Rochefort

Rochefort (also known as Rochefort-sur-Mer), seaport, western France. Located in the Poitou-Charente region, Rochefort lies 10 km (6 mi) inland of the Bay of Biscay, on the Charente River. Rochefort is 29 km (18 mi) south-east of La Rochelle, 121 km (75 mi) south-west of Poitiers, and 125 km (78 mi) north of Bordeaux. The town is an air force base, and has shipyards, engineering industries, and an active fishing port. The harbour handles a variety of merchandise from the area, including timber, grain, wines, and livestock.

Rochefort was founded as a fortified settlement in the 11th century, and its lords became vassals of the French king early in the 14th century. During the Hundred Years' War, Rochefort was alternately occupied by the French and the English, and during the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century, by Catholics and Protestants. Rochefort remained only a village until Louis XIV's minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert selected it in 1665 as the site for a naval school, shipyards, repair base, and arsenal. Most of the town’s buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the marine hospital; the town’s fortifications were strengthened by Sebastien Vauban. Rochefort began to lose its importance as a naval base after the offshore destruction of the French fleet by the British in 1809 and also with the transition from sail to steam. In 1815 Napoleon I surrendered himself to the British at Rochefort. Population 26,400 (2005 estimate).