Messageries Maritimes
The Messageries Maritimes ( MM ) was a French shipping company with headquarters in Paris , the ships' home port was Marseille . The shipping company operated liner services to the Far East , India , Australia and New Zealand . The Messageries Maritimes was next to the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) the most important shipping company in France.
history
In 1835 the French government founded the state-controlled shipping company Compagnie des Services Maritimes de Messageries Nationale to operate a liner service between Marseille and the Levante ports in the eastern Mediterranean. With the re-establishment of the monarchy in France in 1853, the shipping company changed the name to Cie. of the service Messageries Imperiales . In the next five years the company expanded dramatically and by 1857 the fleet already numbered 57 passenger and cargo ships . After the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and the final end of the monarchy, the shipping company was renamed again to Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes (MM).
The line network was continuously expanded from the 1860s. In 1860 the South America liner service was opened and in 1862 the routes to East Asia began , where the first French Far East colonies were just emerging. In 1869 the newly opened Suez Canal was integrated into the line network. The typical Far East Line, or Orient Route, ran from Marseille -Suez Canal- India - ( Ceylon ) - ( Singapore ) - Saigon . Connections to China , Japan and Australia were maintained from Saigon . In 1912 the South America service was discontinued because the shipping company wanted to concentrate on the Far East lines, which had become the focus of their business. In 1904 the shipping companies Cie. Francaise de l'Est Asiatique and the Cie. Nationale de Navigation bought up by the Messageries Maritimes.
The ships used on the shipping company's liner services were mostly combined cargo and passenger ships of limited tonnage. Only shortly before the beginning of the First World War did an increase in tonnage begin. During the First World War, the company lost a large part of its fleet, as did most of the shipping companies of the Entente powers. After the war an extensive new building program was started. The ship losses were replaced by larger and more luxurious liners and the newly opened Panama Canal was added to the route network at the beginning of the 1920s. During this time, Georges Philippar was President of Messageries Maritimes. He was a great admirer of Alexandre Dumas and made sure that something on every ship on the line reminded him of the writer; four ships were named after the musketeers.
In World War II , most of the fleet was lost; at the end of the war only 21 ships of the shipping company remained. After the end of the war, the rebuilding of the fleet began immediately, but the situation began to change. With the independence of the states combined in French Indochina , Vietnam , Cambodia and Laos , there was no longer any great demand from France for a passenger and freight connection to East Asia. The shipping company began to struggle with constant economic problems. In cargo shipping, they were also behind, because the independent states preferred to ship the upcoming cargo with their own tonnage. In addition, the aircraft , which was becoming more and more unpleasant, was taking the shipping company away from the few passengers at the time. The bases of existence were slowly being withdrawn from the Messageries Maritimes.
In 1962 the South America service was resumed, but that didn't change much either. Passenger services only brought losses and the container found its way into the freight sector, which required a completely new type of ship with the container ship. In 1972 all liner services were discontinued and they were replaced by global container services. The conversion was financially exhausting and so in 1974 the merger with Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) to Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM) took place. CGM advanced to become one of the leading container operators worldwide under state control. In 1999 the CGM was merged with the Cie. Maritime d'Affrétement privatized to CMA CGM -Group SA.
Passenger ships of the Messageries Maritimes 1853–1972 (selection)
| year | Surname | tonnage | shipyard | Status / fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853 | Simois | 1340 GRT | k. A. | 1875 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1854 | Indus (I) | 1643 GRT | k. A. | 1884 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1854 | Euphrates (I) | 1643 GRT | k. A. | 1887 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1854 | Gear (I) | 1483 GRT | k. A. | 1887 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1855 | Danube (I) | 1143 GRT | k. A. | 1878 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1858 (1857) | America | 1697 GRT | k. A. | 1857: out of service for CNM / 1858 to MM / 1878 |
| 1860 | Guienne | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1872: Gambie , 2700 GRT, screw drive / sunk in 1873 |
| 1860 | Navarre | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1872: Rio Grande , 2735 BRT, screw drive / 1892 out of service |
| 1860 | Estamadura | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1872: Mendoza , 2700 GRT, screw drive / 1891 out of service |
| 1860 | Bearn | 2746 GRT | k. A. | Sank on the Brazilian coast in 1865 |
| 1860 | Provence | 2746 GRT | k. A. | After collision at 1881 Istanbul dropped |
| 1861 | Donai (I) | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1887: conversion to a cargo ship / sunk in 1889 |
| 1861 | Cambodge (I) | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1887: conversion to a cargo ship / 1902 out of service |
| 1862 | Tigre (I) | 2746 GRT | k. A. | 1879: 3197 BRT, screw drive / 1904 out of service |
| 1869 | Gironde | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1906 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1869 | Amazon | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1889 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1869 | Sindh (I) | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1901 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1870 | Ava | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1900 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1870 | Mékong (I) | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk at Cape Guardafui in 1877 |
| 1870 | Pei-Ho (I) | 3392 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1902 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1870 | Senegal | 3726 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Destroyed by explosion near Smyrna in 1913 |
| 1871 | Niger | 3726 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Stranded at Tchesme in 1913 and abandoned |
| 1873 | Anadyr (I) | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk after an explosion near Aden in 1889 |
| 1873 | Irouaddy (I) | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1906: Esmeralda / 1908 out of service |
| 1874: | Orénoque | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1925 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1875 | Equateur | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1922 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1875 | Djemnah | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk near Crete in 1918 |
| 1876 ( 1874 ) | La Seyne | 2379 GRT | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 1874: ex- Etoile du Chili , Germain Frères / 1909 sunk near Singapore |
| 1876 | Parana | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk at Bahia in 1877 |
| 1877 | Yang-Tse (I) | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1911 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1878 | Congo | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1913 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1879 | Oxus | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Arrested in Russia in 1914 / torpedoed in 1918 |
| 1880 | Saghalien | 4050 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk in 1915 near Gallipoli by a Turkish coastal battery |
| 1881 | Melbourne | 4170 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1921 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1882 | natal | 4250 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk near Marseille after a collision in 1917 |
| 1882 | Calédonia (I) | 4248 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1917 sunk near Port Said after being hit by a mine (51 dead) |
| 1883 | Sydney | 4232 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1922 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1883 | Salazia | 4256 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk in a storm near Madagascar in 1912 |
| 1884 | Yarra (I) | 4163 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean in 1917 |
| 1884 | Oceania (I) | 4162 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1922 out of service and sold for abandonment |
| 1884 | Cordouan | 4170 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1911 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1886 | Portugal | 5335 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk near Batumi in 1916 |
| 1888 | Brésil | 5824 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1903: Dumbea / 1928 out of service |
| 1888 | La Plata | 5824 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1903: Nera / 1923 out of service |
| 1890 | Polynesia | 6570 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk near Malta in 1918 |
| 1890 | Australia (I) | 6376 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean in 1918 |
| 1891 | Armand Béhic | 6467 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1924 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1891 | Ville de La Ciotat | 6461 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk near Crete in 1915 |
| 1895 | chili | 6379 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1927 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1896 | Cordillère | 6379 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1925 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1897 | Laos (I) | 6357 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1904: Amazone (II) / 1932 out of service |
| 1898 | Indus (II) | 6357 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1903: Magellan / 1916 torpedoed and sunk near Pantelleria |
| 1898 | Tonkin | 6246 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1912: Lotus / 1932 out of service |
