Le Français (tall ship)

Le Français, formerly the Kaskelot, is a three-masted barque and one of the largest remaining wooden ships in commission.

Le Français at Rouen in 2019
History
France
NameLe Français
OwnerFrance Armement
BuilderJ. Ring-Andersen Skibsværft, Svendborg, Denmark
Launched1948
Refit2013 [1]
HomeportSaint-Malo
Identification
General characteristics [3]
TypeTall ship
Tonnage226 GRT
Displacement450 long tons (457 t)
Length
  • 153 ft (47 m) o/a
  • 121 ft (37 m) on deck
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion1 × Mitsubishi S6A3- MPTAW-3 576 hp (430 kW) diesel engine, 1 shaft [4]
Sail plan
  • 3-masted barque
  • 9,500 sq ft (880 m2) sail area
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 × 6 m (20 ft) Avon boats
Capacity16 passengers [4]
Crew14 [1]

History

Danish flag

The Kaskelot was built in 1948 by J. Ring-Andersen for the Royal Greenland Trading Company, to carry supplies to remote coastal settlements in East Greenland. During the 1960s, Kaskelot worked as a support vessel for Danish fisheries in the Faroe Islands.[5]

British flag

In 2007, for the bi-centennial celebration of Great Britain's ending the African slave trade, the ship was sailed up the Thames River to Tower Bridge in London to represent the Zong. This slave ship, its crew and cargo of slaves figured in court proceedings in 1783 and became a symbol for the nation's anti-slavery movement because of the murder of 132 slaves during the voyage.

New owners purchased the ship in 2013 and undertook an extensive 8-month refit at T. Nielsen in Gloucester during which it was upgraded to comply with MCA MLC guidelines. The ship was used for charter and commercial work around the UK.

French flag

In 2018, the Kaskelot was bought by Frédéric Lescure and brought under the French flag. She is now managed by the company Bob Escoffier Maritime. Then, the ship has been renamed Le Français, in hommage of the ship used by explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot during his expedition in Antarctic (1903-1905).

Le Français at La Rochelle in 2019

Film credits

Kaskelot has appeared in the following film and television productions:[6]

References
  1. Gray, JMaurice (August 2018). "Kaskelot". Sea Breezes: 30–32.
  2. "KASKELOT - Details and Current Position". marinetraffic.com. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  3. "Kaskelot, 3 Masted Barque, Specifications". easternyachts.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  4. "tall ship kaskelot". Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  5. "Kaskelot: Square Sail". square-sail.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  6. "Kaskelot screen credits". square-sail.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  • American Sail Training Association. Sail Tall Ships! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea 14th Edition. Newport, RI: ASTA, 2002.
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