DE MARSEILLE AU RHÔNE PAR LE TUNNEL DU ROVE & MARTIGUES Épisode 3 : L'effondrement de juin 1963

5-episode web series. Episode 3/5: The Collapse of June 1963 Built over 7 kilometers in a straight line through the hard limestone of the La Nerthe mountain range between L’Estaque and Marignane, the Rove Tunnel remains today listed as the longest maritime canal in the world. After more than 20 years of work directed by the engineer Léon Chagnaud, the colossal structure, inaugurated in 1927 in the presence of President Gaston Doumergue, constituted the "keystone" of the maritime link between Marseille and Arles via the Étang de Berre. A series of rock-reinforced dikes and quays completed, over more than 50 kilometers, a navigable channel of which the Martigues passage formed an essential element. But after 36 years of faithful service, a collapse abruptly halted the traffic of hundreds of barges that passed under its arches each month. The disaster (which fortunately caused no casualties), which occurred on the heights of the Gignac hills overlooking the canal, was discovered on June 16, 1963, by the vessel Le Storm, which provided the link between the Étang de Berre and L'Estaque. From its construction to the end of its commercial operation, this web series retraces the history of this colossal project and the men who contributed to it. A human adventure recounted, with archival material (some previously unpublished), by historian Michel Méténier, co-author, with Fernand Revilla, of the definitive work on the subject, "Le tunnel du Rove, le canal de Raccordement de Marseille au Rhône" (The Rove Tunnel, the Marseille-Rhône Junction Canal). 5-episode web series directed by Nicolas Balique. With Michel Méténier. Duration: 6 minutes 45 seconds.