When Napoleon I decided to go to Antwerp...
At the beginning of 1810, Napoleon I decided to visit the maritime arsenal of Antwerp, then the French port. He was the one who ordered the construction a few years earlier. He therefore needed a boat worthy of an emperor to move around. In just 21 days, this canoe, 18.80 metres long and 5.45 metres high, was built. Made of various wood species, it includes a spacious deckhouse for personalities... the rest of the boat being reserved for rowers! Engineer Guillemard provided the plans for the Canoe, and Master Théau, from Granville, supervised its construction. Its ornamentation was entrusted to the Antwerp sculptor Van Petersen: initially, the decoration was rather sketchy. It is then decorated with an eagle at the bow.
Parade on board!
On April 30, 1810, Napoleon and the young Empress Marie-Louise embarked... The following days, they sailed on board in the arsenal: the emperor thus inspected his fleet. And this was followed by an admiring naval procession. In 1814, he no longer reigns... His canoe was then repatriated to the military port of Brest. But in 1858, Napoleon III, in anticipation of his arrival with Empress Eugenie in the same port, had the canoe embellished with his grandfather: addition of a figurehead representing Neptune, a large crown supported by four cherubs, and decoration of the oars with painted motifs. In August of the same year, a second imperial couple took their place in the canoe!
fallen into oblivion... or almost!
When the Empire finally fell, the canoe was stored and forgotten in Brest... Not quite, actually! Because, in 1896, the President of the Republic Félix Fauret used it. In 1902, it was the turn of President Emile Loubet. And, in 1922, on November 18, he took part in the "Triumph" of the Naval School: this institution based in Brest had just been awarded the Legion of Honour, and wanted to celebrate the event with dignity There is then a prestigious parade of sailors in period costumes and historic ships... including the imperial canoe!
Musée national de la Marine/DR
A new life
It was not until 1943 that the canoe really resurfaced... on land! The Germans plan to open a brand new Navy Museum at the Palais de Chaillot in the heart of the capital. And they have set their sights on the Imperial Canoe, to be its flagship. It was this decision that undoubtedly saved him from destruction by the bombardments that were to take place.
Musée national de la Marine/DR
Under the protection of the German authorities, the canoe began its journey from Brest to Paris on May 9, 1943: it was first towed by a barge. Then, loaded on a wagon, for eight days, he travels the country on tracks left free for him! Finally, he arrived at Montparnasse station, where a truck waited for him to drive him to the Palais de Chaillot.
Musée national de la Marine/DR
The light, at last
If the canoe has arrived safely, it has not yet returned! The doors were simply too small for him... It was only two years later that we decided to breach the wall of the museum gallery where he was expected.
Musée national de la Marine/DR
It is August 1945, when, very slowly, the Imperial Canoe leaves the gardens where it was stored to enter the museum. Here it is finally visible to the general public!
Musée national de la Marine/DR
Taking care of it...
Almost 50 years later, the Canoe underwent its first major restoration. Between 2001 and 2003, the carpenters of the Cherbourg military workshop and sculptural and ornamental restorers were active around him. He is also moved inside the museum, a very small distance compared to what awaits him..
Musée national de la Marine/DR
2018: a big comeback... to prepare!
Since 2017, the Musée de la Marine de Paris has been closed to the public: it has closed its doors for major works and will not reopen until 2021. The canoe must leave the area. Brest is an obvious destination. He is expected to welcome the public to an upcoming institution... For the time being, it is his transport that occupies the museum's teams. First, disarm it: its 22 oars are stored separately and its decorative elements can also be removed. Only the hull remains, which is covered with a rigid box made of metal, wood and plastic.
An exit by the line
The dimensions of the museum doors having not changed between 1943 and 2018... with the same problem, same solution! It was therefore through a large hole in the outside wall that the canoe came out of the museum.
Ready for takeoff
Once stabilized on an outdoor platform, the canoe is lifted by a crane expert: 17.8 tons to manoeuvre between the trees and above a low wall and the pavement... must not be so easy. The box finally flew away... as if by magic! And land exactly on the extensible trailer of a semi-trailer parked there. Everything is well fixed and the start is given at nightfall. With all lights and flashing lights on, the exceptional convoy moved away. It takes him 48 hours to get to Brest.
Welcome to Brest!
It is at the Capuchin Workshops that the canoe is deposited. These are buildings from the former military arsenal of the 19th century, now converted into a cultural and commercial centre. The next day, the canoe is back in the open air. But just enough time for the host team to assess his condition after his trip. Before enclosing it in its travel case, it will gradually acclimatize to its new climatic and hygrometric environment. After 75 years, the canoe regains the iodized air of Brest... If it is with difficulty, it will be entitled to a restorative cure!
Soon to be visible again to the public
End of 2019, back to the light. The Imperial Canoe will then be installed on the Place des Machines in the old arsenal, and thus visible to all passers-by. It will face the entry of the future Pôle des Excellences Maritimes (This name is not yet definitive), a vast area designed to promote Brest's maritime know-how. The canoe will be the historical testimony: it is the only canoe of this type preserved in France.
So let's meet in Brest at the end of 2019 to admire this imperial canoe once again. But in a modern scenography! Mirrors reflecting the hull will reveal all its details and dynamic museographical features will tell the origins and unusual history of this boat
Karine Filhoulaud
