Canal de la Somme
| Canal de la Somme | |
|---|---|
 Course sketch of the canal |
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| Water code | FR : E6--009- |
| location | France , Hauts-de-France region |
| length | 156 km |
| Built | 1770-1843 |
| class | I ( Freycinet class ) or IV on the common section with the Canal du Nord |
| Beginning | Branch from the Canal de Saint-Quentin at Saint-Simon |
| The End | Estuary into the English Channel at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme |
| Descent structures | 25th |
| Ports | Amiens , Abbeville |
| Junctions, crossings | Canal du Nord |
| Used river | Somme |
| Kilometrage | Towards the sea |
| Downhill | Towards the sea |
| Shipping in the section between Saint-Simon and Voyennes is currently suspended. | |
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The Canal de la Somme ( German: Somme Canal ) is a French shipping canal that runs in the Hauts-de-France region .
Course and technical infrastructure
The canal follows the course of the Somme River and, in terms of canal type, is a combination of a side canal and a canalised river. It begins at Saint-Simon , where it branches off from the Canal de Saint-Quentin (German: Canal of Saint-Quentin ), and flows into the English Channel after 156 kilometers at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme . The difference in height to its mouth is 66 meters and is overcome by 25 locks . It is divided into the following sub-areas:
- Section between Saint-Simon and Voyennes
- Ship traffic is currently suspended here. The French authorities have not yet made a decision on the future of shipping in this area.
- Section between Voyennes and Péronne
- The waterway is used here for a length of around 20 kilometers by the Canal du Nord (German: North Canal ). The locks in this area were modernized in the 1960s and converted for larger ships; the rest of the canal is only navigable for ships of the Freycinet standard.
- Section between Péronne and Abbeville
- This section crosses the city of Amiens .
- Section between Abbeville and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
- The canal section below Abbeville is already influenced by the tides . It is therefore also called Canal maritime d'Abbeville à Saint-Valery .
Coordinates
- Starting point of the canal: 49 ° 44 '38 " N , 3 ° 9' 38" E
- End point of the canal: 50 ° 10 ′ 37 ″ N , 1 ° 38 ′ 51 ″ E
Crossed departments
Places on the canal
history
Construction work began in 1770, but was not finished until 1843. The aim was to connect the area around Saint-Quentin with the sea.
Economical meaning
The connection with the Canal du Nord made freight traffic very important. In the 1960s, 300,000 tons were still in transit across the canal each year. Since then, cargo shipping has gradually lost its importance. However, a tourist use by sport boats and houseboats is slowly developing .
Web links
literature
- David Edwards-May: Inland waters of France , 5th edition, Verlag Edition Maritim, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-922117-61-9
- Navicarte Guide de navigation fluvial - n ° 24 , July 2005, Edition Grafocarte, ISBN 2-7416-0149-6
Individual proof
- ↑ a b The information on the canal length is based on the information on the Canal de la Somme from SANDRE (French), accessed on December 14, 2011, rounded to full kilometers.