III) Construction of the Five Masted Ship «La France»

a) the alternatives

In light of the virtually national dimension and unifying spirit of the project, a specific strategy of construction was put into place.

First, there was no question about reconstructing an exact replica of the original ship. The purpose is to realize a ship in phase with modern safety demands for viable and coherent operation.

Thus, "LA FRANCE" will be constructed under the strict classifications of passenger liners exceeding 500 tons.

Since the initial phase of the project, mobilization of both civil and military expertise in construction was the avenue chosen to guarantee its realization.

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b) The method of construction.

  1. The ship will be built in accordance with the technique utilizing prearmed blocks or rings.

    This relatively common modern technique was proven during the construction and fitting of two sailing ships, the "Star Flyer" and the "Star Clipper".

    This blocks or rings will be considered for the construction of the civil naval shipyards and at the French Arsenals.

    Crédit Photo : M. Robert McFarlane

    Crédit Photo : M. Robert McFarlane
    Precut elements destined for the construction of prearmed blocks of the sailing ship STAR FLYER Part of the prearmed hull in the mounting process

    The volume of work hours generated by a single construction was estimated to be 1,200,000   

c) The geographic anchor of the project.

All construction activity will be directed and supervised by a civil or military builder, or by a partnership among them.

The prearmed blocks, or the entirety of the blocks, will be delivered to an assembly site by sea (barge) or by land rail. A naval construction site or a dockyard will be installed near the assembly site to ensure control of the project.

   Next...

I Introduction: «LA FRANCE», a dream anchored in reality...
II Operation of the Five Masted Ship «LA FRANCE»
III Construction of the Five Masted Ship «LA FRANCE»
IV The Open Shipyard
V Funding for the Project
VI Conclusion et appendices

 

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Grand-Voilier.com
19/07/2004
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