Lorient and the U-Boat Pens
Lorient is further north up the coast. It's a large modern city with a bustling port and a thriving industry in yacht making. There's little of the original Lorient left, as it was heavily damaged between 1943 and 1944. But, sitting in the harbour are three colossal concrete structures. Built by the Germans for their U-boats, it took over a million tons of concrete and over 150,000 workers to make the three large buildings which could withstand the largest bomb dropped by the RAF.
The first building next to the water is a 6-bay building for U-boats preparing for or returning from patrol. The next building is where a U-boat can be taken out of the water, put onto a cradle and then pulled onto a large railed area where the U-boat can be moved and then put into the third and the biggest building. Containing 6 huge bays, a U-boat could be pushed inside on its cradle for repair, refit or upgrade.
Between building 2 and 3 some of the original rail system remains, and on the rail is a French Daphne class submarine, La Flore. A diesel-electric submarine, it saw service between 1964 and 1989, and has been open to the public since 2010.
