Lorient

Commercial and naval port in the département of Morbihan, Brittany, northwest France, situated 90 km/56 mi south of Brest on an inlet of the Bay of Biscay formed by the estuaries of the rivers Scorff and Blavet; population (1999) 59,200, conurbation 116,200. Industries include fishing, shipbuilding, electronics, and the manufacture of car components.

History Lorient was founded by Louis XIV's chief minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1666 as a naval base for the French East India Company. It came into the hands of the French government in 1782, and by 1815 was the principal naval shipyard in France. The town was used a a submarine base by the Germans in World War II. Three-quarters of the town was destroyed during World War II and had to be rebuilt.