belem's history
1899-1900, sixth to eighth voyage
Julien Chauvelon, young twenty four years old captain, succeeded Dolu. He leads the Belem to the Bristol’s canal to take a load of coal, then sailed to Pará. Upon arrival, the shipowner asked him (through Captain Obalski, Crouan’s agent of in Brazil) to take command of the Claire-Menier already loaded with cocoa and without captain (the previous one died of yellow fever).
Captain Lesage came to relieve Chauvelon to bring back the Belem. Chauvelon was supposed to get back the boat at her return in Nantes, but Lesage’s crossing to France took so long that Chauvelon had to take again command for the Claire-Menier.
It was then Chauvelon’s turn to be delayed by the collision of the Claire-Menier by an Italian liner. Lesage having taken back command of the Denis-Crouan, it was Captain Le Dantec that took the command of the Belem for the beginning of the seventh voyage of the boat (Nantes - Saint-Nazaire - Buenos-Aires - Martinique - Nantes). Chauvelon should this time get back the Belem in Buenos Aires but Claire-Menier is again behind. Belem has even the time to do a voyage with Dantec (Nantes - Cardiff - Belém - Nantes) before Julien Chauvelon could finally get on her board and take her command on November 25th, 1900, for numerous years this time.
Story of these to-ings and fro-ings by Louis Lacroix:
My colleague, Mr. Julien Chauvelon, succeeded him and left to take a full load of coal in the Bristol’s canal for Pará; hardly arrived, the captain Obalski, representing Mr. Denis Crouan, asked him to land to take Claire-Menier’s command, already loaded, but which captain, Mr Molay, died of yellow fever as part of his crew. It was agreed that he would get back the Belem after my old companion Lesage, landing for this command of the Denis-Crouan, would return in Europe. But Lesage, opposed by calms and bad weather, took fifty eight days to get back to Nantes and Mr Chauvelon, arrived for several weeks already, had to leave with the Claire-Menier for Buenos Aires with coal and a real to-ings and fro-ings began.
Claire-Menier was hit on the equator by the Italian liner Menapi from Bari and Mr Chauvelon had to stop to the Cape Verde’s islands to install a makeshift masting to get back to Nantes, where he arrived on February 17th, 1900. The Belem, during this time, had to sail again under the command of Captain Le Dantec, Mr Lesage having resumed his command of the Denis-Crouan, and she left Saint-Nazaire on ballast on November 17th, 1899 for Buenos Aires where she waited for Mr Chauvelon and for the Claire-Menier until February 1st. Because of the delay of this vessel, her shipowner made the Belem cross to Martinique, from where she returned to Nantes and had even the time to do a complete voyage Cardiff-Pará-Nantes, from August 11th till November 25th, 1900, date when Mr Chauvelon was finally able to resume his command. [Louis Lacroix, on 1945].
Julien Chauvelon’s romanced story by Jean Noli:
Son of sailor, borned February 11th, 1875 in Rezé, on the left bank of the Loire, he is first lieutenant aboard of the Reine-Blanche on which he doubles the Cape Horn, then second officer on the Marguerite-Arnhaud, when the Crouan hires him. The Belem is his first command: he is 26 years old.
Unlike his predecessors, stout and sturdily built, Chauvelon has a slender, almost thin silhouette. But the appearance is misleading: under the black suit which he almost never leaves, the man is tough and solid. The brown hair combed back, the oval face, the straight and thin nose and at the end, the thick mustache, always elegant, he is attractive and the inhabitants of Nantes who see him going in a hurry towards the offices of his shipowner find him a lot of charm. But the sailor has only two passions: the sea and her wife, slim and graceful, who gave him two children, Olivier and Jeanne. [Jean Noli, 1996].