Solvay 12

Solvay 12, registration NY2217F, was built at Frouard in 1895.  In 1928 it was motorized with a 20 hp Deutz engine. All information on this page is obtained from Vagus-Vagrant.fr unless stated otherwise.

Solvay 12 was sold at the end of the 1950s to a Mr. D. of Ile Lacroix in Rouen. In 1964, Gabriel M. bought Solvay 12 from Mr. D. and named it "ARMANÇON III".  Finally, in 1979, it ended up with the company LA MOSELLANE of Fameck (a dredging company) which converted it into a barge and renamed it "Famaja". It was scrapped in the late 1980s in Moselle.

Typical early crew and family pose on a laden Solvay 12:

Unladen Solvay 12 in Dombasle, in front of Solvay 45 and alongside another Solvay: 

Solvay 12 being loaded in Dombasle:

Waiting to unload coke in 1955 at Dombasle alongside Solvay 11:

Photo, taken at Xures (54, Marne-Rhine Canal), comes from an internal Solvay magazine, the BIS; the Solvay 12 crosses paths with the Solvay 68 (dating from September 1961):

In L'Est Républicain of Saturday, May 2, 1936 an article about an accident in Nancy: the Solvay 12 hit a barge.

Two barges collide on the canal.

One of them, loaded with salt, sinks in minutes.

Yesterday, around 8 a.m., a swift tragedy unfolded on the calm waters of the Marne-Rhine Canal, about two hundred meters from the Pépinière footbridge. At this point, the canal, lined with stones, forms a slight bend. Boats are often moored there, leaving others just enough room to pass. Thus, following a difficult manoeuvre,  the motor barge Solvay 12, loaded with coal and heading towards Dombasle, collided with the barge Auy, belonging to the Belgian bargeman van Gongel, which, coming from Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, was heading towards Couillet (Belgium), loaded with 280 tons of salt.

The two bows collided violently. The motor barge, being built of iron, withstood the impact; But the wooden hull of the second boat burst open, and water rushed in through the enormous breach. In four minutes, the barge sank. Thanks to the quick thinking of the bargemen who witnessed the accident, Mr. van Gongel was able to save his three young children, who were in a cabin that was quickly flooded. However, the cargo of salt, worth 8,000 francs, as well as the furniture and equipment on board, were lost.

Mr. Achin immediately carried out the standard procedures, and Mr. Pajot, director of a Belgian barge company, is overseeing the refloating of the damaged barge. It is a difficult task that will require hours of effort and the use of powerful pumps. It may also be necessary to call in divers to plug the breach and allow the boat to be drained.

Finally, it should be noted that traffic on the canal was not affected by this accident.