MARINE SLIPWAY IN ST PIERRE

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aukepalmhof
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MARINE SLIPWAY IN ST PIERRE

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:21 pm

St Pierre et Miquelon issued in 1987 one stamp for the Centenary of the marine slipway in St Pierre, on the slipway is a schooner-rigged vessel which underwent repair. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schooner
The schooner is not identified, most probably a schooner used in the fisheries.

The marine slipway in St Pierre I have not any information, I have been a few times in the 1960s in St Pierre but have never seen this slipway, most probably a very small one. Wikipedia has on the slipways: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slipway

St Pierre et Miquelon 1987 2.50Fr. sg 591, scott?

The following update I received from Mr. Jean-Louis Araignon.
• Fully renovated in 2007, the St-Pierre dry dock can accommodate vessels up to 500 tons
• Cradle: 36 m (118ft) long by 11 m (36ft) wide


History OF THE FIRST PATENT SLIP in the port of Saint-Pierre

François Lebuf, an THE FIRST PATENT SLIP in the port of Saint-Pierre

The year 2007 saw the rehabilitation of the slipway in the port of Saint-Pierre.
Of course, the project had been on the agenda for several years but had to be postponed several times due to various budgetary imperatives, no doubt.

This major port infrastructure was very useful from its inception in 1890 and throughout the 20th century. However, its activity gradually declined as a result of the least frequent use of the port… Nevertheless, it would have been a pity to abandon her and see her disappear. At the "country" level, it is a "total"!

This is how we will count, in this year 2015, 125 years of existence!

In fact, the project was envisaged as early as September 1873.
The North American engineer Crandall calling in Saint-Pierre, no doubt during a trip promoting his slipway on the south coast of Newfoundland, succeeded in convincing the then Commandant, Monsieur Joubert, who had recently arrived, the benefit of having such equipment, given a large number of French and foreign vessels frequenting the port. In doing so, Mr Crandall indicated to the Chief of the colony that he had identified the places on the seafront that could accommodate this type of infrastructure.

Commander Joubert, therefore, made this suggestion known to the President and to the members of the newly created Chamber of Commerce. One of them, Mr. François Lebuf, an enterprising and innovative man, showed a keen interest in the subject.

Born in Plerguer (Ille-et-Vilaine) on June 8, 1843, Monsieur Lebuf, “merchant-shipowner” at Saint-Pierre, according to the terminology of the time, present on the island since the beginning of the 1860s, It is said, however, that they had to wait a very long time before seeing their project come to fruition, perhaps waiting for the funds needed for such an investment.

However, little by little, the idea made its way: finally, a decree of the Commandant of the Colony, dated July 4, 1885, prescribes the opening of an investigation of commodo and incommodo for the construction of a Patent Slip" in the port of Saint-Pierre.

Fourteen long years passed during which the controversy, the polemic went well, especially as regards the employment of local workers that they are replaced by
foreigners” in the country. This was not the case, as Saint-Pierre was not lacking, at the time, either caulkings or shipbuilders and even counted, in those years, a few builders of small ships!
Then, patient, persevering, as we can see, Monsieur Lebuf finally obtains from the President of the Republic of then, Jules Grévy, by decree dated June 8, 1887, the authorization to build this slipway, in front of its commercial establishment, located on the north shore of the "barachois".

The decree was therefore promulgated at Saint Pierre’s on July 29, 1887.

The project was to be completed in 1890. In fact, once assembled on the spot the large technical equipment (powerful steam machinery, rails to submerge, etc.), Mr Crandall arrives in Saint-Pierre on May 29, 1890, by the steamship «Saint-Pierre» to direct and supervise its implementation.

We imagine that this shipyard was not the easiest, knowing that it was necessary to take into account, over several weeks, the tides, the weather and other hazards. History does not tell us how many technicians and workers participated in this work!
However, the work was completed in about ten weeks!
It was then a large two-lane structure, the main one, always present, several times renovated, adjoining the current Rue du 11 Novembre: it was lined up with a small «ber» on which were repaired a number of mini Newfoundland schooners were known at the time as “galopeurs”.This “ber” was destroyed after the local government acquired the infrastructure in the early 1960s.

According to the «Éphémérides Sasco», the long-awaited slipway was inaugurated on September 1, 1890!

The first vessel to be on the slipway was the superb three-masted American built, “Sea Flower”, recently purchased in Boston by Mr. Paul Revert, a long-time resident, and his brother Jacques, a fisherman, both born in Granville. First “Francized” and then Radoubé, the “proud ship" began its first voyage - under the French flag - to Saint-Malo, at the end of October 1890, with some passengers and a load of cod, both dry and wet.

Subsequently, the investment, no doubt excessive for an individual, Lebuf sought to separate himself from his slipway. He announced the sale at the end of June 1895, in the hope, who knows, that it would be bought by the local government. Perhaps, for his achievement, he had obtained some credit from the Merchant’s Bank of Saint John’s, located in “La Roncière” Square, before the creation of the Bank of the SPM Islands, in October1889, which had since become the BDSPM.

It was then that a company was formed around itself, comprising several shareholders, both shipowners and local traders, MM. Landry frères, St-Martin Légasse and François-Casimir Robert for the operation of this infrastructure and its ancillary activities, the “Société Slip & Stores and Co.”.

Why this English sign? This may seem surprising, of course. However, it should be noted that, at the time, port customers were often English-speaking, so this distinction was, in fact, of purely commercial interest. Today, the “Slipway” only welcomes the few local ships. Subsequently, the Lebuf dry dock aroused some emulation: in 1896, another company was to be created, the "Société du Patent Slip" being created by MM. Mari Lefevre, d'Yquelon, Colombel and Avril, all «Manchois» (i.e; coming from Manche department in Normandy) ! The infrastructure built according to the same concept (Crandall) had only a rather ephemeral existence. It was a little more West of the port, facing the space of the tennis courts of the C.C.S.: in fact, in January 1899, a fire, accidental or other - the question remained posed - destroyed all the machinery and almost even destroyed the schooner "Saint-Joseph", berthed on the Grand Ber, owned by Mr Fortuné Cormier, shipowner, from April to September, then "caboteur" in Cape Breton, until at least December.

Some ten years later, the "Slipway" of the "Manchois" was bought and rehabilitated by the company "Morue Française" which later became the "Compagnie Générale de Grande Pêche" while its raison d'être was to disappear little by little - between the two wars - due to the progressive replacement of sailboats by large steam trawlers, then powered with oil. •

Rose-Marie Couffon-Reux.


Historical references:

Letter from the Commander of the «Colony» Mr Joubert, to the President of the Trade Council of the time, Mr. Victor Cordon, and to the members of the said Cham-bre.

Letter from Monsieur Lebuf to the Commandant of the colony, dated 6 February 1886, relative to the guarantee of employment of local workers.

Decree of the President of the Republic dated June 8, 1887 promulgated in the «Colony» on the following July 28.

Relationship of the inauguration of the «Patent Slip» to the Official Leaf of September 1890.

Extract from the Official Sheet of the 19 September 1890.

Source: from cape echo #1407 • Friday, May 15, 2015
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