Auderville... - Office de tourisme de la Hague en Cotentin

The monument to the victims of the «vendemiaire»
On June 8, 1912, the battleship « Saint Louis » collided with
the submarine « Vendémaire » that was coming up to the
surface. The « Vendémiaire » sank immediately, engulfing
in her walls the entire crew. A granite cross was raised in
memory of this tragedy in that very year.
A bronze plaque carrying the names of the missing was put
on later.
Customs officials and their cabins («gabions»)
At the beginning of this century, 28 customs officials split into two brigades were stationed at Auderville. One brigade stayed ashore while the other one embarked. Two customs officials went on duty in the evening and returned the next morning. The watches
took 10 hours. Teams of 2 customs officials took turns with each other. They stayed at a
« gabion ». « Gabions » are small cabins without windows built all along the path. One
official could take cover there while the other scanned the sea. These shelters were set
out in such a way that the fields of view of the customs officials met. Between the Bay
of Ecalgrain and the village of La Roche there were four or five of such « gabions ». One
of them has been restored.
The signal station
The signal station was built and
put into operation in 1860. The
sending equipment was used by
Branly for his wireless tests in
the early 20th century. Big wooden lattice masts supported the
antennae. Around 1908, the lookout was raised by some 10 meters because of insufficient sight.
Since 2009, the signal station of la Hague is in 1st category, what means that the lookouts’wakefulness is made all the time (24h/24h). 10 men are in charge of watching the
maritime and air trafic of the area ( 10000 cross every year). In the area where is the
Raz-blanchard, one of most strongly stream of the world.
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The lighthouse and the shipwrecks
Because of its geographic situation the coast
of Auderville has known an important number
of shipwrecks in the course of time. The sea
breezes, the many reefs, the very strong currents are high risks for the navigation.
In one year alone, 1823, 27 ships sank in these
waters. Among the shipwrecks one is particularly worth recalling : on her return from
America, the liner « Paris » carried numerous
passengers, among them Mgr. Cheverus who
was the first bishop of a Roman Catholic parish
in Boston, United States. His first contact with
this area on the rocks of the Cape la Hague was
quite rude and painful. Wet through, exhausted, and carried by a man across the fields to
the presbytery of Auderville, the bishop found
there shelter and consolation. This happened
in the night of October 31, 1823. The following
day, November 1st, he presided the All Saints
Day mass at the parish church.
The loss of ships and of human lives on these coasts alerted finally public opinion and
the maritime authorities. Shortly after the loss of the « Paris », the construction of a
lighthouse was planned. It was decided to build it on a rock at a distance of about a mile
outside of the port of Goury at a site known as Gros du Raz. Later a turret of masonry
was added that was a valuable guide mark to navigators.
Construction started in 1834. It required a sizeable workforce during three years. The
granite sourced at Diélette was processed at Goury and from there dispatched to the
site. It was hoisted up with the help of a gear system. The hoisting gears were driven
by a big wheel that was pulled by a mare called « la Belle ». A small creek next to the
lighthouse is called « la Belle’s room ».
A severe drought dried up the springs of Goury. It compelled the workers to get the water needed for the preparation of cement from a source 4 km away. The construction of
the granite tower was completed in 1837. At a height of 48 m/157ft. it serves as support
to a lantern equipped with powerful lenses. A continuous rotation movement produces a
flash every fives seconds. Since the beginning of this century, a sound signal has been added to the light signal. A foghorn produces a signal that is spread over the surface of the
sea. This is valuable position indicator to navigators. The lighthouse was occupied and
switched off by the Germans in 1940. It was restarted after Liberation in July 1944.
In 1971, it was electrified and automated, the last guards left in May, 1990.
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The harbour
The project of a 90 m long pier to protect the port of Goury
from the westerly winds came up in 1840. A pier of dry stone
had been raised provisionally before in order to protect the
vessels carrying the building materials for construction of the
lighthouse of la Hague.
The harbour accomodates today the boats of hobby-and professional fishermen.
The rescue station
The coast of la Hague and in particular the coastline of Auderville will always be dreaded by navigators. The startup of the lighthouse has diminished the risks and therefore,
the number of shipwrecks. But these remain frequent. In 1865, an association called Société Centrale des Naufragés took the initiative to equip the entire coastline of France
with rescue facilities. A lifeboat was installed at the port of Goury in 1870.
A shelter was built in 1878. In 1908, a paved and cemented slipway was added at the
outer side of the harbour in order to make launching at low tide easier. The lifeboat
rests on a cart until being lowered into the sea. The first lifeboats were manned by 12
people. They were rowing boats. Four of such boats followed each other at the rescue
station :
«L’Espérance» from 1870 to 1895,
«Baron Larrey» from 1895 to 1904,
«De la Germonière I» from 1904 to 1923,
«De la Germonière II» from 1923 to 1928.
Then the station was modernized. The rowing boats were replaced by an engine driven
boat. In order to accommodate it, an octogonal shelter was built. It permits launching
of the vessel in two different directions, one towards the inner side and one towards the
outer side of the harbour. The lifeboat pivots in the shelter on a turntable that rotates
on trailing wheels. Held by the cart, the boat is put on rails.
The first engine driven lifeboat was the « Edouard Catenacci » in 1928. It was used until
1940 when it was destroyed by the German occupation. Several lifeboats followed :
« Victoire des Alliés » in 1947, « Raz-Blanchard » in 1967, « Mona-Rigolet » in 1989.
The rescue station was destroyed and rebuilt to welcome this new lifeboat of 60 feet.
It took place in a new shelter in 1990. The Mona Rigolet has got the name of the wife
of his most important donor. In 2006 it has had a fairing of few months. At present it is
equipped with 2 engines of 400CV and moves at the speed of 20 miles.
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