a town of France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Charente-Inférieure, situated partly on a hill and partly on a marshy plain, on the right bank of the Charente, 9 miles above its mouth, and 20 miles S.E. of La Rochelle. In form it is semicircular, inclosed towards the land by ramparts. It is altogether modern. The streets are broad and regular, many of them planted with rows of trees; and the houses, though low, are in general very handsome. The principal streets meet in the Place d'Armes, a regular square, in the centre, adorned with a fountain and with trees. The most conspicuous edifice is the large naval hospital, on a height outside of the town. Rochefort derives its chief importance from its naval arsenal, which is considered the third of its kind in France. Dockyards, sail-shops, rope-works, biscuit manufactories, storehouses, naval schools, and other establishments connected with maritime affairs, are to be seen here. The harbour is capacious, and deep enough for the largest vessels: it is divided into two parts, for merchantmen and men-of-war respectively. The roadstead is large, and well sheltered by the islands of Ré, Oléron, and Aix. Besides the fortifications of the town, there are five forts to guard the mouth of the river. The town contains a college, courts of law, and a large convict prison. Ship-building is the principal branch of industry here; but there are also sugar and vinegar works. An active trade is carried on in the produce of the adjacent country and colonial goods. Rochefort was made a naval station by Louis XIV. in 1666. It was here that Napoleon, in 1815, gave himself up to Captain Maitland of the Bellerophon, after a vain attempt to escape to America. Pop. (1855) 21,372.