Alan Eugene Magee was an American airman during World War II who survived a 22,000-foot fall from his damaged B-17 Flying Fortress. He was featured in Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 10 most amazing survival stories of World War II.Alan Magee was born in Plainfield, New Jersey as the youngest...
, from which Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighters shot off a section of the right wing causing the aircraft to enter a deadly spin. Wounded ball turret gunner Magee leapt from the plane without a parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
, rapidly losing consciousness due to the altitude. Magee fell over four miles before crashing through the glass roof of the St. Nazaire railway station, which mitigated Magee's impact. Found alive on the floor of the station, Magee was taken prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
and given medical treatment by his captors. He had 28 shrapnel wounds, several broken bones, severe damage to his nose and eye, and lung and kidney damage; and his right arm was nearly severed. Magee was liberated in May 1945 and received the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
for meritorious conduct and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
. He was later featured in the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the ten most remarkable survivals of World War II.
As a result of the raid, on 14 January 1943 under directive (S.46239/?? A.C.A.S. Ops), the Allies implemented incendiary bomb tactics against U-Boat pens, under the Area bombing directive
Area bombing directive
The Area Bombing Directive was a directive from the wartime British Government's Air Ministry to the Royal Air Force which ordered RAF bombers to attack the German industrial workforce and the morale of the German populace through bombing German cities and their civilian inhabitants.- Background...
. To minimize civilian casualties during air attacks, the Allies devised a plan to force evacuation of the town. For three days in 1943, British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and American aircraft dropped scores of leaflets warning the population of a planned fire-bombing raid. At the end of the third day, the raid came and burned the entire city to the ground. Casualties were light as most of the civilians had heeded the warning and fled to the safety of the countryside, but after that point except for the self-contained U-boat base, Saint-Nazaire remained abandoned until the end of the war.
After D-day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and the liberation of most of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1944, German troops in Saint-Nazaire's submarine base refused to surrender, and they holed up (as did their counterparts in the La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
and Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
bases). Since the Germans could no longer conduct major submarine operations from the bases without a supply line, the SHAEF commander, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
decided to simply bypass these ports, and the Allied armies focused their resources on the invasion of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Saint-Nazaire and the other two German "pockets" remained under Nazi control until the last day of the war in Europe, 8 May 1945.
Post World War II
The town of St. Nazaire was rebuilt in the late 1940s in a minimalist functional style.After the construction of the in 1961, the last Compagnie Générale Transatlantique liner and the subsequent closure of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, Chantiers de l'Atlantique began building large oil tankers, including Batillus
Batillus
Batillus was a supertanker, built in 1976 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for the French branch of Shell Oil. The first vessel of homonymous Batillus class supertankers...
, Bellamya
Bellamya
The Bellamya was a supertanker, built in 1976 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for the French branch of Shell Oil. It was the second Batillus class supertanker...
, Pierre Guillaumat
Pierre Guillaumat
Pierre Guillaumat was a Minister of National Education and Minister of the Armies under French President Charles De Gaulle and founder of the Elf Aquitaine oil company in 1967. He was the son of French general Adolphe Guillaumat....
and Prairial
Prairial (ship)
The following ships are named Prairial:*Prairial , one of the Batillus class supertankers*A submarine of the French Navy, sunk in a collision in April 1918.*Prairial , a frigate of the French Navy...
. A new dry dock (Basin C) was planned for the construction of tankers over 1,000,000 tonnes but this fell through with the re-opening of the Suez Canal. The was constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 2003.
Schools
The nursery schools and the elementary schools resident of Saint-Nazaire (Carnot, Jean-Jaurès, Lamartine, Jules Ferry, Ferdinand Bush, Boncourt, etc.) educate nearly 8,000 pupils divided in 30 school complexes.The Junior schools have nearly 7,000 pupils divided in 12 colleges: public colleges Albert Vinçon; Pierre Norange; Manon Roland; Jean de Neyman; Jean Moulin, accommodate around 1350 pupils each. Private colleges include:
- Saint-Louis: 1 000 pupils, boarding school (historically a college of boys)
- Holy-Therese (historically a college of girls)
The high-schools educate 6,000 pupils divided into 11 colleges, with the technical Aristide Briand having some 3 500 pupils, one of the largest colleges of France [ref. necessary]; the experimental college, public lycée managed jointly by the teachers and the pupils; the private college of Saint-Louis mainstream education; the hotel private college Holy-Anne; the private of mainstream education and technological college Our-Lady-in Espérance. The Cité Scolaire of Saint-Nazaire is one of largest of France, with nearly 4 000 high-school pupils.
