Les Forges et Ateliers de la Mediterranée - Graville

"Les Forges et Ateliers de la Mediterranée’’ or “Société nouvelle des forges et chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM)” was a French shipbuilding company from La Seyne-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean coast near Toulon.

The Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée was founded in 1853 by Louis Henri Armand Béhic (1809-1891) supported by Napoleon III. Originally, it consisted of a shipyard in La Seyne and a mechanical forge workshop in Marseille, under the technical direction of François Bourdon.

In 1856, it took the name of Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée. In a few years, after setting up various armoring, sheet metal and boilermaking workshops, it recieved orders for warships for export (Russia, Italy, Brazil, etc.).

In 1872, it acquired establishments in Le Havre including the shipyard in Graville-Sainte-Honorine and the Mazeline engine and propeller factory. The entire group actively participated in the French army's artillery rearmament program.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the manufacture of artillery equipment took off and the company would even build tanks during and after the First World War.

After the war, an effort to modernize the sites was undertaken. The crisis in shipbuilding in France, from 1959, put the sector in decline. Major construction sites are closed. The Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée ceased operations on July 1, 1966. The company was taken over by the CNIM (Naval and Industrial Constructions of the Mediterranean).

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