Canals in FranceNederlandse versieShipyards Baasrode

I visited Baasrode in a study weekend on the subject 'care for water-monuments'. In Baasrode is an inland navigation museum but there are also two abandoned shipyards (Van Damme and Van Praet).

Baasrode is situated on a strategic place on the Scheldt, south of Antwerp. One could sail in one tide from Antwerp to Baasrode. This way could arise in Baasrode all forms of navigation activity in the Middle ages. In dry-falling creeks at low tide reparations on ships were done. Later on shipyards were situated here.

The shipyards come to great prosperity in the nineteenth century. There are five or six of them. All kind of ships are built here. The first 'Baquet de Charleroi' was made here. In the twentieth century one swathed to the building of 'spitsen'. A 'spits' was the universal inland barge of Europe. This ship, 5 meter wide and 38,5 meters long,  fitted in  just in the locks of most canals.

On the shipyard of Van Preat-Dansaert ships were made at a conveyor band. One could build one 'spits' a week. Ultimately december 1987 the last shipyard was closed.

The shipyards Van Damme and Van Praet are monuments but that issue meets much opposition. Some juridical procedures haven't been finalised. The consequence is that nothing is allowed at the shipyards, nothing positive and nothing negative.

We came in the Atelier Preat-Dansaert. Everything exists just as thirteen years ago: the moulds and equipment to bend corner-iron to rafters, the punching and drilling machines, an empty bottle of beer.

In the de smithy hammer and pincers are laying still on the anvil. The welding-masks are laying somewhat further as if they were laid down just for the lunch interval. And everything is under a coat of dust. The light is tempered by the dust on the windows. When I stepped aside from the group I felt an unreal atmosphere. It felt as though the ship-laborers were watching me from behind. It was a good adventure being there and it's a beautiful piece of (ship-building) history.

There are still two tide-docks laying outside were five ships could be built or repaired. The gates to the Scheldt are hidden under a raised dike now. The gates could be laid flatly and the barge could navigate over it at high tide. At low tide the barges sink on the floor and the gates were pulled up. It is equally ingenious as simple!

 

When we leave Baasrode at four o'clock, we met an oncoming barge, a 'spits'. It is going very fast because of the rising tide pushing in its back.