University
The university of Saint-Nazaire is a college of the University of NantesUniversity of Nantes
The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:...
, the second largest university in France with approximately 35 001 students, including nearly 5,000 on the university pole of Saint-Nazaire. The campus resident of Saint-Nazaire is composed of four university fields: Gavy, Océanis, Heinlex and the Cité Scolaire of Saint-Nazaire.
Transport
Route nationale 165
The Route nationale 165 is a highway in western France. It connects the towns of Brest and Nantes. It is also numbered European Route 60. The majority of the route is autoroute standard.-Route:...
/N161 (E60 route
European route E60
European route E 60 is a E-road running from Brest, France , to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan...
), gives motorway access to Nantes and Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
via the Pont de Saint-Nazaire, which crosses the Loire. Paris is then accessed via the a10/A11 (in Nantes). Valves, Lorient, Quimper and Brest are accessed via the N165.
A project to review a second crossing of the Loire between Nantes and Saint Nazaire is being considered to be constructed and operational by 2025.
Railway
Gare de Saint-Nazaire
The Gare de Saint-Nazaire is the passenger railway station serving the French town and port of Saint-Nazaire.Designed by Noel Lemaresquier with a functional and maritime style, it was built in 1995 in anticipation of the arrival of the LGV Atlantique and replaced an older station in the town...
is served by both the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
and the regional trains and buses of the TER Pays de la Loire
TER Pays de la Loire
TER Pays de la Loire is the regional rail network serving Pays de la Loire, France.- Train :- Bus :*Redon-Saint-Nazaire*Nantes-Poitiers*Nantes-Challans-Saint-Jean-de-Monts*Nantes-Noirmoutier*Nantes-Saint-Jean-de-Monts*Fontenay-le-Comte-Niort...
. TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
(high speed train) connection to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, with trains to Paris via the LGV Atlantique
LGV Atlantique
The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
taking just over 2 hours. TER Pays de la Loire provides links to Nantes, Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, La Roche sur Yon, and many other regional cities and towns.
Air travel
Saint-Nazaire airport is located 5 km south-east of Saint-Nazaire, on the commune of mounting block-of-Brittany. Its has an annual capacity for approximately 150 000 passengers, and is the operational and maintenance base for Eagle Aviation FranceEagle Aviation France
Eagle Aviation France is a charter airline based in Saint-Nazaire, France. Its wet lease operations are based in Paris at Charles de Gaulle International Airport.-History:The airline started operations in 2002...
.
International travel is accessed via Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport is an international airport serving Nantes, France. It is located southwest of the city, in Bouguenais.The airport is operated by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Nantes...
, the biggest airport in western France, linking with several French and European cities, as well as Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in Canada and some northern Africa cities. It is currently planned that this airport will be supplemented by a new Aéroport du Grand Ouest
Aéroport du Grand Ouest
The Aéroport du Grand Ouest is a planned new airport, to be situated to the north-west of the French city of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes...
, that will be situated 30 km to the north-west of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Notre-Dame-des-Landes is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The commune is the planned site of the new Aéroport du Grand Ouest, intended to replace Nantes Atlantique Airport. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in...
. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2012 and a opening date in 2015.
Economy
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
: exportation of products manufactured, but also on the services, being given sizeable size of the city. Commercial fishing has almost completely disappeared, in spite of the subsistence of a small fleet of fisheries and fishing vessels.
Saint-Nazaire suffered heavily from the downsizing of shipbuilding activity in western Europe in the 1960s and '70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, during which again she completed the new national passenger liner SS France
SS France (1961)
SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962...
. For a long time in the 1980s, Saint-Nazaire remained an economically depressed area with unemployment rates above 20%. Today, the local economy is more diversified and its situation is more in line with that of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a whole. The major industries are:
- ShipyardShipyardShipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
- having previously concentrated on both naval and cargo ship construction, Chantiers de l'AtlantiqueChantiers de l'AtlantiqueChantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
has completed a successful reconversion to cruise ship building and is now one of the world leaders in this sector. Purchased by Aker YardsAker YardsSTX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, a subsidiary of the South Korean industrial chaebol STX Corporation, is the largest shipbuilding group in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. With headquarters in Oslo, Norway, STX Europe operates 15 shipyards in Brazil, Finland, France, Norway,...