| 1899 | Annam (I) | 6350 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1904: Tourane / 1912: Karnak / 1916 torpedoed near Malta |
| 1900 | Atlantique | 6479 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1921: Angkor / 1933 out of service |
| 1903 | Himalayas | 5620 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk at Bizerta in 1917 |
| 1904 | El Kantara | 6889 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1926 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1904 | Louqsor | 6889 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1930 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1905 | Euphrates (II) | 6889 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Stranded near Socotra in 1915 |
| 1905 | Gear (II) | 6889 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1917 sank near Bizerta after being hit by a mine |
| 1908 | Sontay (I) | 7247 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Torpedoed and sunk near Sicily in 1917 |
| 1911 | Paul Lecat | 12,989 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Burned out and scrapped in Marseille in 1928 |
| 1914 | André Lebon | 13,681 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1952 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1915 | Athos (I) | 12,644 GRT | Ateliers et Chantiers de France ( Dunkerque ) | Torpedoed and sunk near Malta in 1917 |
| 1915 | Porthos | 12,633 GRT | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux | Sunk near Casablanca in 1942 |
| 1915 | sphinx | 11375 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | 1940: Vichy - France / sunk in Genoa in 1944 |
| 1921 | Commissaire Ramel | 10,061 GRT | Société Provençale de Constructions Navales, La Ciotat | Sunk in 1940 by the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis |
| 1922 | Aramis (I) | 14,825 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de la Gironde SA, Bordeaux | 1924: Chenonceaux / sunk in Marseille in 1944 |
| 1923 | Chantilly | 10017 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | 1951 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1923 | Compiègne | 10017 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | 1954 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1923 | Fontainebleau | 10017 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | Burned out near Djibouti in 1926 |
| 1924 | D'Artagnan | 15205 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Gironde SA, Bordeaux | Confiscated by Japan in 1942 in Indochina |
| 1925 | Explorer Grandidier | 10,268 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Nazaire | Sunk in Marseille in 1944 |
| 1925 | Bernadin de Saint-Pierre | 10,268 GRT | JC Tecklenborg GmbH, Wesermünde | Confiscated by Japan in 1942 in Indochina |
| 1925 | Champollion | 12213 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Run aground near Beirut in 1952 |
| 1926 | Mariette Pacha | 12,263 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk in Marseille in 1944 after an explosion |
| 1926 | Athos (II) | 15,275 GRT | AG "Weser", Bremen | 1959 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1929 | Éridan (II) | 14,361 GRT | Chantiers & Ateliers de Provence SA, La Ciotat | 1957 out of service and sold for demolition |
| 1930 | Georges Philippar | 17 359 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | Burnt out near Cape Guardafui in 1932 (54 dead) |
| 1930 | Félix Roussel | 17 359 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | Sold in 1955 |
| 1932 | Aramis (II) | 17 359 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire SA, Saint-Nazaire | Confiscated by Japan in 1940 in Indochina |
| 1931 | Jean Laborde (I) | 11414 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sunk in Marseille in 1944 |
| 1933 | Maréchal Joffre | 11732 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1960 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1935 | President Doumer | 11898 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | 1942 torpedoed and sunk near Madeira (260 dead) |
| 1932 (1914) | Patria | 11,885 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 1914: Fabre Line / 1932 to MM / sunk in Haifa in 1940 (279 dead) |
| 1932 (1914) | Providence | 11,885 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 1951 decommissioned and sold for demolition |
| 1949 | La Marseillaise | 17,408 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sold in 1957, burned out and sunk off Grenada in 1961 |
| 1951 | La Bourdonnais | 10945 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | Sold in 1968, scrapped in Perama in 1977 |
| 1952 | Ferdinand de Lesseps | 10945 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | Sold in 1968, scrapped in Alang in 2003 |
| 1953 | Pierre Loti | 10945 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | Sold in 1970, scrapped in Salamis in 1986 |
| 1953 | Jean Laborde (II) | 10945 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | Sold in 1970, sunk as Oceanos in 1991 |
| 1952 | Calédonia (II) | 12712 GRT | Arsenal de la Marine, Brest | Sold in 1972, scrapped in Kaohsiung in 1974 |
| 1952 | Tahitia | 12712 GRT | Arsenal de la Marine, Brest | Sold in 1972, scrapped in Alang in 2004 |
| 1952 | Laos (III) | 13217 GRT | Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat SA, La Ciotat | Sold in 1970, scrapped in Port Klang in 1977 |
| 1953 | Cambodge (II) | 13217 GRT | Ateliers & Chantier de France, Dunkerque | Sold in 1969, scrapped in Alang in 2003 |
| 1953 | Vietnam | 13217 GRT | Forges & Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer | 1967: Pacifique (II) / sold in 1970, burnt out in 1974, scrapped in Kaohsiung in 1976 |
| 1962 (1951) | Louis Lumière | 12358 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire | 1951 for Chargeurs Reunis / 1962 sold to MM / 1967, scrapped in Chittagong in 1984 |
| 1962 (1951) | Charles Tellier | 12007 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire | 1951: for Cie. des Sudatlantique / 1962 sold to MM / 1967, scrapped in Chittagong in 1984 |
| 1962 (1952) | Laennec | 12007 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de la Loire, Saint-Nazaire | 1952: for Cie. des Sudatlantique / 1962 sold to MM / 1966, burned out in Sasebo in 1976 and scrapped |
| 1966 | Pasteur | 17986 GRT | Ateliers & Chantiers de France, Dunkerque | Sold in 1972, burned out in 1985 and scrapped in Mumbai |
