Achieving the Impossible: Building the Cherbourg Breakwater

Published 13:39 on 28 Jan 2019

I shall be presenting some of the fruits of my Cherbourg research at 7.30pm on Saturday 2 February at the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, Custom House Quay, Weymouth Äì for those of you who arenÄôt watching the rugby, of course!The bizarre science-fiction world of Ancien Regime inventors and engineers is the setting for this richly illustrated account of the building of the Cherbourg breakwater.Giant wooden cones competed with Montgolfier balloons for the publicÄôs attention, as a war-hungry naval minister manipulated the king to realise the prestige project which would end war with England for ever, by creating FranceÄôs first deep-water Channel port.From the rivalry and feuding between different engineering corps gradually emerged the science which shaped EuropeÄôs first offshore breakwater, just as the shadows of the Revolution descended.The grim truth of its cost in human life became even more apparent as tragic efforts were made under Napoleon to discover an effective method to resist the immense power of the sea and raise and maintain the breakwater above sea level.What was supposed to take a few years took nearly a century to achieve, during which time Cherbourg can claim to have been the parent of breakwaters all over the world, including our very own Portland breakwater.Visiting Cherbourg will never be the same after youÄôve lived through this gripping tale!`Steve Fraser

Last updated 15:13 on 28 July 2025