Shipwrecks in Brittany: the most beautiful boat cemeteries

In this article, we will concentrate solely on wrecks in Brittany that have run aground and are visible. The list of sites presented here is not exhaustive, but reflects a personal choice. Some of the photographs of these wrecks are available for sale in limited editions.

The Diben cove

Just a few metres from the Rolland shipyards, the Diben cove is home to three magnificent wrecks: the Marie-Françoise, the Etreom and the Kalinka. It's a real open-air painting that we observe once we're there, with particularly vivid colours.

The Marie-Françoise

Built between 1944 and 1945 at the Vincent Rolland shipyard, it stopped fishing in the 1970s. Its fishing was centred around long-lining.

The Kalinka

It is undoubtedly one of wrecks  the most photographed in Brittany. Built in 1964, she began sailing on 23 August 1965. This magnificent boat took 20,000 hours to build. It was also used for long-line fishing, a method in which the fish are not actively hunted. Lines are dropped to the bottom of the sea, and the fisherman waits for the fish to take the bait.

Why choose the name Kalinka for this boat?

All the boats built by the Rolland shipyard were traditionally christened 'Étoile'. They have therefore chosen to maintain this tradition by giving this one the same name. However, the owners refused. Thinking that the song "Kalinka", which had just been released, meant "Red Star", they named the boat "Étoile Rouge".

She was one of the fastest in France. She was decommissioned in March 1996 when the owner and builder retired (a decommissioned boat is a boat without rigging or crew, which remains in port) and brought to the Diben cove.

Etreom

Her name means "between us" in Breton. Built in 1970 at the Charpentiers réunis yard in Saint-Guénolé-Penmarch, this 17.39m tuna trawler has had some great adventures. Considered one of the best fishing boats in Saint-Guénolé, she successfully took part in several tuna campaigns (1972, 1978). On 12 October 1975, in a heavy storm, "Etreom" took part in the rescue of "L'Enfant de Bretagne", which had collapsed off Newlyn. She sailed for almost 27 years and was taken out of the fleet in February 1997.

Port-Rhu boat cemetery, Douarnenez

It's a tradition in Port-Rhu that boats that have proudly served for years are not cast aside, but end their days serenely alongside their counterparts still in service.

History of shipwrecks in Douarnenez

The shipwrecks of Camaret-sur-mer

Camaret-sur-Mer has long been showcasing its boat cemetery. Near the Notre-Dame de Rocamadour chapel and the Vauban Tower, you can discover eight shipwrecks. They include the "Magellan", the "Rose des mers", the "Notre-Dame des Neiges", the "Castel Dinn", the "Maïtena", the "Rosier fleuri" and the "La Salle".

History of shipwrecks in Camaret-sur-Mer

In the 19th century, sardine fishing made Camaret rich. However, with the crisis in sardine fishing at the beginning of the 20th century, fishermen switched to lobster fishing. By 1960, Camaret was Europe's leading lobster port, with a strong boat-building industry.

The decommissioned ships in Landévennec in the Penforn cove

Around 1840, a naval station was established on the shores of the Penforn cove, in Landévennec.

This small military port then housed reserve ships, monitored and maintained by nearly 200 sailors, bringing life to the surrounding village.

Over time, the function of the place evolved.

From a reserve of ships in good condition, Landévennec became a waiting anchorage for the decommissioned hulls of the French Navy. Originally, these ships were intended for "oceanization" on the high seas: sunk to serve as exercise targets for Navy gunfire.

Since this practice is now forbidden, the ships stay for a few years in Landévennec before being towed to an authorized demolition yard in Europe.
Before their transfer, all polluting elements likely to spill into the Aulne are removed to protect the environment.

Among the many residents who passed through this floating cemetery are some famous names: the cruiser Colbert, returned from Bordeaux after serving as a museum, the Jeanne d’Arc, a training cruiser of the Navy, as well as former patrol boats such as La Boudeuse, La Fougueuse, and La Railleuse. The liner Pasteur, launched in 1938, stayed briefly in the cove between 1939 and 1940 before being requisitioned for the war.

During the German Occupation, Landévennec also served as a strategic anchorage for service ships such as the Armorique, which was converted into a floating workshop before being scuttled by German troops in 1944. Its wreck, forgotten for decades, was rediscovered by divers in 2007.