, the Cunard LineCunard LineCunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
's new flagship, RMS Queen Mary 2RMS Queen Mary 2RMS Queen Mary 2 is a transatlantic ocean liner. She was the first major ocean liner built since in 1969, the vessel she succeeded as flagship of the Cunard Line....
, was built in Saint-Nazaire. - Airbus - Saint-Nazaire is one of the European centers of AirbusAirbusAirbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
, responsible for the fitting out of fuselage sections. Originally a factory built for SNCASO, it is located at Penhoët, immediate north of the sites of Chantiers de l'Atlantique. An additional facility was built in Gron in 1980. For the Airbus A380Airbus A380The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
, the Airbus Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ship Ville de BordeauxVille de BordeauxThe Ville de Bordeaux is a ship carrier designed to transport the elements of the Airbus A380.-A380 production:The origin of Airbus as a European holding company for a series of country-based existing aerospace manufacturers resulted in a geographically diversified structure with plants in France,...
brings fuselage sections from HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for larger, assembled sections, some of which include the nose. The ship then unloads these sections plus wings from FiltonFiltonFilton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
, BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and BroughtonBroughton, FlintshireBroughton is a small district in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border and located to the west of the City of Chester, England. Along with the nearby village of Bretton, the total population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census....
in North WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
at BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. From there, the A380 parts are transported by barge to Langon, GirondeLangon, GirondeLangon is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Geography:Langon is in the southern part of the department southeast of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Garonne river...
, and by oversize road convoys to the assembly hall in ToulouseToulouseToulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. New wider roads, canal systems and barges were developed to deliver the A380 parts. After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg, XFW to be furnished and painted. - Aeronautical engineering - Famat, a joint-venture company between SnecmaSnecmaSnecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft, and for space vehicles. The name is an acronym for Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation .In 2005, the Snecma group, which included Snecma ,...
and General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, has a factory in Saint-Nazaire. Employing approximately 450 people, Famat is specialized in the manufacture of structural elements for turbojets. - Mechanical engineering - SEMT PielstickMAN B&W DieselMAN Diesel SE was a provider of large-bore diesel engines for marine propulsion systems and power plant applications. MAN Diesel employs over 7,700 staff, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, India and China...
manufacturer of diesel engines intended for the naval, railway applications and of electrical production. Now part of MAN B&W DieselMAN B&W DieselMAN Diesel SE was a provider of large-bore diesel engines for marine propulsion systems and power plant applications. MAN Diesel employs over 7,700 staff, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, India and China...
, the SEMT Pielstick factory employs in 2006, 670 people in Saint-Nazaire. - Port - the first French port on the Atlantic facade. Now busier than its rival Nantes, it is managed within the interurban co-operation of the Port authority of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire. The port terminal handles high-volumes of food products, methane, Elf de Donges and many other industries.
Saint-Nazaire is one of the two seats of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire which is that of Loire-Atlantique.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Saint-Nazaire is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Kribi
Kribi
-Location:The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of Douala, the loargest city in Cameroon and the busiest seaport in the country...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
Peillac
Peillac
Peillac is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Geography:The canal de Nantes à Brest forms all of the commune's northern border; the river Arz forms all of its southern border.-References:* * -External links:*...
Saint-Hubert
Saint-Hubert
Saint-Hubert may refer to:In Belgium:* Saint-Hubert, Belgium, a municipality in the Belgian province of Luxembourg* Hubertus or Saint Hubert, first Prince-bishop of Liège, after whom the St Hubert Bible was named...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- since 1991 Sarrelouis, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- since 1969 City of Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- since 1 May 1953
It has also cooperation agreements with: Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
- since 1996
Cultural references
- 19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
British filmCinema of the United KingdomThe United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
Tomorrow We Live, directed by George KingGeorge King (film director)George King was an English actors' agent, film director, producer and screenplay writer. He helmed several of Tod Slaughter's melodramas, including 1936's The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.-Career:...
, and starring John ClementsJohn ClementsSir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge University then worked with Nigel Playfair and afterwards spent a few years in Ben Greet's Shakespearean Company. He made...
, Godfrey TearleGodfrey TearleSir Godfrey Seymour Tearle was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential Englishman on stage and in both English and US films.-Biography:...
, Greta GyntGreta GyntGreta Gynt , born Margrethe Woxholt, was a Norwegian singer, dancer and actress. -Biography:Greta Gynt was born Margrethe Woxholt in Oslo, Norway. As a child, she came with her parents to England and started dancing lessons at the age of 5. Eventually, they moved back to Norway...
