Duchesse Anne

Work is underway at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (DSDu) on the Duchesse Anne, the last remaining fully rigged ship under the French flag and the largest sailing ship open to the public in France. 92-metres long and with a beam of 12 metres, she was launched in Germany in 1901 to serve as a sail training ship. At the end of WWII she came to France and in 1998 she was bought by Dunkerque City Council. Three years later following restoration works she was made open to the public at the town’s Harbour Museum, where she has remained since.

DSDu has been commissioned by Dunkerque City Council to undertake a series of works, of which the main element is the removal of 350 tonnes of concrete ballast spread across seven cargo holds.  Other activities include a variety of steelworks, sandblasting and finally painting. The Duchesse Anne arrived at the yard in July, and her renovation programme will be completed by mid-July 2025 when she will be the star attraction at the Dunkerque leg of the Tall Ships Races 2025 programme.

Removing the concrete is the top priority as well as the major challenge. It can only be removed by cutting openings in the hull to gain access to each cargo hold. In order to minimise the size of the holes, the concrete is being broken up inside each hold so that it can be fed out through the smallest apertures that are practical and into bins outside the hull for removal. Only once the concrete has been removed can repairs be made to the bulkheads and paint systems applied by specialist contractors.

The works are expected to take six months. This is due in part because Duchesse Anne is a very old vessel and as the programmed works progress additional issues appear that in turn require time and attention. And with 123 years under her keel, she is also being handled with a great deal of care. With her interior fitted out in wood and the spars and rigging also made using natural materials, the damage that fire could cause is in everyone’s minds. Fire is always a potential risk and extreme care is being taken to avoid this happening.

Around 40 people are working on the project with 25 of those focussing on the concrete, together with steelworkers and painters. The vessel is currently in one of DSDu’s dry docks with temporary covered erected areas as needed.

Léonard Hacot, Project Manager at DSDu, said: “The Duchesse Anne is an unusual project for us, but it is a privilege to work on a vessel that contributes to the rich history of our region and it reminds us all of what it must have been like to sail on these ships in the North and Baltic seas.”