Solvay 97

Solvay 97, registration NY3065F.  As with most of the Solvay information I have obtained the following, unless indicated, from Vagus-Vagrant.fr.

Solvay 97 was put up for sale in the year of the end of the Solvay fleet in June 1987, (it was the penultimate boat to sail) when Albert & Marie Thomas moved to the factory. It was bought and transformed it into a dwelling under the name Sirene des Moissons and is still visible at 21 impasse du haut de l'île in Bennecourt (78) (opposite Bonnières-sur-Seine (78).  It has been for sale since 2024 by the company AVOVENTES

A typical photograph of the age showing crew (and family) on the front of their boat:

An undated picture of Solvay 97 in Inor on the Meuse with a closeup below:

This is a geographical guide from Edito-service publishers, dedicated to the Ardennes Canal and the photo was supposedly taken in Neuville-Day.  The white "blades" of the stern anchor, the linseed oil-painted engine room hatch, and the wide, silvery ladders, give it away as Solvay 97:

Using the same knowledge, it was ascertained that the Solvay on this postcard of Dombasle (with close up)  was also Solvay 97:

In Solvay colours : photo taken in Dombasle, in September 1983, taken from a brochure published by the National Navigation Office - Nancy Regional Navigation Directorate, "Eastern Industrialists: river transport, have you thought about it?". On the left is Solvay 101:

In Varangéville in 1985.  With the Christmas tree I assume it was December:

On the Moselle in 1987:

This picture shows the nose of Solvay 97 in Nancy and I found it on the Facebook group, Voies navigables du Nord-Est:

A lovely note from Sylviane Parent regarding the sale of the last four Solvays, one of which was Solvay 97 shown alongside Sylviane's Solvay 107.

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!

When Solvay 97 was sold it became Sirene des Moissons.  Here it is moored at Bennecourt on the Seine downstream of Paris.  Photos by Marie T.Huan Lavenant on Facebook group, Péniche:

Here she was on July 31 2013:

And another photo from 2013:

According to Google Streetview, it was still there in May 2025: