During the year 1898, in Nantes and in the Nantes area several million was collected for the construction of the sailing ships, construction which seemed to have to take a certain rise thanks to the laws of 1893. Those during four years had produced few effects because of prudence of the holders of capital, became wary following the world-wide crisis of freight of 1884.
The Nantes fleet increased quickly by the constructions made in Rouen, Bordeaux, Saint-Nazaire and the local shipyards, helped of the Nantes shipyard of Chantenay lately created in 1899.
Twenty new shipping companies were formed. The last sailing ship built to profit by the law of January 31, 1893 was the "Rochambeau", delivered in December 1902 in Nantes. Then the effect of the law of 1893 ceased and consequently construction stopped abruptly at the end of the year 1902.
Before the war of 1914, the Compagnie Française de Navigation changed into Compagnie Générale d'Armement had absorbed the fleets of several shipping companies and became the most powerful shipping company of Nantes sailing ships. The First World War saw the disappearance of many sailing ships registred in Nantes, then the 8 hours law obliged the Nantes ship-owners to lay up their sailing ships in the Canal de la Martinière located close to Nantes.
September 22, 1927, the last ship of the Compagnie Générale d'Armement left the Canal, sold to a Le Havre ship-owner. The fleet of the Cape-Horners sailing ships registred in Nantes, after more than thirty years of existence, had disappeared for always !
In total, 149 Cape-Horners sailing ships sailed under Nantes flag between 1893 and 1921.
