Shape "NAPOLEON III
1666. Creation in Rochefort of a major port of the Kingdom of France. Construction blocks existed at several points in the arsenal; but we did not yet have a form or refit basin.
1669-1671. The old form, designed by François Le Vau on the wishes of Louis XIV, is the first dry dock built in France. She is the very first to be masoned in the world; it is built of cut stone perpendicular to the Charente. It closes with wooden doors.
1683-1728. Form of refit with 2 basins, also known as Louis XV, designed and decided by the intendant of the navy Pierre Arnoul. Its construction, which was a world first, required 45 years of effort against an unsuitable environment. We experienced many great difficulties and it was not until 1728 that we could use the new form.
Changes have been made. It was closed by a boat door whose walls are no longer straight but in tiers, so as to facilitate the work of the workers inside.
1734. The original door boat never functioned well and was replaced by wooden doors.
1853-1861. Construction of the Napoleon III form
1900. Lengthening of the shape in order to accommodate the Dupleix, 134 m long, the last large battleship cruiser built in Rochefort.
2010: completion of the reconstruction of the historic ship the Hermione, begun 12 years previously in the neighboring “Louis flow.
Normally the usual equipment for refit forms is the carrier boat but the two forms being very different, two carrier boats were needed, one for each form. Specific work such as the resumption/adaptation of the period masonry (in classified stone) and related work (such as the dismantling of the capital, the management of the curved door) were carried out in order to develop the two forms, their accessibility and that the transfer of Hermione can be carried out from one form to the other.