At the same time as the trawler Côte d'Azur was launched on 15 October 1949, Ateliers et Chantiers de France's AP2 building was opened. This 32 metre high pre-fabrication workshop equipped with 30 tonne overhead cranes was very quickly named the 'cathedral'. Its size meant that large pre-fabricated hulls could be turned over in order to facilitate their welding.
This imposing building, the last emblematic witness to the city's industrial past, is being restored to house soon the Regional Collection of Contemporary Art (FRAC).
The prefabrication workshop known as the "cathedral".
Photos: Port Museum Collection.