page_title: Tatihou
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Tatihou / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Watercolour. The artist was captain of the brig HMS Merlin, which was accompanying Shannon when she grounded.
context_page_description: Tatihou is an islet of Normandy in France with an area of 29 hectares. It is located to the east of the Cotentin peninsula just off the coast near Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. It is almost uninhabited, and is usually reached by amphibious craft although, being a tidal island, it is also possible to walk there over the local oyster beds at low tide. Access to the island is limited to 500 visitors per day.
context_section_description: Tatihou, like many of the islets of the Channel Islands contains the -hou suffix.
  In 1692 the naval Battle of La Hougue took place between the English and the French close to the island of Tatihou. In 1756 the surroundings of La Hougue were defended by many batteries and forts, but the lack of regular maintenance ensured that these quickly fell into disrepair. In 1720 Tatihou was used for quarantining plague victims from Marseilles.
  On 10 December 1803, the 36-gun frigate HMS Shannon grounded on Tatihou. All her crew survived to be captured by troops from a battery. The next day a party from HMS Merlin burned Shannon to prevent her arms and stores falling into French hands.
caption: Shannon on shore, by Edward Pelham Brenton, c.1803, in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
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