, Hugh SinclairHugh SinclairAdmiral Sir Hugh Francis Paget Sinclair KCB , nicknamed "Quex", was a British intelligence officer. Between 1919 and 1921, he was Director of British Naval Intelligence, and helped to set up the Secret Intelligence Service before the Second World War.-Career:Sinclair joined the Royal Navy in the...
and Yvonne ArnaudYvonne ArnaudYvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
. - In the book of Das BootDas BootDas Boot is a 1981 German epic war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann...
Saint-Nazaire was the base used in the novel. The film changed the location to La RochelleLa RochelleLa Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
because its appearance had not changed to such a large degree in the years following World War II. - In the Franco-Canadian CGI Cartoon Skyland, Saint Nazaire is the name of the pirate flagship.
- The video game Medal of Honor: European AssaultMedal of Honor: European AssaultMedal of Honor: European Assault is the 6th installment in the long running Medal of Honor series. European Assault was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in June 2005. The game's story was written by John Milius, the writer of Apocalypse Now...
opens with the British raid on St. Nazaire.
People from Saint-Nazaire
- For full list, see :Category:People from Saint-Nazaire
- René-Yves CrestonRené-Yves CrestonRené-Yves Creston , born René Pierre Joseph Creston, was a Breton artist, designer and ethnographer who founded the Breton nationalist art movement Seiz Breur...
(1898–1964), artist, ethnologist, resisting and Breton nationalist, founder of the artistic movement and social Art Seiz Breur - Odette of Puigaudeau (1894–1991), ethnologist
- Fernand Guériff (1914–1994), scholar, type-setter, historian, journalist devoting themselves mainly to the soil of the peninsula guérandaise 5
- Yann GouletYann GouletYann Goulet was a sculptor, Breton nationalist and war-time collaborationist with Nazi Germany who headed the Breton Bagadou Stourm militia. He later took Irish citizenship and became professor of sculpture at the Royal Hibernian Academy.-Early career:Goulet was born in Saint-Nazaire...
(1914–1999), sculptor, Breton nationalistBreton nationalismBreton nationalism is the nationalism of the traditional province of Brittany in France. Brittany is considered to be one of the six Celtic nations...
and war-time collaborationist with Nazi Germany who headed the Breton Bagadou Stourm militia. He later took IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
citizenship and became professor of sculpture at the Royal Hibernian AcademyRoyal Hibernian AcademyThe Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation... - Gildas Bernard, (1925–2001), archivist paleographer, prize winner of Put of Velãquez, member of the School of the High Hispanic Studies Director of the services of files of the Paddle.
- Georges and André Bellec, members of the vocal quartet the Jacques Brothers
- Gustave Tiffoche, ceramist, painter and sculptor, born in 1930
- Olivier Josso, author of cartoons
- Roger LévêqueRoger LévêqueRoger Lévêque was a professional French road racing cyclist from 1946 to 1953...
, (5 December 1920-30 June 2002) was a professional road racing cyclist from 1946 to 1953 - Colonel MoutardeColonel MoutardeColonel Moutarde is a visual artist, mostly known for her comic books and work in the advertising.-External links:* * on Lambiek Comiclopedia...
, illustrator - Remi Bolt, (1973), writer and vidéaste
- Tony HeurtebisTony HeurtebisTony Heurtebis is a French football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Nantes Atlantique. He has been capped for the France under-21 squad.-Clubs:*1995-1999 : Stade Rennais*1999-2004 : Troyes AC...
, (15 January 1975), football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Nantes AtlantiqueFC Nantes AtlantiqueFootball Club de Nantes is a French association football club based in Nantes, Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one big club. From 1992–2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes...
.
- René-Yves Creston
- Sandra GomisSandra GomisSandra Gomis is a French track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles.-Achievements:-References:...
, athlete
Demographics
Breton language
In 2008, there was 0.41% of the children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.See also
- 1942 raid on the Normandie dry dock - see St. Nazaire RaidSt. Nazaire RaidThe St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined...
- Skyland Cartoon - see SkylandSkylandSkyland , is a CGI animated television series developed in France in partnership with Canada and Luxembourg for television channels, France 2, Teletoon, NickToons Network, ABC and CITV.A 60-minute, worldwide preview was aired on November 26, 2005 at multiple times during the day and the following day...
- Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
- Parc naturel régional de Brière