Photograph n°22
Access to Marine Émile Roustan, Saint-Philippe, 2018
Photo: Eric VENNER DE BERNARDY DE SIGOYER
Historical and technical data
The Roustan marine site is located at the southeastern tip of Reunion Island in the municipal territory of Saint-Philippe on the so-called windward coast, more precisely rue de la marine, place du Warren Hastings._cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
Our historiographical research at the Departmental Archives, during the consultation of a sheet of the series 238 S 6 listing the requests for boating establishments until 1875 bring to our knowledge the statement of permits to establish on the geometric steps of the Reunion Island for the boating establishment foundation. (AD meeting)
This document tells us that the permit was granted in the municipality of Saint-Philippe to the concessionaire Mr. Émile Roustan by decrees of permits to establish on August 7, 1875.
The consultation of the plan of the geometric steps of the commune of Saint-Philippe gives us an overview of the spatial organization of this navy.
Figure 1: General plan of the navy
Source: Plan drawn up by P. Brial
Computer graphics: C. Venner by Bernardy de Sigoyer
The website
The underwater archaeological prospecting operation referenced OA: 3285 revealed the remains of a launching access route.
This passage way makes it possible to reach the slipway. The structural arrangement presents in elevation an inclined plane oriented 157.5° to the South South-East. Its length measures approximately 23.80 m over a width of approximately 1.53 m. The structure has two opposite facings on the surface. It is made up of elongated masonry composed of blocks of squared basalt stones of medium and small modules bound together using a mortar of coralline lime and sandy sediment. The aggregate includes inclusions of fragments of coral, shards of basalt, bricks which are inserted in places in the visible facings. The elevation of these low walls measures in places from 0.20 m to 0.40 m in height.
A declaration of discovery of maritime cultural property has been made to the Department of Underwater and Underwater Research.