Association Relations Internationales Culture et Mémoire de Barbâtre
BARBATRE
Overview
Barbâtre, a hundred years ago: the “Fromentine Naval Air Station”
Come and discover, on a guided and illustrated walking tour, the American remains of the Naval Air Station’s operational base for combat seaplanes, located at a place known as “Pointe de la Fosse”, in the commune of Barbâtre, during the First World War.
On 11 November 1918, this US Navy base was home to 408 airmen and sailors from a fledgling naval aviation force.
Its missions included protecting American convoys as they approached the coast of Saint-Nazaire, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and sea rescue operations using Curtiss HS-1L seaplanes. Several distinguished figures visited and inspected the base, notably Admiral Henry Thomas Mayo, Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then a young Assistant Secretary of the Navy and future President of the USA. It was designated as the best base on the French Atlantic coast by Admiral Mayo…
Tours take place every Thursday at 10.00 am from 18 June until 10 September 2026 (tour duration approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). Booking essential*
Prices:
- individuals: €3 per person. Free for children under 15.
- Groups (max. 50 people): other dates available (April to All Saints’ Day). Individuals may join a group tour if one is scheduled. Enquiries by telephone or email.
This tour is not recommended for people with reduced mobility. Enquiries and bookings: * Mobile: 06 31 26 21 97 – email: ricmbarbatre@gmail.com
Meeting point for tours: Rue de la Pointe in Barbâtre, near the Fosse jetty.
Come and discover, on a guided and illustrated walking tour, the American remains of the Naval Air Station’s operational base for combat seaplanes, located at a place known as “Pointe de la Fosse”, in the commune of Barbâtre, during the First World War.
On 11 November 1918, this US Navy base was home to 408 airmen and sailors from a fledgling naval aviation force.
Its missions included protecting American convoys as they approached the coast of Saint-Nazaire, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and sea rescue operations using Curtiss HS-1L seaplanes. Several distinguished figures visited and inspected the base, notably Admiral Henry Thomas Mayo, Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then a young Assistant Secretary of the Navy and future President of the USA. It was designated as the best base on the French Atlantic coast by Admiral Mayo…
Tours take place every Thursday at 10.00 am from 18 June until 10 September 2026 (tour duration approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). Booking essential*
Prices:
- individuals: €3 per person. Free for children under 15.
- Groups (max. 50 people): other dates available (April to All Saints’ Day). Individuals may join a group tour if one is scheduled. Enquiries by telephone or email.
This tour is not recommended for people with reduced mobility. Enquiries and bookings: * Mobile: 06 31 26 21 97 – email: ricmbarbatre@gmail.com
Meeting point for tours: Rue de la Pointe in Barbâtre, near the Fosse jetty.
Services
Services
Car park
Group reception
Photo gallery
