Lighthouses of France: Loire Coast

Pornic Area Lighthouses

* Pornic (Pointe de la Noëveillard) 1846. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, occulting four times every 12 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical limestone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-1/2 story keeper's house. Tower painted white, lantern green. Werning's photo is at right, Trabas has a fine photo by Christophe Boxus, Christelle Camus-Bouclainville has a closeup, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was originally 11 m (36 ft) in height; it was extended in 1882. In 1886 the keeper's house was also expanded. Located near a large marina on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Pornic, on the Baie de Bourgneuf about 30 km (19 mi) south of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-372; Admiralty D1156; NGA 1032. *** Pointe Saint-Gildas 1941 (light mounted on 1861 signal station). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red, or green depending on direction. 17 m (56 ft) 3-story building with a short mast light on the roof. Building painted white, mast green. Werning has a fine closeup photo, Trabas has another good closeup by Christophe Boxus, the Phareland site has numerous photos, and Google has a satellite view. According to Fichou's account and Wikipedia's article, it was German troops who first mounted a light on the 1861 signal station. The Bureau des Phares et Balises established a permanent light in 1955. From 1938 to 1993 there was a square pyramidal concrete observation tower atop the building; the light was in front of this tower. In the spring of 2005 the building was opened as a lighthouse and shipwreck museum; among the exhibits are a 4th order Fresnel lens and several buoys. Located at Pointe Saint-Gildas, marking the south side of the entrance to the Loire estuary, about 4 km (2.5 mi) west of La Plaine-sur-Mer. Site open; museum open daily; visitors can climb to the top level just under the mast. Site manager: Espace Muséographique du Sémaphore de la Pointe Saint-Gildas. ARLHS FRA-479; Admiralty D1150; NGA 0912.

Phare de la Noëveillard, Pornic photo copyright Malte Werning; used by permission

Loire Estuary South Side Lighthouses

* Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef (Port de Comberge) (South Breakwater)

1965. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white or green light, depending on direction, occulting once every 4 s. 5 m (16 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Trabas has Siering's photo, Christophe Gevrey has a photo, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Fichou has a drawing of a tower on the north breakwater, a slender cylindrical concrete tower with a castellated top, suggesting that it was used as a lighthouse also. There is no evidence it was ever lit, but it does appear to carry a small triangular daymarker. A photo showing both towers is available. Located on the south jetty at St.-Michel-Chef-Chef, a town on the south side of the Loire entrance about 7 km (4.5 mi) north of La Plaine-sur-Mer. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-593; Admiralty D1105; NGA 0920.

* Paimboeuf

1855. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white or green light, depending on direction, occulting three times every 12 s. 9 m (30 ft) cylindrical limestone tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white, lantern and gallery green. Trabas has Siering's photo, Werning has an excellent photo, another good photo is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater sheltering the harbor of Paimboeuf, on the south side of the Loire estuary about 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-378; Admiralty D1142; NGA 1028.

Saint-Nazaire Harbor Lighthouses
Note: The City of Saint-Nazaire stretches along the north bank of the lower Loire estuary and includes the downstream neighborhoods of Ville-ès-Martin and Saint-Marc-sur-Mer.

* Saint-Nazaire Vieux Môle (3) 1904 (station established 1834). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); three white flashes in a 2+1 pattern every 12 s. 17 m (56 ft) masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a small equipment room. Tower painted white with unpainted stone trim; lantern and gallery painted red. Werning has a good photo, Trabas has a closeup by Siering, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has an interesting postcard view that shows the former Vieille Entrée light at the left and the 1836 Vieux Môle light in the distance. The Vieux Môle lighthouse was heavily damaged by an Allied bombing raid in April 1943; it was restored after the war using the original plans. Located at the end of the Vieux (Old) Môle, off the Quai des Marées about 800 m (1/2 mi) northeast of the Jetée de l'Est lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-495; Admiralty D1126; NGA 0980. * Saint-Nazaire Jetée de l'Est 1904. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green light occulting four times every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with unpainted stone trim; lantern and gallery painted green. Werning has a photo, Trabas has a closeup by Siering, Guyomard and Carceller have a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view of both jetty lights, and Google has a satellite view. The west and east jetty lights mark the south entrance to the inner harbor, the Port de Saint-Nazaire, which is entered through locks that maintain a constant water level at the wharves. Located at the end of the east jetty protecting the south entrance to the Port de Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-494; Admiralty D1124; NGA 0976. * Saint-Nazaire Jetée de l'Ouest 1904. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red light occulting four times every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with unpainted stone trim; lantern and gallery painted red. Werning's photo is at right, Trabas has a closeup by Philipp, Guyomard and Carceller have a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view of both jetty lights, and Google has a satellite view. The west and east jetty lights mark the south entrance to the inner harbor, the Port de Saint-Nazaire, which is entered through locks that maintain a constant water level at the wharves. Located at the end of the west jetty protecting the south entrance to the Port de Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-496; Admiralty D1122; NGA 0972.

