On All Saints’ Day, no one will lay flowers in this cemetery. In Saint-Malo, the astonishing boat cemetery of Quelmer does not serve as a place of contemplation. This mud beach nestled on the banks of the Rance is more of a site of memory, according to its defenders. A public dump, its few opponents will say. Often photographed to be shared on Instagram, these ship wrecks are the subject of a sound tour developed by the Association for the Development of Research in Maritime Archeology (Adramar) which carried out a major heritage inventory in order to save this site that the State had in its sights.
“The objective is to bring this place to life, to tell the story of these boats and to explain why they are there,” explains Yann Gaonac’h, archaeologist from Adramar. This fascinating (and free) podcast is available thanks to QR codes placed on the remains of certain ships or directly on this site. A word of advice: bring a pair of boots if you’re in the area.
The main boat cemetery in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Quelmer has many brothers and sisters in the rest of Brittany. Particularly conducive to abandonment with its multiple coves and inlets, the region is the one with the greatest number of sites in France. Specialists estimate that more than fifty stranding sites are listed. On the occasion of All Souls’ Day, 20 minutes offers you a small selection.
The Quelmer cemetery, in Saint-Malo
It is undoubtedly one of the best known. Hidden a few kilometers south of the very touristy old town of Saint-Malo, the Quelmer cemetery has around fifteen boats. While most of the wrecks are wooden and tell the story of local fishing, some feature metal lines, worn away by years spent in salt water. “Boats are sometimes victims of technological progress. The metal wrecks we have here are the remains of the shuttles which crossed the Rance before the construction of the dam in 1966. There was a terrible commercial war between the two companies,” recalls Yann Gaonac’h. Today, the two shuttles rest side by side and in peace. The particularity of Quelmer is that you can actually walk among the wrecks at low tide, without risking silting up. Confusing.
Here as elsewhere, the State had requested the removal of the least interesting wrecks in terms of heritage. If the authorities first try to find the owners, they often have to resolve to bear alone the costs linked to the removal and recycling of the boats, which often have to be depolluted (see box).
The Landévennec naval cemetery
This is probably the most impressive. Nestled at the bottom of the harbor of Brest (Finistère), in the calm waters of the Aulne, the Landévennec cemetery is managed by the French Navy, which stores its retired ships there while waiting for them to be deconstructed. In use since the 1950s, this site has a deep underwater trench that allows gray ships to never touch the bottom. Sheltered from the winds, the frigate birds spend a peaceful retreat here, under the curious gaze of boaters who can easily approach them.
Property of the French Navy, the site remains inaccessible. In June, two young individuals were arrested after climbing onto the boats. “Beyond the risks of an accidental nature incurred when entering the site, it is recalled that trespassing on a military right of way is prohibited and constitutes an offense punishable by legal action,” recalled the Atlantic maritime prefecture.
German carcasses in the port of Lorient
The harbor of Lorient is undoubtedly one of the most abundant underwater sanctuaries in Brittany. The port of the port city having served as headquarters for the German navy during the Second World War, many ships were sunk in its waters. It was here that many of the Nazi regime’s U Boot submarines were protected. Although most of the wrecks have been removed, some remain visible and intrigue anyone who is not familiar with the area. For professional Lorient skippers or amateur boaters, these carcasses are part of the decor like the wrecks of the Toad or cruiser Strasbourg, sunk by the Germans. Metal nets had been installed between the two ships to protect the submarine base from torpedoes.
“There is a fascination around the aesthetics of these skeletons which change according to the weather, according to the tides. When we see these wrecks, we inevitably wonder what they are doing there and what history they had before running aground,” says Yann Gaonac’h.
The show from the Kerhervy theater
It is undoubtedly the largest in terms of number of stranded boats. In Lanester (Morbihan), the Kerhervy boat cemetery has around fifty skeletons, abandoned in the waters of the Blavet. Particularly popular with photographers, the very silted site was immortalized by Yann Arthus-Bertrand during his work seen from the sky. “They look like skeletons stuck in the mud, it’s fascinating,” underlines the Adramar archaeologist. The particularity of this timeless site is that it houses an open-air theater where shows are regularly held. An absolutely magnificent setting which serves as a backdrop for many troupes, notably during the amateur theater festival which has been held there every summer for forty years.
The old tuna boats of the Etel estuary
Their immense silhouettes undoubtedly make them one of the most impressive sites in Brittany. Laying on the sand of the Etel ria, in Morbihan, the wrecks of tuna boats are the memory of fishing which has now disappeared. Abandoned by their captain on the banks of the Magouër, in Plouhinec, the long wooden ships were to disappear. According to several testimonies, machines were even sent to the site to clean the place. The mobilization of a few heritage lovers made it possible to save the wrecks, which still sit proudly on the yellow sand of the estuary.
“These boats are witnesses to know-how that has often disappeared. Most of the plans for these ships were destroyed when the shipbuilding workshops closed. These wrecks are the last traces of these construction techniques. They are markers of local history,” recalls Yann Gaonac’h.