CHERBOURG, shar-boor, France, a sea port in the department of La Manche (The Channel), 196 miles west-northwest of Paris, on the north coast of the peninsula of Coten tin, and nearly due south of Southampton. It has a strongly fortified arsenal, and consists of the old or civil town and the new or military (Port Militaire), the latter quite distinct from the former, and separated from it by the forti fications with which it is surrounded. Apart from its consideration as a naval station, Cher bourg is unimportant ; it is the works by which it has been converted into a great naval for tress and place of arms that give it its special importance. These altogether have cost f8,000, 000 and were chiefly carried out under Napo leon 1, Louis Philippe and Napoleon III. Foremost among them must be mentioned the digue, or breakwater, stretching across the en trance to the roadstead, which was formerly open to heavy seas from the north. It is more than two miles in length, of very massive con struction, covers an area of 3,700 acres and consists of a western or longer and an eastern or shorter portion, forming at their junction a very obtuse angle pointing toward the north. There are a fort and lighthouse there, and, also, at either end. The breakwater alone cost about f2,700,000. The eastern entrance to the har bor, between the breakwater and the island of Pelee, is about 500 yards wide; the western en trance, between the breakwater and Fort Chavagnac (on a rocky islet), is about 1,000 yards. It is the latter that large ships of war make use of.
The Port Militaire has three great basins for war vessels— an outer accessible at all states of the tide for vessels of the largest class; a float ing basin communicating with this by gates; and a third communicating with both by similar gates. The aggregate water area of the three basins is about 56 acres, the depth of water being from abaft 30 to 50 feet. They have been excavated from the solid slate rock which forms the foundation of the entire dockyard, much of the excavated material being used in the con struction of the breakwater. There are also slips for vessels of the largest dimensions, dry docks, building sheds, masthouses, boiler-works, and in short everything necessary for the build ing and fitting out of ships of war. The nu
merous forts and other works with which Cher bourg is defended render it, if not impregnable from the sea, at least difficult of attack. The commercial town has quite a modern aspect, the streets being generally wide, regular, well paved and clean, but it is rather dull and unin teresting. There is an outer harbor, entered from the sea by a passage between two jetties, and an inner harbor or floating dock. The prin cipal industries of Cherbourg are centred in the works of the dockyard, the commercial trade and manufactures being otherwise compara tively small. The Hotel de Vile possesies a notable collection of paintings. The celebrated artist, J. F. Millet, was born near by.
Cherbourg is supposed to occupy the site of a Roman station, which is said to have borne the name of Cmsaris Burgum. Aigrold, king of Denmark, we are told, resided here about 945 A.D. William the Conqueror founded a hospital in it, and built the castle church. The Eng lish held possession of the place till about 1200. The castle, in which Henry II frequently re sided, was one of the strongholds of Normandy, and escaped the fate of the town, which, about 1295, was pillaged by an English fleet from Yar mouth; but it sustained afterward three memor able sieges, in 1378, 1418 and 1450. In 1758 the town was taken by the English without op position, notwithstanding that the garrison was large. They kept possession of it eight days, destroyed the fortifications, carried off the ar tillery and the bells, and only retired after having exacted a heavy ransom from the inhabit ants. The completion of the fortifications was celebrated by Napoleon III in 1858, the festivi ties being graced by the presence of Queen Vic toria. A statue of Napoleon I was unveiled on the occasion. It was after leaving Cherbourg that an end was put to the career of the Confederate cruiser Alabama, when it was sunk by the Federal cruiser Kearsarge, 19 June 1864. Pop. of commune (1911) 43,731.