The "BELEM" was ordered on december 23rd, 1895 by the ship owner Denis Crouan and Sons in the Nantes shipyard DURIGEON. Launded on June 10, 1896, she was used as a cargo ship on the Caribbean trading routes and for a long time carried cargo cocoa powder for the Meunier chocolate factory.
All steel buit, she was 58 meters long, carrying a sail area of 1200 m2 and was manned by 16 crew. Sold in 1914 to the Duke of Wesminster, she underwent several refits, then was sold again and renamed FANTOM II and Giorgio Cini.
La Caisse d'Epargne bought her off the italians in 1977 and donated her to the BELEM foundation which converted her into a sail training ship.
To date bases in Nantes, her home port.