«A shipyard [that] is truly a nation,
not only in its essence or effect. Or even more
than a nation, [it is] a female womb where the seed
of mathematic calculation is sown and, one by one,
entire generations of ships are born to sail the
seas of the world».
The Genoese poet, Giorgio Caproni admits to hyperbole
in describing the Ansaldo shipyard in Sestri Ponente.
And yet, how to portray the dimensions of a shipyard
that produced transatlantic ocean liners? How to
capture in words the time to build them and the
thousands of common laborers who worked on the docks?
In the first half of 19th century, Sestri Ponente
was a small agricultural town of 5000 residents.
The Cadenaccio brothers had already built a small
dockyard for the construction of wooden ships. The
Grand Hotel accommodated the well-born and fashionable
who chose to spend their summers at the Ligurian
seaside. A few decades later, with the establishment
of the Ansaldo shipyard, workshops, mechanical plants,
and a tobacco factory, Sestri became a blue-collar
town (annexed to Genoa in 1926), squeezed
between neighbouring cities and densely populated
(in the 1930s the inhabitants exceeded 37.000).
But Sestri Ponente wasn’t simply a town that
grew up around the factories. It became an industrial
suburb that literally learned to dwell «in
the shadow» of huge ships in their construction
bays, rising up over the houses behind the shipyard.
Sestri Ponente clearly demonstrates the multi-faceted
interaction between industry and the urban center.
On the one hand, intense confrontation between workers
and employers took place (a significant example
is the 1950 labor union dispute, during which time,
workers occupied and ran the shipyard, completing
the constuction of the motor tanker Volere and beginning
the project for a turbine steamship. On the other
hand, here was a community proud of their part in
building luxurious liners and great warships sold
throughout the world. Sestri lived according to
the rhythm and pace of the shipyard.
A culminating event in the life of Sestri was the
launching of a ship, a time of lively celebration
for all the town. But even at that moment, uncertainty
lingered about future orders and therefore, the
livelihood of the shipyards. Following each launch,
many workers hurried to recover tallow and cast
iron scraps for resale, to make ends meet. (as well
explained in Immagini e spazi urbani. Sestri Ponente
1880-1960, Electa, Milano, 1986).
In this section of Culture e Impresa
, we offer further reflection on this subject with
the article «Un poeta e un pittore in visita
ai cantieri dell’Ansaldo» (A poet and
a painter visit the Ansaldo shipyard), by Giorgio
Caproni, with sketches by artist Renzo Vespignani,
as well as a film clip and 12 photos from Fondazione
Ansaldo film and picture archive.
