Nautical Research Journal 307


1. T e rope factory in Le Havre under Louis XIV. © Service historique de la défense (SHD) Ms 144.


T e rope factories of the French Navy By Bernard Cros


T e manufacture of hemp ropes has long been an important activity in ports. Under Colbert’s impetus, the naval dockyards built monumental rope works to house combing, spinning, hardening, and so on, as


well as warehouses to store both the hemp and the fi nished ropes. Most of these monumental buildings have unfortunately disappeared, with the exception of the rope factories of Rochefort and Toulon, which can still be admired today. (Figure 1)


Hemp in the Navy


Hemp holds an eminent place in the construction and operation of sailing vessels. According to l’Art de la


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