31.12.2011 2

Provence & Côte d’Azur: Happy 100th birthday to the torpedo!

100 years of torpedos

One of the only industrial companies of its kind in the area is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. The French state shipyard Direction des Constructions Navales, Systemes et Services (DCNS), belonging to the Saint Tropez torpedo factory, will be 100-years-old.

The occasion will be marked with an open day, a photo exhibition and an illustrated book on the history of the site.

In 1912, Robert Whitehead opened the British torpedo factory in Saint-Tropez, exporting torpedoes to Brazil, Holland, Turkey and Greece. In 1937, the torpedo factory was taken over by the French state, and since 2003 it has belonged to DCNS.

As industrialisation has gradually changed over time, the production of torpedoes and underwater vehicles at the Saint-Tropez site has been enormously affected. Director Marc le Roy told the local press: "At the beginning, more than 1,000 workers were employed. All components were manufactured locally. Today we focus on the engineering services and project development."

With approximately 300 employees, the company is still one of the largest employers inthe Gulf and its future seems assured. Over the next three years the plant is set to grow by 30 percent.

Louise Kirby

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Comments

Comment by RNBerta | 02.01.2012

Thank you for providing this article; I was associated with this facility from 1963 to 1970.

Comment by P.H Lewis-Jones | 03.01.2012

I discovered this article whilst researching my family's history. My great grandfather, known as "Fiume" Jones worked there, and my father and aunt were born in Saint Tropez in 1913 and 1915 respectively. I have a picture of Chateau Bertaud on my wall, painted by T. Roustony in 1913, and I visited the nearby plage in 2010 whilst on holiday in Aups. I would greatly appreciate any information from the open day, and I would love to get a copy of the book.

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