CMN’s history is linked with the story of one man, Félix Amiot, born in 1894 in Cherbourg. Early in his life, Félix Amiot showed strong interest in aeronautics which led him to undertake the building of his first aircraft, Amiot 1, before the age of 20.
Its fuselage made in metallic tube already foretells pioneer technologies, the latter will contribute to its creator’s reputation. His high standard in production ranked Felix Amiot among those manufacturers, who between the two world wars, gave France a predominant place in the airplane design and manufacturing (eleven international speed records).
The aftermath of the war, both economical and political, leads Felix Amiot to turn into an other industrial sector the shipbuilding, using the expertise he had gained in the aeronautics area. He aims at the design and building of light fast attack craft, heavily armed, some sort of "sea -hunters”.
However, the first vessel built by CMN was a wooden trawler which was launched on 23 June 1948. Soon the shipyard specialised in building vessels in wood. Specially in the Mine-Sweeper area for the French and German Navies. The Minesweeper design was followed by the improved version the Minehunter One of its major series was the well-known CIRCÉ class Minehunters (the first one was launched on 15 December 1970, the following four between 1971 and 1972). The Minehunter design is based on the use of the CMN patented "glued laminated wood technique' which gives the best answer to the ship qualities in term of : non-magnetism, noise ‘s absorption or noise’s reflecting….
Quickly CMN diversifies its products : minesweepers, coast guard vessels, then fishing boats, barge and patrol boats.
In 1967 the Israeli destroyer Eilath was sank by a surface to surface missile fired from an Egyptian fast patrol boat. Since he diversified, Félix Amiot had always believed in fast patrol boat shipbuilding and this incident marks the beginning of this new type of shipbuilding. A Combattante I prototype was built with a wooden hull.
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