Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire

Le pont de Saint-Nazaire puis le chantier naval

Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (ACL) was a French shipbuilding company of the late 19th and early 20th century. The name translates roughly to English as "Workshops and Shipyard of the Loire".

ACL was formed in 1881 in Nantes by Jollet Babin to take advantage of the expansion of the French Navy.

The River Loire was already a major site for shipbuilding, with Dubigeon at Nantes and Chantiers de Penhoët at Saint-Nazaire. In 1881 Babin set up his shipyard at Prairie du Lac, near the Dubigeon yard, and the following year, in 1882, a second yard at St Nazaire adjacent to the C. Penhoët yard. From the outset ACL focused on building warships for the French Navy, laying down capital ships at the St Nazaire site, closer to deep water, and medium–sized and small ships (cruisers, torpedo boats and, later, destroyers) at Nantes.

In 1901 ACL took over Normandy-Laporte at Rouen and built a factory for marine boilers and marine steam engines at Saint-Denis near Paris.

In 1907 ACL at St Nazaire built two of the six Danton-class battleships, and in 1912 one of the three Bretagne-class battleships for the French Navy. All three ships served in World War I.

Before World War II, ACL co-operated with C. Penhoët in building two of France’s four battleships, and had contracts for another, and two aircraft carriers, but these were not completed.

Also in the inter-war years ACL diversified into naval aviation, forming an aircraft manufacturing division in 1925, which became Loire Aviation in 1930.

After World War II and a decline in shipbuilding, ACL developed its link with C. Penhoët, and the two companies merged in 1955 to form Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

Ships

• Condorcet, a Danton-class battleship built in 1909
• Diderot, a Danton-class battleship built in 1909
• France, a Courbet-class battleship built in 1912
• Strasbourg, a Dunkerque-class battleship built in conjunction with C. Penhoët in 1936
• Jean Bart, a Richelieu-class battleship built in conjunction with C. Penhoët in 1939

Notes

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7. 
• Moore, John E. (1990) [1919]. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I (Reprint ed.). London: Studio Editions. ISBN 1-85170-378-0.