Fort-de-France Naval Base (Fort Royal)

Fort Saint Louis is the French Navy's base at Fort-de-France, Martinique, and the seat of COMAR ANTILLES, the command exercised by a capitaine de vaisseau responsible for French naval and naval air forces in the Caribbean. The base occupies a rocky peninsula at the edge of Fort-de-France Bay, overlooking the anchorage of the island's capital.

The base homeports the surveillance frigates Ventôse (F733) and Germinal (F735), the patrol and support vessel Dumont d'Urville (A624) and the Confiance-class patrol vessel La Combattante (P735). An Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S) landing craft is allocated to the naval forces based in Martinique for coastal operations in the region.

The active portion of the site holds the administrative buildings of the base and the naval construction service. Associated installations include the radio station at Pointe des Sables, ammunition storage facilities at the end of Fort-de-France, and the Rivière Salée station some 20 km away. The remainder of the fortress is a listed historic site and is separated from the closed naval area.

The site has carried fortifications since 1638, rebuilt from 1669 along Vauban lines and enlarged under the Comte de Blénac. Between 1850 and 1896 the French installed artillery at the fort and at Pointe des Nègres to cover the bay; the works were subsequently converted to naval support functions, and the fort now houses the Caribbean naval command and its logistic services.