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Musée naval du Maillé-Brézé in Nantes en Loire-Atlantique

Musée
Musée de la Marine
Musée de l'armée Française
Bateau classé

Musée naval du Maillé-Brézé in Nantes

    Quai de la Fosse
    44000 Nantes

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
2000
9 octobre 1953
Docking
2 juillet 1955
Launch
4 mai 1957
Commissioning
1967-1968
Recast ASM
1er avril 1988
Disarmament
1er juillet 1988
Opening of the museum
28 octobre 1991
Historical monument classification
2015
Ephemeral work *Dazzle*
2016
Turn of *Dunkerque*
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Jean Armand de Maillé, marquis de Brézé - Man tribute Marin whose ship bears the name.
Capitaine de frégate Mauduit - Commander in 1957 First ship manager.
Norman Wilkinson - Artistic inspiration Creator of camouflage *Dazzle*.
Christopher Nolan - Director Use the ship for *Dunkerque*.

Origin and history

The Méillé-Brézé is a squadron escort of type T47, Surcouf class, built for the French National Navy. Launched in 1955 and commissioned in 1957, it bears the name of the sailor Jean Armand de Maillé, Marquis de Brézé. Originally designed as an anti-aircraft escort, he was rebuilt in 1967-1968 to become an anti-submarine ship, equipped with modern systems such as the towed sonar.

Based in Brest, the Méillé-Brézé mainly supported the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST) after its redesign. Its missions led to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for a decade. Unarmed in 1988, he was entrusted to the association Nantes Marine Tradition and transformed into a floating naval museum, opened to the public since July 1988 on the Quai de la Fosse in Nantes.

Ranked as historic monuments in 1991, the ship retains its original equipment: armament, detection systems, and crew living quarters. In 2015, his shell was temporarily painted in the Dazzle style at the Teenage Kicks festival, inspired by the camouflages of the First World War. In 2016, he served as a stage for Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk, after arrangements to match the 1940s era.

The crew consisted of 347 men, housed in collective shifts or individual chambers according to their rank. The ship held its class speed record (39 knots in 1956). Today, the museum discovers its operational history, its technologies, and life aboard a Cold War escort.

The Méillé-Brézé symbolizes the technological evolution of the National Navy between the 1950s and 1980s. Its anchoring in Nantes makes it a unique testimony of French naval engineering, accessible to the general public.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Conditions de visite : Ouvert toute l'année
  • Ouverture : Lundi, mardi, jeudi, vendredi (hors vacances scolaires) : 1 seule visite à 15h Mercredi, samedi, dimanche, jours fériés, et vacances scolaires : Ouvert de 14h à 18h
  • Tarif individuel : Entrée Adulte 9,0 €
  • Contact organisation : 09 79 18 33 51
  • Equipment and Details

    • Animaux non admis
    • Boissons sur place
    • Parking à proximité