World War II at Forillon's gate
Forillon National Park
Fort Peninsula
This site is a moving remnant of the Gaspé naval base, one of Canada’s leading military stations during the Second World War.
Inaugurated in 1942, the Gaspé military complex consisted of a naval base (H.M.C.S Fort Ramsay), three coastal batteries (Fort Haldimand, Fort Prével, and Fort Peninsula), an enormous anti-submarine net that closed off Gaspé Bay to German U-boats, and a fleet of 19 warships.
Why was there a naval base in Gaspé?
What makes this heritage site so remarkable?
To find out, watch our video on Fort Peninsula.
The Battle of the St. Lawrence at the doorstep of Forillon
Transcript
Parks Canada logo (beaver).
Scrolling text, with background sound of exploding bombs and shooting:
1942…
World War II is raging.
German submarines have penetrated the St. Lawrence Gulf and estuary.
They were to sink 23 allied ships in this zone.
It is the Battle of the St. Lawrence…
View of Fort Peninsula (from offshore), at Forillon National Park. Low-level background music (guitar and piano), setting a contemporary tone that is moving yet dynamic.
Forillon National Park (logo) - Fort Peninsula
Interview with Émilie Devoe, Parks Canada spokeswoman.The image of the spokeswoman alternates with a series of archival photos of ships in Gaspé Bay, the Gaspé naval base, an air defence battery, a soldier in front of a projector at Fort Péninsule, the installation of the submarine net, and the construction of the shore battery at Fort Prével.
(Émilie Devoe, Parks Canada) The naval base of Gaspé played a vital role in the Battle of the St. Lawrence.
Actually, it played a dual role.
To begin with, it was responsible for protecting allied ships navigating in the St. Lawrence Gulf and estuary.
Then, it was charged with protecting Gaspé Bay, which had been selected to accommodate a portion of the British fleet in the event of a German invasion of Great Britain.
Thus, throughout this time, the greater Gaspé area was home to a major military complex that embraced the naval base proper, a huge submarine net as well as three shore batteries, which included Fort Peninsula.
The interview continues. The image of the spokeswoman alternates with current images of the site – e.g., cannon, stairs, tunnels, interior and exterior views of the site, etc.
Today, the main vestige of this military complex is Fort Peninsula, an exceptional heritage site.
It is the only World War II shore battery that has been completely preserved and that is open to the public in Quebec.
It is an impressive site especially as you look over the big guns and walk along the underground tunnels and through the storage rooms.
Sounds reverberate down the damp dark corridors.
It’s quite a moving experience!
The interview continues. The image of the spokeswoman alternates with images of people on the site – e.g., a group of picnickers, visitors of all ages, costumed guide-interpreters in action, children who learn while playing, etc.
But what is really interesting is how this site has become an amazingly lively place of memory.
People come here to chat, play music, or enjoy a picnic.
It is a place where, spontaneously, people get together, share memories, tell their stories.
It’s also a place people like to come back to get a better understanding of events and, to remember.
And perhaps it’s also a place for passing on to our children such cherished values as respect, freedom and peace.
Fort Peninsula - Live it!
Archival images (Musée naval de Québec and Musée de la Gaspésie logos)
Parks Canada logo (flag).
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Parks Canada, 2014.
Canada wordmark
Torpedo attacks off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers
Did you know that ships were torpedoed by German U-boats near the coast of Forillon in 1942 during the Battle of the St. Lawrence?
In fall 2015, over 70 years later, five shipwrecks were located off the coast of Cap-Gaspé and Cap-des-Rosiers through the joint efforts of several partners, including Samuel Côté, researchers from the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Development of Ocean Mapping (CIDCO), archaeologist Érik Phaneuf, REFORMAR, and Canadian Heritage. This discovery generated a great deal of interest and brought back memories for many Gaspésiens.
What really happened on September 15, 1942? Two witnesses, Gérald Giasson and Guy Ste-Croix, share their memories of this little-known episode of the Second World War.
Transcript
Parks Canada logo (beaver).
Scrolling text, with background sound of exploding bombs and shooting:
1942…
World War II is raging.
German submarines have penetrated the St. Lawrence Gulf and estuary.
They were to sink 23 allied ships in this zone.
It is the Battle of the St. Lawrence…
View of Fort Peninsula (from offshore), at Forillon National Park. Low-level background music (guitar and piano), setting a contemporary tone that is moving yet dynamic.
Forillon National Park (logo) - Fort Peninsula
Interview with Émilie Devoe, Parks Canada spokeswoman.The image of the spokeswoman alternates with a series of archival photos of ships in Gaspé Bay, the Gaspé naval base, an air defence battery, a soldier in front of a projector at Fort Péninsule, the installation of the submarine net, and the construction of the shore battery at Fort Prével.
(Émilie Devoe, Parks Canada) The naval base of Gaspé played a vital role in the Battle of the St. Lawrence.
Actually, it played a dual role.
To begin with, it was responsible for protecting allied ships navigating in the St. Lawrence Gulf and estuary.
Then, it was charged with protecting Gaspé Bay, which had been selected to accommodate a portion of the British fleet in the event of a German invasion of Great Britain.
Thus, throughout this time, the greater Gaspé area was home to a major military complex that embraced the naval base proper, a huge submarine net as well as three shore batteries, which included Fort Peninsula.
The interview continues. The image of the spokeswoman alternates with current images of the site – e.g., cannon, stairs, tunnels, interior and exterior views of the site, etc.
Today, the main vestige of this military complex is Fort Peninsula, an exceptional heritage site.
It is the only World War II shore battery that has been completely preserved and that is open to the public in Quebec.
It is an impressive site especially as you look over the big guns and walk along the underground tunnels and through the storage rooms.
Sounds reverberate down the damp dark corridors.
It’s quite a moving experience!
The interview continues. The image of the spokeswoman alternates with images of people on the site – e.g., a group of picnickers, visitors of all ages, costumed guide-interpreters in action, children who learn while playing, etc.
But what is really interesting is how this site has become an amazingly lively place of memory.
People come here to chat, play music, or enjoy a picnic.
It is a place where, spontaneously, people get together, share memories, tell their stories.
It’s also a place people like to come back to get a better understanding of events and, to remember.
And perhaps it’s also a place for passing on to our children such cherished values as respect, freedom and peace.
Fort Peninsula - Live it!
Archival images (Musée naval de Québec and Musée de la Gaspésie logos)
Parks Canada logo (flag).
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Parks Canada, 2014.
Canada wordmark
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