Feu de la Jetée de l'Ouest, St. Nazaire photo copyright Malte Werning; used by permission

Ville-ès-Martin Lighthouses

Les Morées

1893 (light on 1777 daybeacon). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); three flashes, red or white depending on direction, every 12 s. 17 m (56 ft) solid granite tower with lantern, painted green. Built as a daybeacon, the tower was raised in height when its light was installed in 1893. A new lantern and a propane-fueled light were installed in 1954. Trabas has a photo by Helmut Seger. Located on a rocky shoal, the Banc des Morées, about 1 km (0.6 mi) east of Ville-ès-Martin. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS FRA-363; Admiralty D1118; NGA 0968.

* Ville-ès-Martin

1865. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery. Tower is unpainted gray stone, lantern painted red. Trabas has a closeup by Siering, Werning has a good photo, a 2009 closeup is available, Guyomard and Carceller also have a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of an abandoned jetty just off a point of land about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) southwest of the Port de Saint-Nazaire. Apparently accessible at low tide from the riverfront along the Rue Ferdinand Buisson at the foot of the Rue du Port. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-535; Admiralty D1116; NGA 0964.

**** Kerlédé (Portcé Feu Postérieur (1)) 1897. Inactive since 1981. 26 m (85 ft) granite tower with masonry lantern room and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Tower painted white; lantern room and gallery are unpainted granite. Sibling of the 1894 Port Maria lighthouse (see below). Werning has a good photo, J. Hache has a 2008 photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This handsome lighthouse had to be deactivated when another change in the channel required range lights on a new line. The lighthouse was bought in 1997 and renovated in 1998 by the city of Saint-Nazaire and operated as a museum by a non-profit group. In August 2004 this group disbanded and control of the lighthouse reverted to the city's ministry of culture. In September 2005, the lighthouse reopened under the management of the city's museum. Located off the Allée des Pervenches on the southwest side of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower open but the schedule is not known. Site manager: Écomusée Saint-Nazaire. ARLHS FRA-510; ex-Admiralty D1106.1. * Tour du Commerce (Portcé) (2) 1857 (station established 1756). Inactive since 1897. 39 m (128 ft) masonry tower, painted white. Lantern removed; there appears to be a communications mast atop the capped tower. 2-story keeper's house. Florent Moritz's photo at right shows the tower and one end of the keeper's house, Jean-François Ghirardi has a good photo, Werning also has a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and the lighthouse is centered in a Google satellite view. This tower was the rear light of a range, the Pointe d'Aiguillon lighthouse being the front light. The original tower was very similar to the surviving Pointe d'Aiguillon light. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1897 when changes in the channel required moving the range. Located on the Allée du Tour du Commerce off the D92 highway on the southwest side of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-509. * Portcé Feu Intermédiaire (1) 1897. Inactive. 1-story masonry keeper's cottage; the light was shone through a window. The Portcé range replaced the former Aiguillon range as the entrance range for the Loire. Fichou's page refers to this lighthouse as the rear light, but as he notes elsewhere the Kerlédé lighthouse was the rear light and this was the middle light. Located atop the bluff on the southwest side of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-740. * Portcé Feu Postérieur (2) 1981 (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); quick-flashing white light, intensified on the range line and synchronized with the front light. 19 m (62 ft) slender cylindrical metal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A white slatted daymark is installed along both sides of the tower for its full height, creating a gigantic white rectangular daybeacon. Trabas has a photo by Helmut Seger, Werning has a photo, Jean-François Ghirardi has a 2009 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located off the Chemin de Portcé on the southwest side of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-409; Admiralty D1106.1; NGA 0952.

Tour du Commerce, August 2010 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Florent Moritz

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer Lighthouses

Portcé Feu Antérieur (2) 1981 (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); quick-flashing white light, intensified on the range line. 7 m (23 ft) post light with a square lantern room and gallery, painted white. Trabas has a photo by Helmut Seger, Werning has a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 400 m (1/4 mi) offshore at Portcé, on the southwest side of Saint-Nazaire. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-739; Admiralty D1106; NGA 0948. * Pointe d'Aiguillon 1756. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, occulting four times every 12 s. 19 m (62 ft) tower, consisting of the original 10 m (33 ft) masonry tower with gallery, topped by a lantern and also by a 9 m (29 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower that rises above the lantern and carries a white slatted daymark. Entire lighthouse painted white with gray trim. Trabas has Helmut Seger's view from the sea, the Phareland site has many photos, J. Hache has a good 2008 photo, Werning has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. The history of this historic lighthouse is rather complex. It was built to serve as the front beacon of a range guiding mariners into the Loire entrance while avoiding the Banc du Grand Charpentier shoal. The Tour du Commerce was the rear beacon. A lantern and Fresnel lens were added to the tower in 1830. In 1857, the tower was increased in height to 20 m (66 ft). Huelse has a historic postcard view of the extended tower. In 1909, at the demand of the Navy, the tower was reduced to its original height; we don't know the reason for this. Apparently it wasn't so long afterwards that the skeletal tower was added to restore the daytime height of the lighthouse, since the addition appears in another postcard view posted by Huelse. The 1-1/2 story stone keeper's house is privately owned, and in 2009 the property was offered for sale for €780,000. Located on the north bank of the Loire estuary at the end of the Chemin de Port Charlotte, on the east side of Saint-Marc-sur Mer, about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Saint-Nazaire. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-167; Admiralty D1114; NGA 0956. Le Grand Charpentier 1888. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red, or green depending on direction. 26 m (89 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery, incorporating keeper's quarters. Tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern is red. Morez Pascal's photo is at right, Werning has a photo, Trabas has Helmut Seger's distant view, and Huelse has a historic postcard view. Located on a rocky shoal about 3 km (2 mi) southwest of Saint-Marc-sur-Mer. Accessible only by boat, but there are good views from shore. Site and tower closed. ARLHS FRA-014; Admiralty D1104; NGA 0944.

