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Société des Voiliers Marseillais (Shipping company, France)

Last modified: 2005-12-24 by ivan sache
Keywords: societe des voiliers marseillais | stars: 3 (white) | letters: svm (white) |
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[Flag of SVM]     [Flag of SVM]

House flag of Société des Voiliers Marseillais, as shown by Randier (left) and Bruneau (right) - Images by Dominique Cureau, 7 September 2005


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Presentation of Société des Voiliers Marseillais

The law of 1893 granting a premium of 1.70 FRF per gross register ton and 1000 miles shipped boosted the building and exploitation of sailing ships (voiliers) in France. Accordingly, 200 2,000 to 3,000 ton ships (three and four-masters) were built within five years. Companies named Voiliers Nantais, Voiliers Dunkerquois, Voiliers Havrais..., were created.
In Marseilles, Société des Voiliers Marseillais, founded in 1900, operated six ships:

- Notre-Dame de la Garde, launched in April 1900, lost off New Caledonia in August 1901
- Canebière, launched in June 1900, sold to Brown et Corblet in 1910
- Château-d'If, launched in June 1900, sold to Brown et Corblet in 1910
- Mistral, launched in October 1900, lost at sea in 1908
- Joliette, launched in October 1901, wrecked by a hurricane in New Caledonia in 1901
- Bonneveine, launced in June 1902, sold to Brown et Corblet in 1910

The names of the ships are of local significance:

- Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, locally known as la Bonne Mère is the basilica built at the end of the XIXth century in Neo-Byzantine style on the hill dominating the port and city of Marseilles. It is the definitive emblem of Marseille.
- Canebière is the main street of Marseilles, linking the old port to the center of the city.
- Château d'If is the fortress built on the small island of If, located a few miles of Marseilles, often used as prison, where you can see Edmond Dantès' (Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo) "authentic" jail.
- Mistral is the stong and cold northern wind, which makes the sky blue, the sea emerald and the people even crazier than usual.
- Joliette is the borough where the new port of commerce was built at the end of the XIXth century.
- Bonneveine is an eastern borough of Marseilles.

Dominique Cureau & Ivan Sache, 10 September 2005


House flag of Société des Voiliers Marseillais

The house flag of Société des Voiliers Marseillais is blue with the letters SVM in white and three white stars.
Jean Randier (Grands voiliers français) shows dots after the letters and five-pointed stars.
Jean Bruneau doesn't show dots after the letters but six-pointed stars.

Dominique Cureau, 7 September 2005