Photograph n°19
Manapany Navy Pier, Saint-Joseph, 2018
Photo: Eric VENNER DE BERNARDY DE SIGOYER
Historical and technical data
The Manapany marine site is located in the south of Reunion Island on the municipal territory of Saint-Joseph at a place called Marine Manapany, more precisely to the left of the ocean boulevard at the end of the alley of the hot oven near a place called "grand cap".
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.
This document tells us that the permit was granted in the commune of Saint-Joseph to the dealers, Messrs. De Rontaunay and Guy de Ferrières, by order of the permits to establish on March 17, 1853.
The consultation of the extract of the plan of the geometric steps of the commune of Saint-Joseph drawn up on December 20, 1877 by Mr. Descamps gives us an overview of the projection of a pier separated into two parts.
Figure 1: General plan of the Navy Manapany
Plan drawn up by P. Brial
Computer graphics: C. VENNER DE BERNARDY DE SIGOYER
The website
The underwater archaeological prospecting operation referenced OA: 3285 revealed the remains of this pier. The walls are laid on natural rock.
The first part of the jetty is made up of a wall which has a facing on the surface, the appearance of which is disturbed. Losses of material are observable on the face of a large number of rubble stones. These stones are loose, this is probably due to the erosion caused by the very frequent breaking waves on this littoral coast of the island.
The observed length of this wall is about 13.40 m, the thickness is 0.80 m, the elevation is about 4.80 m.
The second part of the pier is inaccessible by land. It is separated from the first part at a distance of about 6.40 m. The structure has a rectangular trapezium on the surface which continues and forms an angle of 160° to face south._cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
The total observed length is about 19.00 m. Its width is approximately 3 m and its width at the other end to the south is 5.20 m. In the center of the pier, a low wall is 5 m long and 0.40 m wide. At least three mooring devices are present at the bottom of the second pier: two on the west face and one on the east face. These metal parts are made of wrought iron and present a figure in an arc of a circle. Losses of materials are observable on all of these parts
A declaration of discovery of maritime cultural property has been made to the Department of Underwater and Underwater Research.