The site

Overhead view of the site (To the right the old casino)

The structure of the harbour terminal as a whole, rests on an embankment restricted by rocky stones and clayey edges. Some reinforced concrete piles forming dolphins, which were to support the docking area, were driven on the east side.

The pile driver.  The first piles.  Floating crane. Mining of the stones in the Ouest quarries.

The reinforced concrete 20 metres long piles were driven into the sand, the rubble and clay until rock was found. They were set down with the help of a power hammer. This hammer weighed 3000 Kg and was equipped with a small anvil weighing 200Kg. Together they were powered with compressed air or steam. The anvil could be modified depending on the different pile driving. The power hammer was sometimes guided by a pile driver or held up by a cable. 

Dry dock for the building of the caissons. Finished caisson. Towing. 

The quay wall was built with concrete caissons. The caissons were built in dry dock then moved on the water. They were then ran aground.

Sheet piles.   Dolphins

The new wet dock was 14 metres deep. The quay wall and the dolphins were covered up by a flagstone which took into account an overload of 5000kg per square metre. 

Driving of the sheet piles with the pile driver. Sinking of the caissons. Compressed air chamber.

The sinking of the caissons was done by means of compressed air. The caissons were then filled with 700 to 800 cubic metres of concrete. 

The jetty under construction.       Arrival of the  caissons at the France quay.

The passenger entrance hall,  the main building and the building of the France quay.

The main building was 280 by 42 metres. The passengers hall was 240 by 40 metres. The jetty was flanked to the east by a 640 m long quay. The terminal was erected in concrete and reconstituted granite. It was covered with copper sheets and a glass roof. The design of the roofs was the mark of engineers Chalos and Fleury. The design of the harbour  was drawn up by M. Minard Inspector for the Department of Civil Engineering. 

Edouard Houivet inspecting the site. The work stopped by a storm. Site locomotive  Dyba.  Edouard Houivet's office.

Many difficulties were encountered such as bad weather,  which caused  flooding of the jetty, uprooting of the piles and the sinking of  a floating crane. Another difficulty encountered was the explosion of a compressed air tank.

Some newspaper articles in the local press at the time show the scepticism people felt towards the project.

In March 1925, one could read in the Cherbourg Eclair "The Mielles harbour will be unworkable, not only will the ships be in great danger but the project itself will not withstand the assaults of the waves"