Munitions factory of Saint-Etienne

The Munitions factory of Saint-Etienne (FARMHOUSE) is a French company of armament located at Saint-Etienne.

Structure

It was built in 1864, on a surface of 12 hectares close to the place Carnot. Conceived in the spirit of rationalist architectures of the 18th century, in the line of the Saltworks of N.Ledoux, Large Hornu close to Mons; it is a " Palais" industrialist and soldier, out of red bricks and white stones, a prestigious representation of the power of the Second Empire. Part of the buildings whose hotels of the directors, were destroyed for the realization of the Cité of the design.

History

The beginning of manufacture

The town of Saint-Etienne was famous as of the Middle Ages for its craft industry of cutlery. Nearly 80 mills weapons of war or of hunting produced. In 1665, a royal Store of the weapons supplied with Saint-Etienne, is built with Paris to make it possible to carry out stocks in the event of conflict.

the Royal Manufacture of Weapons was set up in 1764, with the approval of the king François Ier under the direction of Mr. de Montbéliard who was inspector of the Manufacture of Charleville. Manufacture obtains the title of " manufacture royale" who allowed him to be the supplier official of the troops Frenchwoman and foreign.

Manufacture, was initially located Chavanelle place. The factory produced military weapons of war and civil weapons. The Revolution approaching the activity did not cease increasing with a production higher than 12.000 weapons per annum. That required the removal in several sites dispersed in the city and in particular of the unused churches (convent of Ursules, church of Penitent, Grand Church). At the beginning of the Revolution, the manufacture of the weapons took an extension such as one sought by any means to accelerate manufacture. Saint Etienne is recognized as common of weapons and was called Armeville .

In 1838, Sirs JOVIN brothers sold with the government, the manufacture which had at that time an annual production oscillating between 15 and 30.000 weapons.

New manufacture

Production capacity was insufficient vis-a-vis the orders of the Second Empire. The contractors of manufacture then decided the construction of a new modern factory using the energy of the steam engines. In November 1862, the municipal council inhabitant of Saint-Etienne engaged the construction of a new manufacture. The grounds selected are located at the level of the field of March between the railway and the road of Roanne on a surface of 12 hectares.

The first buildings were built in 1864 with the construction of the large factory of 155 meters out of 130 and a tank which can contain 12.450 Mr.

In 1866, were built the buildings of administration of the direction, the residences of the various directors and the forging mill.

In 1868, one completed the factory of the grinding stones, the workshop of precision and repair of the machines, the workshop of hardening of the weapons of saber, the residences of the officers.

Finally the offices, the workshop of the assemblers of sabers bayonets and the building of the assembly were finished in 1870. The original surface of the factories was of 22.000 square meters on the ground and the total driving force of 660 horses.

This new installation allowed to produce annually more than 200.000 weapons. Manufacture crossed then the difficulties of the Franco-German Guerre of 1870. The ordering of weapons made unlimited dice November 1870 could not be concluded taking into account the political events and of the grogne of the workmen who were not paid any more. In the years 1890 the factory counted more than 10.000 workmen and meadows of 9000 machines what made it possible to produce more than 1600 rifles per day, as well as revolvers, rifles, snap hooks, swords and other saber-bayonets. In 1894, Manufacture becomes an establishment of State directed by the Ministry for the war.

Decline

At the 20th century, the manufacture of the light weapons according to the times of war, peace, occupation, and according to the circumstances of crisis, decolonization and pacification. In 1963 manufacture diversified towards 3 branches of industry: material for the equipment of the armoured tanks (turrets of armored vehicles); production of anti-tank weapons (lances rockets, grenades and elements of missiles); and finally of the material of protection (detection equipment, and of nuclear and chemical decontamination). In 1971, GIAT industries takes again the reins of manufacture. Consequently the permanent fall of the orders involved a reduction in manpower placing of more than 11.000 in 1940 with 2.200 in 1981. In 2000 the Munitions factory of Saint-Etienne closed its doors definitively.

The revival

With the departure of Giat, the site of 12 hectares is reconverted in various projects:

On the southern part construction of more than 300 residential residences.
On the central part is reconverted in Cité of the design
the northern part is assigned to a research center and teaching in the field of optics vision.

Produced weapons

Chassepot in 1866.
Revolver Farmhouse 1873 in 1873
Fatty, in 1874.
Lebel, in 1886.
Revolver Miss 1892 8 mm in 1892.
Canon of 75 Model 1897 is carried out with associated manufactures only the boxes and the slides and brakes are produced in Saint-Etienne.
FARMHOUSE 36, in 1936.
FARMHOUSE 49, of 1949 which equipped the French Army during the 1950 until approximately 1980.
FARMHOUSES 50 in 1950
AAT-52 in 1952
FARMHOUSES 49/56, which are still in service in certain arms manufacture of the National police and in certain old French colonies.
rifles of precision FR-F1 in 1966 then replaced by FR-F2.
FARMHOUSE G1 in the years 1980
FA-MAS in 1973.

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