Satre

The history of Satre Shipyards of Lyon and Arles, one of the major French shipyards that built dredgers in the second half of the 19th century, is a complicated mix of families, bankers,  successes, entrepreneurs and take-overs. A time line:

1840/45              Louis Combe starts a mechanical workshop in Lyon. He constructed dredgers among others for the  Suez Canal

1873                     The society "Ancienne maison Combe et Cie, Satre et Averly" is created.  Henri Satre is the nephew of Louis Combe.

1880                     Henri Satre becomes the sole owner and began a prosperous period.

1884                    He added to his business the Barriol mechanical workshop in Arles-sur-Rhône created by the steamboat builder Michel Félizat. The Barriol is managed by Jean-Baptiste Le Sauvage

1886                    Henri Satre built a few Dutch-inspired suction dredges (designed by Figee)

1896                    Henri Satre died. The firm continue with his sons and partners. It becomes the “Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Henri Satre”,

1902                     The " Anciens Establissements Henri Satre" is taken over by the “Compagnie Française de Navigation and de Construction Navale”, with sites in Arles, Lyon, Rouen and head office in Paris, 50 bd Hausssman.

1904                     To this date the company has built some 224 dredgers and 452 other ships.

1907                     The subsidiary of Arles is taken over by J.B. Le Sauvage & Sons.

1916                     Barriol returns to the "Anciens établissements Henri Satre"

1980                    She experienced major economic difficulties in the 1980s, which led her to change in depth. Thanks to the workers, the construction sites are transformed into S.C.O.P. (Worker Production Cooperative Society) in 1981. Her main interestst nowadays are naval boilermaking,  general naval mechanics, transmission propulsion and piping. The yard is no longer involved in manufacturing dredgers or parts.

Source: Etienne Rogier (Industrial Historien - Toulouse)