Le Français (tall ship)
Le Français, formerly the Kaskelot, is a three-masted barque and one of the largest remaining wooden ships in commission. History. Danish flag. The "Kaskelot" was built in 1948 by J. Ring-Andersen for the Royal Greenland Trading Company, to carry supplies to remote coastal settlements in East Greenland. During the 1960s, "Kaskelot" worked as a support vessel for Danish fisheries in the Faroe Islands. British flag. In 2007, for the bi-centennial celebration of Great Britain's ending the African slave trade, the ship was sailed up the Thames River to Tower Bridge in London  to represent the "Zong." This slave ship, its crew and cargo of slaves figured in court proceedings in 1783 and became a symbol for the nation's anti-slavery movement because of the murder of 132 slaves during the voyage. New owners purchased the ship in 2013 and undertook an extensive 8-month refit at T. Nielsen in Gloucester during which it was upgraded to comply with MCA MLC guidelines. The ship is used for charter and commercial work around the UK. French flag. In 2018, the "Kaskelot" is bought by Frédéric Lescure and brought under the French flag. She  is now managed by the company Bob Escoffier Maritime. Then, the ship has been renamed "Le Français", in hommage of the ship used by explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot during his expedition in Antarctic (1903-1905). Film credits. "Kaskelot" has appeared in the following film and television productions: