Solvay 112

Solvay 112, registration NY3113F, was built in Choisy-le-Roi.  Other than where indicated the contents of this page are taken from Vagus-Vagrant.fr.

The Solvay 112 was the first to have its Deutz engine replaced by a DK4 at the Chalon-sur-Saône shipyard in 1964. It underwent engine trials in August on the Grand Canal d'Alsace, alongside the Solvay 105, which had just come out of the Vitry-le-François shipyard.

Solvay 112 was put up for sale in 1978 by Solvay, following Armand Depinoy's transfer to Solvay 75. It was bought by Daniel and Katia P., artisans in Nancy (54). Daniel having done his military service in Toulon on the destroyer escort Guépratte, it is in memory of this period that they renamed her Guépratte. They sailed with it for eight years. In 1987, Daniel took his boat to Vitry-le-François where it was dismantled.

When Solvay sold it, it only had one anchor at the bow, like the other DK4s in the fleet; it was Daniel Pezet, who bought it, who had the second one added.

Solvay 112 in black and white livery in 1968:

Here she is, unladen, in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe with a red and white nose:

A short article published in the newspaper " Le Républicain lorrain " on Thursday, August 28, 1952 ( found on Limedia Kiosk ), superbly illustrated by the Solvay 112 downstream, loaded, in a lock on the canalized Moselle, near Metz:

“Recently, we reported that nearly 80 barges of all sizes were stuck in the canal due to low water levels. The situation has since improved, and yesterday morning, the slow-moving boats were able to continue their journey one by one. The lock system prevented a quick departure, but the bargees are used to long stops and slow progress. Half of the barges have already left the dock to head towards the industrial area. Today, the canal will gradually return to its usual appearance, occasionally disturbed by the passage of a tugboat or a train of barges…”

The Solvay 112 reappeared in the press a year later! Indeed, in " Force Ouvrière ," the CGTFO's weekly newspaper, issue no. 407, dated November 26, 1953, found on RetroNews , there is an article titled "The passing barge remains stopped too long," which deals with the slump affecting the inland waterway industry and the neglect of waterways by public authorities. Among the photos illustrating it is this one, showing a Solvay barge emerging upstream from a lock:

When Solvay 112 was sold she was renamed Guepratte. Here she is on the canal de la Marne au Rhin near Mussey:

Two shots from when it was seen in Nancy in 1983:

Still in Nancy in 1986, decorated for a Pardon which is a religious festival:

The Guepratte was dismantled in 1987 at Vitry-le-François.