Somme Canal
Canal in northern France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Canal de la Somme (French pronunciation: [kanal də la sɔm]) is a canal in northern France. Its total length is 156.4 km with 25 locks, from the English Channel at Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme to the Canal de Saint-Quentin at Saint-Simon.
| Canal de la Somme | |
|---|---|
The entrance of the Canal de la Somme from the English Channel at Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme | |
 Interactive map of Canal de la Somme | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 156.4 km (97.2 mi) |
| Locks | 25 |
Total rise | 66 m (217 ft) |
| History | |
| Construction began | 1770 |
| Date completed | 1843 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | English Channel at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme |
| End point | Canal de Saint-Quentin at St. Simon |
| Connects to | Canal de Saint-Quentin but disused Canal du Nord |
History
The Somme River was canalized beginning in 1770. The 54 km section from St. Simon to Bray was completed by 1772, but the rest was not finished until 1843.[1]
Overview
The canal as originally built has seen substantial modifications since construction of the Canal du Nord in 1904–1965, and is now made up of four distinct sections:
- 14.2 km (8.8 mi) and 1 lock from Saint-Valery-sur-Somme to Abbeville (the Canal maritime)[2]
- 105.3 km (65.4 mi) and 18 locks from Abbeville to Péronne[1]
- 20.3 km (12.6 mi) with 2 locks the section upgraded as part of the Canal du Nord
- 16.4 km (10.2 mi) and 4 locks from Voyennes to Saint-Simon, closed upstream from Offoy since 2004.[3]
Some authors distinguish the Grande Somme downstream from Péronne and the Petite Somme upstream from Voyennes. Since 2005 the latter section has been closed to navigation as a result of silt deposits.[1]
In the 1960s, more than 300,000 tonnes of goods were transported on the canal. Today it is used largely by pleasure boats.
En Route
- PK 156 Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme
- PK 141 Abbeville
- PK 92 Amiens
- PK 34 Péronne
- PK 16 Voyennes
- PK 0 Saint-Simon