Phare du Grand Charpentier, July 2006 Panoramio photo copyright Morez Pascal; permission requested

Pornichet and Le Pouliguen Lighthouses

Pornichet

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white, red, or green light depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with a green band at the top. Werning has a photo, Philippe Poncin has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater at Pornichet. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-604; Admiralty D1102; NGA 0892.

Le Pouliguen Jetée Sud (2)

1957. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing red light. 15 m (49 ft) rakish pylon in the shape of a yacht's mast, mounted on a small equipment room. Tower painted white; the small lantern is red; a French flag flies above the lantern. Werning has a photo, a closeup and a view from the base of the pier are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater of Le Pouliguen. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-741; Admiralty D1098; NGA 0884.

La Banche

1865. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white or red depending on direction. 30 m (98 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery, incorporating keeper's quarters. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern is white. Huelse has a historic postcard view, but Google has only a blur in its satellite view. Located on a rocky shelf about 8 km (5 mi) south of Le Pouliguen, marking the beginning of the approach to the Loire estuary, Saint-Nazaire, and Nantes. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS FRA-003; Admiralty D1096; NGA 0896.

Le Croisic and La Turballe Lighthouses

Plateau du Four 1822. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 5 s. 23 m (75 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery, incorporating keeper's quarters. Lighthouse painted in a black and white spiral pattern (unusual for France). The lighthouse was extended in height by 6.2 m (21 ft) in 1846. Arnaud Devorsine's photo is at the top of this page, another photo is available, and Huelse has a historic postcard view. Located on a rocky shelf, submerged at low tide, about 3 km (2 mi) west of the Pointe du Croisic, on the north side of the approach to the Loire. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS FRA-052; Admiralty D1080; NGA 0820. * Le Croisic (Jetée de Tréhic) 1874. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white or green light depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery. The central portion of the tower is unpainted stone; circular base painted white; lantern and gallery painted green. A photo is at right, Werning has a photo, Trabas has Philipp's photo, a closeup is available, Guyomard and Carceller have good photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The tower was damaged during World War II; it was repaired and a new lantern installed at the end of the war. Located at the end of the 900 m (0.55 mi) breakwater on the west side of harbor entrance in Le Croisic. Accessible in good weather by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-519; Admiralty D1088; NGA 0860. * La Turballe (Jetée de Garlahy) 1894. Inactive since 1958. 9 m (30 ft) cylindrical tower with gallery; lantern removed. Tower painted white. Werning has a good photo, Daniel Fronton has a 2008 photo, and Guyomard and Carceller have an aerial photo that also shows the active light, a sleek metal pylon painted white with a red top (focal plane 13 m (43 ft); four flashes, white or red depending on direction, every 12 s). Huelse has a historic postcard view of the tower with its lantern but without the masonry equipment room that now surrounds the base of the tower. Located on the breakwater sheltering the harbor of La Turballe. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-737; Admiralty D1076; NGA 0844.

Feu de la Jetée de Tréhic, Le Croisic, August 2008 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Emmanuel Parent

Piriac-sur-Mer and Mesquer Lighthouses

* Piriac-sur-Mer (2)

1949 (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 8 m (27 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, occulting twice every 6 s. 8 m (27 ft) semicircular concrete tower, painted white. Werning has a good photo, and another photo is available. Located at the end of the jetty at Piriac-sur-Mer. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-124; Admiralty D1074; NGA 0812.

Île Dumet

Date unknown (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) light mounted on one corner of a square fort. Donald Gray has a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The Île Dumet is a small island about 6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Piriac-sur-Mer. There are two ruined forts on the island; the one with the light was built in 1845. Located near the center of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, fort open. ARLHS FRA-094; Admiralty D1060; NGA 0784.

* Mesquer (Pointe de Merquel) (3)

Date unknown (station established 1920). Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, occulting once every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) post light attached to a 1-story equipment room. Trabas has a photo by Siering, another photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Fichou has a photo of the previous (1955) light, a semicircular concrete tower attached to a small equipment room. The original lighthouse was heavily damaged during World War II; after the war a temporary light was shone from atop the ruins. Located on the jetty at the Pointe de Merquel, the south side of the entrance to the Marais Salants estuary north of Mesquer. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-735; Admiralty D1072; NGA 0808.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Pointe de l'Ève (1856-1895), Loire estuary

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Morbihan | South: La Vendée

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Posted October 25, 2005. Checked and revised April 2, 2012. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.