In 1951, Vittorio Cini, a powerful Italian captain of industry, bought Fantôme II from the heirs of Arthur Ernest Guiness to use as a training ship. That same year, the Italian financier, who was also Count of Monselice, bought the island of San Giorgo Maggiore, opposite the shore of St. Mark's Square (Venice), and created the Cini Foundation, an internationally renowned center for art and culture, as well as a training center for young people in maritime life. The foundation is dedicated to the memory of his son, Giorgio, who died in a plane crash in 1949.
The Belem, now owned by Vittorio Cini, is destined to become a training ship for the Centro Marinaro, a training center for merchant marine professions (mechanics, radio operator, etc.) and the Istituto Scilla, which takes in orphans. She was then renamed Giorgio Cini, lost her large lighthouse and was transformed into a barquentine. The interior was completely refitted to accommodate the largest possible number of students. The luxurious steerage compartments (large salon and private cabins) were eliminated and replaced by a large common room with multiple uses. It serves as dormitory, canteen and study room. Around the grand staircase, the cabins were rearranged to accommodate more sleeping space, and the bow now houses the washbasins and toilets. Under the poop, only the officers', doctor's and chaplain's quarters retain their English period features.
Every summer, the Giorgio Cini carries out month-long instructional cruises, welcoming 60 to 80 students on each of its three voyages. Selection is made from among the most deserving students from Italy's 18 naval vocational institutes, including orphans from the Istituto Scilla. Every summer, more than 250 students embark for 5,000 or 6,000 nautical miles.
Life on board is regulated and follows a strict schedule. The mornings are devoted to practical and theoretical training, depending on each student's speciality (captain, mechanic, radio operator, electrician...). In the afternoon, when the boat is at sea, we rest. Finally, in the evening, after dinner, all students gather on the deck to recite the Sailor's Prayer.
The Giogio Cini is more than just a training ship for the Venetian city, which sees it as the embodiment of the rebirth of naval tradition, the city and its power. Each arrival and departure in the lagoon is celebrated with great pomp, and VIPs come to attend, notably in 1958, with the President of the Italian Republic.
Docked because too old
In the summer of 1967, after a final cruise, the training ship was decommissioned, deemed too obsolete to meet the requirements of modern naval training, and remained docked on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore until 1972.
This year, the Carabinieri âeuros Italian national military police âeuros wished to take charge of the restoration work on the Giorgo Cini, to turn her into a prestigious training ship. They entrusted the work to CNOMV - Cantieri Navali ed Officine Mecchaniche di Venezia âeuros (Venice Shipyard and Mechanics), who carried out extensive work to restore her to her original three-masted barque livery. Given the high cost of the work, the carabinieri had no choice but to leave the boat to the shipyard as compensation, which then put it up for sale.
French buyback
In 1978, the Giorgio Cini attracted a number of foreign investors, not least the French. An old rigging enthusiast, Dr. Luc-Olivier Gosse, had discovered the boat's Nantes origins and wanted her to return to her homeland. In April 1978, the three-master was handed over to her new French patrons, the Caisse d'Epargne, and left Venice on August 15, 1979, despite a strong mobilization of local residents.
