Îles Saint-Marcouf

Îles Saint-Marcouf are a group of two small uninhabited islands off the coast of Normandy, France. They lie in the Baie de la Seine region of the English Channel and are 6.5 kilometres east of the coast of the Cotentin peninsula at Ravenoville and 13 kilometres from the island of Tatihou and the harbour at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. In addition to the fortifications (see below), there is a lighthouse, which dates to 1948, on the larger island.
The larger island, île du Large, is 500 metres east of the smaller île de Terre. They have a total area of 1,400 ha and a maximum altitude of 10 m.
The islands take their name from Saint Marcouf, a saint who died on the Îles Saint-Marcouf on 1 May 588. There was a monastic presence on the islands until the 15th century.
British occupation
During the French Revolutionary Wars the Royal Navy held the islands for nearly seven years as a strategic forward base. In July 1795 British sailors and...