ATELIERS ET CHANTIERS DE LA LOIRE Launching axe for the Geneviève Molinos. Iron cutting edge, it bears the number ACL on its body, and, engraved on its blade: "NANTES - 1 February 1899 - GENEVIEVE MOLINOS". Total length: 31 cm. This type of small axe was used to cut the last rope that symbolically linked the ship to the land. A similar model for the Mistral is in the collections of the Musée de la Marine. Inventory no. 2008.23.3. The Geneviève MOLINOS is a three-masted cargo sailing ship with a Cap Hornier steel hull, designed for the long-distance transport of goods. Until 1925, they travelled the world, rounding the perilous Cape Horn from which they got their nickname. We owe to them the extraordinary economic development of Europe during this period. Illustration: the crew of the Geneviève MOLINOS in 1905/1906, source: The "Cape Horn to the Long Course" Group, Facebook.