|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
France (1960)
|

|


|
|
At the time of her construction, she was the longest ocean liner in the world, and as it turns out the last ocean liner built exclusively for transatlantic travel. Construction took four years and four months, and cost $80 million. She was 66,000 tons and 1,035 feet in length, and she included a unique double bottom that enabled her to carry 8,000 tons of fuel - enough for the trip to New York and back. The France was launched on May 11, 1960 by Madame Charles de Gaulle, and her "dress rehearsal" was a trip to the Canary Islands prior to her first transatlantic voyage. The decommissioning of the ocean liner in 1975 was caused by various financial problems, high operating costs, and repeated labour strikes. This mothballing was met with dismay by much of the French population, resulting in a song by Michel Sardou, titled ?Le France?. The ship languished at a quay in Le Havre for four years.
In 1978 she was sold to Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), and rechristened "SS Norway". After an extensive renovation that added more cabins and two exterior pools, she was relaunched on April 14, 1980 as the first Superliner employed in cruise service. Her size, passenger capacity, and amenities revolutionized the cruise industry and started a building frenzy as competitors began to order bigger and larger ships. Her operation was revived three further times, in 1990, 1997, and 2001, after machinery, decks, and recreational facilities were renovated. During her 1990 refit, she had further decks added to the top of her structure that featured luxury suites with private verandahs. While many ship aficionados believe the new decks spoiled her clean, classic original lines, the new private verandah cabins were instrumental in keeping Norway financially afloat during the later years of her operation as this became a common feature throughout the cruise industry. Norway's length was finally eclipsed with the introduction of rival cruise line Cunard's newest ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, in early 2004. During the last years of her operation, the aging Norway started taking a backseat to other ships in NCL's lineup. No longer the "Ship amongst Ships", her owners severely cut back on her maintenance and upkeep. She experienced several mechanical breakdowns, fires, incidents of illegal waste dumping, and safety violations for which she was detained at port pending repairs. Despite the cutbacks, the ship remained extremely popular among cruise enthusiasts, some of whom questioned the owner's actions in light of the continuing successful operation of Queen Elizabeth 2, a well-maintained rival 1960's-era ocean liner operating 5-star luxury cruises for NCL rival Cunard Lines, LTD.
In spite of this, the cutbacks continued and problems mounted even as the ship continued to sail with full occupancy. Slated for retirement, she sailed out of Manhattan's west side piers for the last time on September 5th, 2001, on yet another transatlantic crossing. Her passengers would learn of the tragic events of 9/11 while enroute to her home port of Le Havre. However, as the cruise industry reeled from the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, her owners decided to place her back into service -- operating bargain-basement cruises from Miami, after a brief cosmetic refit that failed to address her mounting mechanical and infrastructure problems. Finally, the ocean liner was severely damaged by an early morning boiler room explosion in the U.S. port of Miami on May 29, 2003, which left several crewmembers dead. Towed back to Germany for daunting repairs, she awaited a turn for the better. "France will never sail again," it was announced on March 23, 2004, by NCL Chief Executive Colin Veitch. The ship's ownership was transferred to NCL's parent company, Star Cruises PLC Malaysia. After assuring the German authorities that Norway would go to Asia for repairs and further operation in Australia, she was allowed to leave port under tow.
Instead, the ship was sold to an American naval demolition dealer for scrap value in December of 2005. After eventually reselling the ship to a scrap yard, the ship was to be towed to Bangladesh or India for demolition. However, in light of potentially lengthy legal battles due to environmental concerns over the ship's breakup, and amidst charges of fraudulent declarations made by the company to obtain permission to leave Bremerhaven, her owners canceled the sale contract and refunded the purchase price. (Source: Wikipedia)
4 files, last one added on Aug 22, 2006 Album viewed 20 times
|
|
|
Ile de France
|

|


|
|
The SS Ile de France was the first major ocean liner built after the conclusion of World War I and was the first liner ever decorated with the Art Deco designs. She was neither the largest ship nor the fastest ship, but she was considered the most beautiful ship built by the French Line. The construction of the Ile de France was part of the agreement between the French Line and the French government dating back to November, 1912. This agreement called for the construction of four passenger-mail ships, with the first ship called Paris and the second, Ile de France. World War I delayed construction until the 1920s, with the Paris being launched in 1921 and the Ile de France in 1927.
The SS Ile de France played a major role in the rescue operation after the collision of the passenger liners SS Andrea Doria and SS Stockholm in 1956. After being sold to Japanese scrappers, the Ile de France was used as a floating prop for the 1950s disaster film The Last Voyage as the SS Claridon, where she was partially sunk, explosive devices were set off in her interior, and her forward funnel was sent crashing into the deckhouse in a move defying gravity. The French Line took the filmmakers to court, and succeeded in obtaining an order to have the funnels repainted, and barring the use of the Ile de France name. (Source: Wikipedia)
3 files, last one added on Aug 25, 2006 Album viewed 36 times
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Last additions - French vessels |

Ile-de-France409 viewsAug 25, 2006
|
|

Ile-de-France388 viewsAug 25, 2006
|
|

Normandie305 viewsAug 22, 2006
|
|

Normandie338 viewsAug 22, 2006
|
|

Normandie354 viewsAug 22, 2006
|
|

SS France docked at Kowloon in Hong Kong on her round-the-world final cruise, February 1974352 viewsAug 22, 2006
|
|

Colombie230 viewsNov 04, 2005
|
|

Ile de France411 viewsNov 04, 2005
|
|

|
|
|