Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The La Rochelle Maritime Museum, located in the Old Port trawler basin, is a unique space combining land exhibitions and a floating heritage fleet. Founded in 1988 by Patrick Shnepp in associative form, in 2015 it integrates municipal museums and extends with the Hall of Pavilions, recognizable by its colorful canvases in the shape of spinnakers. This extension houses the permanent exhibition "La Rochelle né de la mer", tracing the evolution of the port since Antiquity, as well as temporary exhibitions like "Climate-Ocean" (2019, updated in 2023), designed with the museum of natural history.

The museum's collection includes nine ships classified as historical monuments, three of which are accessible to the public: the frigate France I (1958, meteorological ship), the trawler Angoumois (1992, saved from scrap metal), and the ketch Joshua (1962, famous for the world tour of Bernard Moitessier). Other iconic ships, such as the tug Saint-Gilles (1958) or the Damien (World Tour 1969–73), illustrate significant episodes of maritime history. The museum also preserves some 40 sailing boats from Petite Plaisance and organizes heritage navigations, notably with Joshua and Damien, thanks to the Association of Friends of the Museum.

The museum's territorial anchoring is strengthened with scientific partnerships, such as for the exhibition "Climate-Ocean", and artistic collaborations ("Sad Sand" by Yves Salaün in 2020, "La Mer" by Arthur-Bertrand in 2022). The site also hosts private yachts classified under convention, such as the Clapotis (1920) or the Khayyam (1939), strengthening its role as a living conservator of the marine heritage. Its evolution reflects the desire to link historical preservation, pedagogy and awareness to contemporary issues, such as the relationship between ocean and climate.

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