Sailing ship with premium

The term Voilier with premium indicates a whole series of sailing ships built at the end of the 19th century in France. The French state granted premiums to the construction of sailing ships for the development of the maritime trade. Between 1897 and 1902, 212 sailing ships were thus built in France, for the account of French armaments.

A first law on the premiums with the Naval construction had been voted in 1881. The goal of this premium was to stimulate naval construction and the maritime armament. Voted for ten years, it related to only navigation with the long course. Its amount was of 1,50 franc per net register ton and 1000 miles traversed, for the ships built in France. For the ships built abroad, the premium was divided by 2.

In 1893, this law was modified. Decreasing in time, the new premium was calculated on the gross tonnage and a each thousand of traversed miles. It offered 1,10 franc per barrel for the vapors, and 1,70 franc for the sailing ships built in France. The difference in premium between the vapors and the sailing ships encouraged the ship-owners to build sailing ships.

The sailing ships thus built carried out transport of bulk:

Australia: various with the outward journey, corn, coal or balls of wool in return,
Chile: European coal with the outward journey, nitrates of soda to the return,
Peaceful Côte of the the United States: coal and various with the outward journey, wood of Oregon or corn of California in return,
New Caledonia: importation of nickel,
various crossings between the Asia, the Oceania and two coasts of Americas for transport of oil, of cotton, various…

Their vulnerability during the First World War, the abandonment of certain trade route, and especially the rise to power of engine navigation irremediably condemned them to the destruction at the beginning of the Années 1920.

The sailing last with premium built was the Rochambeau , delivered in December 1902 to Nantes.

Nantes

Nantes benefitted particularly from these premiums, with the development of many armaments, but also of the shipyards. Between 1893 and 1921, 149 sailing ships with premium sailed under Nantes house. A score of armaments were constituted.

The day before the First World War, the General society of Armament (ex- French Company of navigation ) had become the largest Nantes maritime company by absorbing many other companies. The many sailing ships run during the conflict and the Loi the 8 hours marked the end as of these sailing ships. The remainder of the fleet was disarmed in the Canal of Martinière.

Internal bonds

Sources

Nantes Cape-Horners
political Course of Saving in Charles Gide of 1919 page 89 and following

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