The Black Crane of Nantes was assembled in 1942 for the needs of the Dubigeon shipyard.
It ceased to operate in 1967 and has remained there ever since.
The work, which will begin in June, aims to completely restore it.
She is almost 80 years old but remains largely unknown to Nantes residents.
Located on the banks of the Loire, a stone's throw from the Docks de Chantenay, the Black Crane is going to undergo much-needed heavy restoration.
The construction site will begin at the end of May for a period of one year.
Here are six things to know about this lifting machine, symbol of the city's industrial and naval past.
She will disappear from the landscape
The Black Crane has not been maintained since its end of activity in 1967. It is today in a state of "fairly significant wear", like its structure eaten away by rust and its cabins wood partially gutted.
The idea is therefore to refurbish it.
Its elements will have to be asbestos removed, stripped, repaired and repainted.
A task which will require completely dismantling the crane, from the end of June, before being reassembled in the spring of 2023. "It will disappear from the landscape for a year, it may surprise the inhabitants", agrees Olivier Château (PS), deputy mayor of Nantes in charge of heritage.
She participated in the construction of boats
The Black Crane was erected in Chantenay in 1942 for the naval needs of the Dubigeon shipyards, on the very spot where the Belem had been built 50 years earlier.
This "hammer" type machine, designed specifically for the place where it was located, could lift up to 30 tons of goods.
It was mainly used for equipping ships once launched, especially cargo ships and trawlers.
Heavy of 110 tons, the crane could move on the quay via a device of bearings.
She suffered sabotage and a storm
The Black Crane had a short but rather eventful career.
In August 1944, it was badly damaged during sabotage operations carried out by the departing German army.
The damage was such that the crane had to be 95% rebuilt.
Returned to service in 1947, it only remained standing for a year.
One evening in April 1948, the crane collapsed due to a storm and was damaged again.
She was refitted in 1950 and operated until the departure from the shipyards for the island of Nantes in 1967.
It is one of the few cranes classified as a historic monument.
Only five French cranes are protected as Historic Monuments.
And three are in Nantes.
The Black Crane obtained its classification in 2018, six years after being bought by the city of Nantes, which wanted to promote this element of heritage.
The other two protected Nantes cranes are the yellow Titan Crane (operational from 1954 to 1987), near the Machines de l'île, and the gray Titan Crane (1966-2003), near the Banana Shed.
She does not play the weathervane
Did you know ?
Although they no longer work, the yellow and gray Titan cranes still move, depending on the wind.
This is called the weather vane position.
The movement of their axis is released so that they are not in opposition to the wind, for safety reasons.
The black crane remained stuck in the same position.
Its weathervane function will be put back in place in a year, once its restoration is complete.
It will cost a little more than expected
The works of the black crane and its gantry will cost 2.9 million euros.
The bill has risen quite a bit since it was initially estimated at 1.8 million euros.
It is the city of Nantes that will settle the essentials.
The State, via the Historic Monuments, will contribute up to 210,000 euros.
A major collection with the aim of bringing in additional funds has also been launched with corporate sponsors via the Metropolitan Endowment Fund for Culture (FMC).
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Nantes
Pays de la Loire
Crane
Heritage