BELEM
- FRENCH - 1896
She was originally a cargo ship, transporting sugar from the
West Indies, cocoa, and coffee from Brazil and Guiana to Nantes,
France. In 1951 she was sold to the Venezian count Vittorio
Cini, who named her the Giorgio Cini after his son, who had
died in a plane crash near Cannes on 31 August 1949. She was
rigged to a barkentine and used as a sail training ship until
1965, when she was considered too old for further use and
was moored at the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.
In 1972 the Italian Carabinieri attempted to restore her
to the original barque rig. When this proved too expensive,
she became the property of the shipyard. In 1976 the ship
was re-rigged to a barque. Finally, in January 1979, she came
back to her home port as the Belem, flying the French flag
after 65 years. Fully restored to her original condition,
she began a new career as a sail training ship.
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