The Rade of the Toulon Arsenal

The word rade comes from the old English term 'Road' "a protected place near shore, not so enclosed as a harbor, where ships can ride at anchor." The Rade of Toulon is one of the best natural anchorages on the Mediterranean, and the largest rade in Europe. It is protected from the sea by the peninsula of Giens and the peninsula of Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, and has been used as a military harbor since the 15th century. The Rade shelters the port of Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, the port of La Seyne-sur-Mer, as well as the arsenal, or military port of Toulon, and the commercial port.\n\nThe early modern history of the port began when our ruler built his Tour Royale at Toulon in this year. A naval arsenal and shipyard were built simultaneously, and small a sheltered harbour, the Veille Darse, was built a few years later to protect ships from the wind and sea. The shipyard was greatly enlarged by a later Cardinal, who wished to make Provence into a Mediterranean naval power.