The Flammands breakwater, constructed during 1924– 1927, will serve as protection for the piers of the new trans-Atlantic passenger station. The harbor is divided into an inner and an outer, or principal, roadstead by the Homet and Flamands breakwaters which are separated by a channel 500 meters (1,640 feet) wide connecting the two roadsteads. The channel between the east and center breakwaters is 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) wide with a depth of 12 meters (39 feet) at extreme low tide the channel between the east and center break waters is 700 meters (2,297 feet) wide with a depth of 8 meters (26 feet) at extreme low tide. The harbor is protected on the west by the Querqueville breakwater, in the center by a breakwater 4 kilometers in length, and on the east by the Tourlaville breakwater.
The harbor of Cherbourg comprises an area of 15,000,000 square meters (3,707 acres), lying between the point of Querqueville and the Isle Pelee, which are approximately 7 kilometers (4 1/3 miles) distant from each other.
It is planned to construct a transatlantic passenger station second to none, to construct deep-water quays for liners, to induce some steamship line or lines to adopt Cherbourg as a European home port, to reduce the time required for the railroad trip from Cherbourg to Paris, and to have the present governmental restrictions on the landing of commercial and private airplanes at Cherbourg liberalized. Present High Rank in Use and Plans for Extending Facilities.Ĭherbourg ranks first among the ports of Europe in number of trans-Atlantic passengers embarked and disembarked it ranks second only to Marseille among French ports in tonnage of vessels entered and cleared, and it ranks twentieth in cargo traffic, with only 294,000 tons during 1931.Ĭompetition between ports for trans-Atlantic traffic, inadequate present facilities, and the advantages of having vessels dock where the main factors at Cherbourg leading to plans for development of the port. In 1931 there entered and cleared at the port 746 transatlantic liners, representing 10,725,000 net tons, with 115,000 passengers, and 513,000 sacks of mail. The admirably sheltered roadstead permits the transfer of passengers and baggage from liners to tenders and vice versa in any weather and at any tide. Development of Cherbourg as a Transatlantic Port (1932)Ĭherbourg has attained a position of importance as a port of call for transatlantic liners because of its 40-mile proximity to the routes followed by vessels plying between North and South American ports and Southampton or between North and South American ports and North European ports via Plymouth or Cobh. GGA Image ID # 1457da585eĬherbourg has attained a position of importance as a port of call for transatlantic liners because of its 40-mile proximity to the routes followed by vessels plying between North and South American ports and Southampton. Busy Harbor Scene at Cherbourg Showing Tenders in the Foreground and the Passenger Train Station in the Background.