Belem

On June 16, 1896, after six months of construction, the Dubigeon shipyard in Chantenay-sur-Loire launched a three-masted barque with an all-steel hull, measuring 50.96 meters in length. Its owner, Fernand Crouan, immediately put it into service on the route to Brazil—specifically to the port of Belém, from which the ship took its name.

With a deadweight tonnage of 675 tons, the *Belem* brought back cocoa beans from Pará, as well as rum and sugar from the Antilles. The ship was crewed by thirteen men; over the course of its thirty-three transatlantic voyages, it was managed by three different shipowners from Nantes and commanded by six successive captains. Its commercial career was marked by various dramatic incidents:
a fire during its maiden voyage, a collision in the Saint-Nazaire roadstead in 1898, and—through an extraordinary stroke of luck—an escape from the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée in Martinique! However, competition from steamships eventually sounded the death knell for small sailing vessels in the West Indies trade.

On February 11, 1914, the *Belem* was sold to the Duke of Westminster and converted into a long-range yacht. It was fitted with two engines and two propellers; the raised quarterdeck was enclosed by balustrades, an extra deck was installed in the former hold, and cabins and a large deckhouse were built and richly decorated with Cuban mahogany.

In 1921, the Irish brewer A.E. Guinness acquired the ship and renamed it *Fantôme II*. Under its new owner’s colors, *Fantôme II* circumnavigated the globe, sailed to Spitsbergen, and made a port call in Montreal for the coronation of George VI. Acquired by the Cini Foundation in 1951, it served as a training ship in Venice for thirteen years under the name *Giorgio Cini*. Its mainmast yards were removed so it could be re-rigged as a three-masted schooner.

After being given to the Carabinieri—who found no use for it—the ship was sold to the Venice shipyards for a symbolic sum in exchange for its refurbishment. It was finally put up for sale in 1978, having regained its barque rig and been fitted with new steel masts. The *Belem*’s fate was of great concern to the Association for the Rescue and Preservation of Historic French Ships (*Association pour le sauvetage et la conservation des anciens navires français*). The association launched a fundraising campaign and appealed to major national organizations. A joint project between the National Union of French Savings Banks (*Union Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne de France*) and the French Navy was established. A purchase agreement was signed, and on August 15, 1979, the *Belem* left Venice under tow for Brest, where a major restoration project awaited it. A year later, the Savings Banks donated the sailing ship to the Belem Foundation, which had been established on March 11, 1980, and recognized as an organization of public utility. Their efforts were honored with the *Oscar du mécénat* (patronage award) in 1980 and the *Phénix de la culture* (culture award) in 1986. The *Belem* was designated a historical monument on February 27, 1984.