BASE AÉRONAVALE DE LA VILLE EN BOIS

Memorial to the naval air station built during the First World War.

Built in 1917 at the request of the French Navy's General Staff to counter German domination, the first airship to arrive at the base was the "Capitaine Caussin".
When the United States entered the war in April 1917, the base's missions were to protect the arrival of American convoys in the port of St Nazaire. The centre was officially handed over to the U.S. Navy on 1 January 1918 and closed on 14 January 1919.
During the time the base was in operation, 257 flights were made for a total of 1,538 hours and 4,830 miles were flown aboard the 8 airships that passed through the airship centre.
The memorial, visible on the site, is made up of a few mooring bollards, the last witnesses to this American presence.