Today, the Penforn cove still houses several hulls: P400-type patrol boats, tripartite mine hunters, tugs, and avisos.

Although access to the ships is forbidden, it is enough to look down from the heights of Landévennec to glimpse the motionless silhouettes of these giants. A striking vision, where past and present meet along the water.

Etel

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at the marine cemetery at Le Magouër in Plouhinec, opposite the port of Etel, is the contrast between the modernity of the tags on the hulls of our "old ladies of the sea".

These wrecks  are a vestige of Étel's rich maritime history, which in its heyday was home to up to 250 tuna boats and 12 canneries. Time doesn't seem to stand still here, as the old ladies continue to exist and to call out to us.

Some people regret that there are sometimes more wrecks than new boats in certain ports, but they are also formidable standards for this profession that has suffered so much. They bear witness, preventing us from forgetting the heavy price that many sailors have paid.

The tragic storms that plunged Étel sailors into mourning

In 1922, four tuna boats from the island of Groix were lost in a violent storm.

The most tragic moment in the history of tuna fishing occurred between 18 and 20 September 1930, when a violent storm resulted in the loss of 11 dundées, with 10 crews lost. Seventy-two Étel sailors never returned home, leaving a deep mark on the community. In all, 207 people, including skippers, deckhands and mousses from the Atlantic tuna ports, lost their lives in this tragedy.

In December 1935, another devastating storm sank three dundries in Étel, leaving 15 people missing and 22 orphans.

The Kerhervy boat cemetery

It's undeniably one of the most memorable encounters I've had in our magnificent region of Brittany. These wrecks, mostly former tuna boats, frozen in mud and time, are impressive.

The first wrecks In 1923, the island of Groix's dundees, which were used for tuna fishing, were brought here. At the time, Groix was France's leading tuna fishing port.

History of the Kerhervy boat cemetery

In 1943, the Germans ordered the Le Calloc'h shipyard, based in Groix, to transfer its wrecks to this site. Many fishermen hid their boats here, hoping to escape requisitioning. Some boats, whose owners had died in the fighting, remained there.

From the late 1950s onwards, tuna boats, trawlers and casey boats were also based here.

Their skeletons struggle to emerge from the waters and offer us one last testimony to their crazy maritime stories.

The wrecks of Berder Island

Located in Larmor-Baden, in the Gulf of Morbihan, Berder Island is accessible at low tide via a submersible causeway about 80 meters long.

Popular with walkers, it offers a 2.5-kilometre coastal path that allows visitors to discover unspoiled nature and remarkable views of the Gulf of Morbihan.

Along this path, several small wrecks can be seen stranded in one of the coves.
The island is also known for its architectural heritage, notably the Sainte-Anne Chapel, built in the 19th century by Count Arthur Dillon.

The wrecks of Bono

Along the Auray River, a few old wrecks recall the maritime past of the port of Bono.

Along the Auray River, some old shipwrecks recall the maritime past of the port of Bono.

During the First World War, many of Bono's "forbans" were sheltered in the Govillo cove, in the neighboring town of Pluneret. As the conflict dragged on, many of these undecked boats (meaning without a deck to protect against bad weather), already weakened by intensive fishing, were left there, unable to return to sea at the end of hostilities.

Thus was born the shipwreck cemetery of Govillo, visible from the Bono River.

The site welcomed wrecks until the early 2000s. Today, these abandoned hulls are a reminder of the intense life of the port of Bono at a time when the sea ruled the local economy.

Want to see more? Our gallery of shipwreck photographs in Brittany is waiting for you to continue the visit.

The Quelmer boat cemetery

It would be surprising if the corsair town didn't also have a boat cemetery. The Quelmer La Passagère district has preserved its agricultural and market-gardening traditions, while asserting its maritime character, thanks in particular to its shipyard. This is where old boats come to end their days. Among the most remarkable wrecks are the Ondine, recognisable by its blue and white hull, and the Philippe-Martine, a former tuna boat.

The wrecks  Abandoned ships are transformed into living canvases for artists, who come to embellish these ocean-eroded structures.

Among these creations, "La Belle Endormie", a fresco by local artist Kalvez, stands out.