Solvay 79

Solvay 79 is special to us as it is one of the few Solvays we have seen - our pictures are at the bottom of this page.

Solvay 79, registration NY3133F, was built in 1931 at Villeneuve la Garenne with a 30hp Deutz engine.  Unless stated otherwise all information is taken from Vagus-Vagrant.fr.

First though, a few notes on Solvay 79:

In 1963, for Solvay 's centenary, the Solvay 79 was chosen for display in Nancy, but this boat was entirely painted with linseed oil. Solvay brought in a team of painters to repaint it according to the company's colours. As a side note, as soon as the commemoration was over, the boatman returned his boat to its original linseed oil finish.

The Solvay 79 was the last boat whose cabin was modified at the Landy shipyard in Vitry-le-François, in 1971, after the Solovay 120. This is why it is the only one with galvanized roller shutters, unlike the other Solvay boats which had wooden shutters. At the same time, the top of the coachroof was replaced, and it also received a new bottom!

At the same time, they fitted it with the engine from the Solvay 122 (the three new ones left the shipyard with a DK6), which was originally a 180hp engine. As a side note, it was the Solvay 122 itself that transported this DK6 through the swell; it was loaded at the salt gantry in Dombasle, and then it sailed to Vitry to have the engine installed!

At the barge captain's request, it received a wooden plaque, like the four or five others that followed it when it had its engine changed, whereas the previous ones had iron plaques.  It received its iron plaque in 1977, placed on the covered slipway.

Solvay 79 was put up for sale in 1987, the year the Solvay fleet ended, when the Depinoy couple, Armand and Violette, transferred to the factory. It was bought by a Mr. L. from Baccarat (54) with the intention of converting it into a house. After disappearing from Dombasle for a while, it reappeared there in the late 1990s in a rather dilapidated state. A white painted inscription had been added to its bow, corresponding to its former residence, Baccarat. 

Solvay 79 and crew in the 1930s:

Another early shot still with the portholes and a single anchor, in Dombasle, at the old coal unloading site, along the national highway:

This view of Solvay 79 dates from 1935 and was taken in Strasbourg:

This one dates from 1955:

Solvay 79 and Solvay 54 in a sheet pile lock:

This is from the early 1980s and is thought to be in Plichancourt on the canal des Vosges. Note that she now has two anchors at the front:

Here is the cover of the September 1985 issue (#158) of NC-Kroniek, the Solvay company's internal Flemish-language magazine ; it shows, from left to right, the Solvay 105, the 75 and the 79.  This photo dates from 1976. These three Solvay barges were stuck in the port of Antwerp due to the major Belgian barge strikes. They remained stranded for over a month! It was the captain of Solvay 122 (Alexis H.) who went to retrieve them and brought them up the Rhine and Moselle rivers to Dombasle; as he held a boating licence, he acted as their pilot, since none of them had ever sailed the Rhine before. No more Solvay barges sailed to Belgium after these strikes. Apparently, these boats were fined because the Solvay 105 was completely non-compliant for the Rhine! (only one anchor at the front, no anchor at the rear):

The photograph which was used for the magazine cover:

 

Undergoing maintenance at Dombasle in 1982:

Solvay 79 in Dombasle on July 24th 1986 with a load of coke from Novelles:

A group from Solvay in Strasbourg, from left to right: 124, 98, 79,77 and 69:

Postcard from Dombasle showing Solvays 73, 79,122 & 124:

A photo of the Fontenoy-sur-Moselle lock, long before it became the Claude lock: Solvay 79 (left) and Solvay (right) going downstream:

In 1987, Solvay used its boats as pontoons for factory work, much to the dismay of its former bargemen, who felt disrespected:

A lovely note from Sylviane Parent regarding the sale of the last four Solvays, one of which was Solvay 79 shown on the left in this picture.

Okay, just this once, a little gift for our very own Guillaume's birthday. A photo of the last four Solvay barges awaiting sale in May 1988. That day, with heavy hearts, we came to moor our 107 alongside its last companions. For us, a chapter was closing, but we will never forget this period of our lives, which for me was the best. I want to thank Kiki [Guillaume Kiffer] for all the effort he puts into preserving this beautiful history. Thank you, Guillaume, and enjoy this exceptional day!

Solvay 79 with Solvay 122 at Dombasle:

With a couple of other Solvays in Noyelles-Godault on the canal de la Deûle:

In winter 1979:

Nine photos of her outside the Dombasle factory from February 10th 2008, years after Solvay sold her:

Three photos of her back outside the Dombasle factory in 2011 - she'd obviously spun around since the pictures from 2008 above:

To finish off, here are three photos we took of Solvay 79 in Dombasle. She is the boat moored on the inside and has obviously spun around again. The photos are from 2023, 2024 and 2025: