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''Normandie''
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| Owners: | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
| Builders: | Penhoët, Saint Nazaire , France |
| Laid down: | January 26 1931 |
| Launched: | October 29 , 1932 |
| Christened: | October 29 , 1932 |
| Maiden voyage: | May 29 , 1935 |
| Fate: | Caught fire in 1942 and was later sold and scrapped in 1946 |
| General Characteristics |
|---|
| Tonnage: | 79,280/83,423 gross tons |
| Displacement: | 71,300 tons (approx) Fully loaded |
| Length: | 1,029 ft (313.6 m) |
| Beam: | 119.4ft (36.4 m) |
| Draft: | 37.00 feet |
| Height: | 184 feet |
| Power: | Four Turbo-Electric, total 160,000 hp. |
| Propulsion: | Four 3- (later 4-) bladed, 23 tons each |
| Speed: | Designed speed 29 knots, could reach 32.2 knots |
| Complement: | 1,972 passengers (848 first-(cabin) class, 670 tourist class, 454 third class), 1,345 crew |
The '' was a
French Ocean Liner built in
Saint-Nazaire ,
France . When launched she was the ship of superlatives - the largest, fastest, and arguably the greatest
Ocean Liner of all time. She was the first liner ever to surpass 60,000 tons (70,000 and 80,000 as well), first to surpass 1,000 feet in length, and the first ship to make an
Atlantic crossing with an average speed of over 30 knots.
The beginnings of the ''Normandie'' can be traced to the
Roaring Twenties when shipping companies started to look for new ships to replace the aging veterans, such as the ''
RMS Mauretania '' who had first sailed in 1907. Companies like as
Cunard and
White Star Line planned to build their own super-liners to rival the newer ships on the scene. These new ships included the record-breaking ''Bremen'' and ''Europa'', both German ships. The
French Line was not to be left out of this new race and soon began to plan their own supership.
At first the plan was to construct a ship similar to French Line ships of the past, but instead the designers were approached by a man by the name of
Vladimir Yourkevitch , who had been a ship architect in the
Imperial Russian Navy before the revolution and had emigrated to France. His ideas included a slanting clipper-like bow and the bulbous forefoot beneath the waterline in combination with a slim hull, a design which worked wonderfully in the scale model. The French engineers were impressed.
Work began on the ship (not yet named ''Normandie'') in January 1931, soon after the terrifying
Stock Market Crash of 1929. This was fortunate for the French because the
White Star Line 's ship – started before the crash – had to be cancelled while the
Cunard ship was put on hold, due to the financial problems that arose in the times following the crash. Soon the French builders had to ask the government for money to continue construction on the ship, which led people to ask why so much money was being spent on an
Ocean Liner . Still, the building was followed heavily by newspapers and national interest was deep. Though she was designed to represent France in the nation-state contest of the great liners, and though she was built in a French shipyard, parts of her came from all over Europe. The ship's great
Rudder was built by
Skoda Works in
Czechoslovakia . The steering mechanism, including the
Teak wheel, came from
Edinburgh . The most famous poster of the Normandie was made by
Adolphe Mouron Cassandre who, like Yourkevitch, was a Russian emigrant to France.
As construction went on, the growing hull in
Saint-Nazaire had no name except for "T-6", the contract name. Many names were suggested including ''Doumer'', after the recently assassinated
President Paul Doumer . Finally the name ''Normandie'' was decided upon after much speculation.
On October 29, 1932 – three years to the day from the
Stock Market Crash – the ''Normandie'' was launched in front of 200,000 spectators. The 27,567 ton hull that slid into the
Loire River was the largest hull ever launched and it caused a large wave that crashed into a few hundred people, but with no injury. The ''Normandie'' was outfitted until early 1935, meaning all her interior, funnels, engines, etc. were put in to make her into a working vessel. Finally, in April 1935, the ''Normandie'' was ready for her trials, which were watched by reporters. It was a great success and finally everyone could see
Vladimir Yourkevitch 's design in action. Hardly a wave was created by the streamlined design and everyone was very impressed with the performance of the ship.
The luxurious interiors of the ''Normandie'' were marvels of
Art Deco and the
Streamline Moderne style. Many of her sculptures and wall paintings made indirect or direct allusions to
Normandy , the province of France for which she was named. Drawings and photographs from the era show a series of vast public rooms of great elegance. The children's dining room was decorated by
Jean De Brunhoff , who covered the walls with
Babar The Elephant and his ''entourage''. Indeed, the interior was quite dazzling but perhaps the most dazzling was the first class dining room. Three hundred and five feet long, 46 feet wide and 28 feet high, this was by far the largest room afloat. It could seat 700 diners at a time with 150 tables, serving them with some of the best meals in the world. This ship was a floating promotion of the most sophisticated
French Cuisine of the period. However due to the design of the ship, no natural lighting could get in. The designers illuminated the room with twelve tall pillars of
Lalique glass and along the walls stood 38 columns equally bright. In addition, two chandeliers hung at each end of the room. From this gorgeous display of lights came the nickname "Ship of Light".
A popular feature was a cafe which led to the grand salon, one of the most popular rooms onboard which would be transformed into a nightclub during voyages. In addition, the ''Normandie'' boasted both an indoor and outdoor pool (the second ship to have one, after the Italian liner ''
Rex ''), a chapel and a theater which could function as both a stage and cinema.
The interiors were filled with long perspectives and spectacular entryways such as long, wide staircases in order to give a suitable frame to the many upper middle class ladies who saw an Atlantic crossing as a way to show off their clothes and jewels, and sometimes their husbands.
In addition to a novel hull shape which made it possible for her to attain her great speed at lesser power expenditure than that of the other big liners, the ''Normandie'' was filled with technical feats. She had turbo-electric engines which eliminated the massive gearing of other liners and made control and maintenance much easier. The machinery of the top deck and forecastle, normally an eyesore or an annoyance for passengers on the other liners, had been integrated within the ship, concealing it completely and releasing nearly all of the exposed deck space for the passengers' use. An early form of
Radar was installed to detect icebergs and other ships. She was the first liner to have a gyroscopic compass system.
The maiden voyage came on May 29, 1935 after more fitting out and final touches. Fifty thousand people came to
Le Havre to see the large ship off, on what was hoped would be a record-breaking crossing. And indeed it was. The ''Normandie'' reached New York after just four days, three hours and fourteen minutes thus snatching away the
Blue Riband from the Italian liner ''
Rex ''. This prize was a source of great pride for the French. They had watched other countries gain this prestigious award year after year but had never had it themselves, until the ''Normandie''. Her average speed on the maiden voyage was around 30 knots and on the eastbound crossing to
France she averaged over 30 knots, shattering records on the way.
With the
Blue Riband hers, the ''Normandie'' had a successful year but come 1936 a new ship was on the scene. The ''
RMS Queen Mary '',
Cunard 's superliner entered service in the summer of 1936. They had announced the ''Queen Mary'' would surpass 80,000 tons. At 79,280 gross tons, the Normandie would in that case lose the prestigious title of being the world’s largest liner to her British rival. Therefore, the French Line decided to increase the Normandie’s size, mainly through the addition of an enclosed tourist lounge on the aft boat deck. Following these and a few other alterations, the Normandie was re-measured at 83,423 gross tons. Exceeding the Queen Mary by some 2,000 tons, she would remain the world’s largest. However in August of that year, the ''Queen Mary'' stole the
Blue Riband from the ''Normandie'' averaging 30.14 knots, thus starting a fierce rivalry.
In July of 1937 the ''Normandie'' regained the Blue Riband once more, but the ''Queen Mary'' took it back the next year. After this the captain of the ''Normandie'' sent a message to the British liner saying "Bravo to the ''Queen Mary'' until next time!" This rivalry could have gone on into the 1940s but was unfortunately put to a halt due to
World War II , proving that there would be no next time.
The outbreak of war found the ''Normandie'' in New York Harbor. Soon the ''Queen Mary'' docked near the ''Normandie''. She would later be refitted to become a troop ship. In addition, the newly launched ''Queen Elizabeth'' docked nearby, so for a time the three largest liners in the world were docked side by side. Soon the Queens left and ''Normandie'' was left alone. In 1940 after the
Fall Of France , the
United States seized the ship.
By 1941 the United States Navy decided to convert the ''Normandie'' into a , crushing a fireboat. A shot of the capsized ship makes a brief
Cameo Appearance towards the end of
Alfred Hitchcock 's film
Saboteur .
The ship was righted in 1943 by the world's most expensive salvage operation, but it was subsequently determined that the cost of restoring the liner was too great. After neither the US Navy nor the French Line offered to restore the liner, the ship's designer, Vladimir Yourkevitch, made a last-ditch proposal to cut the ship down and restore her as a mid-sized passenger liner. This, too, failed to draw backing, and the former ''Normandie'' was sold to
Lipsett Inc. and scrapped in 1947.
The SS Normandie inspired the architecture and design of the
Normandie Hotel in
San Juan, Puerto Rico . It was designed by
Félix Benítez , a Puerto Rican engineer as a tribute to his French wife, Moineau, whom he met aboard the French ocean liner (see
Normandie Hotel .)
profile of the ''Normandie''.]]
1500 passengers of the SS Normandie get a gift a model boat of SS Normandie.
- Ardman, Harvey. "Normandie, Her Life and Times," New York, Franklin Watts, 1985
- Brinnin, John Malcolm. ''The Sway of the Grand Saloon : a Social History of the North Atlantic''. New York : Delacorte Press, 1971
- Coleman, Terry. ''The liners : a history of the North Atlantic crossing''. Harmondsworth, England : Penguin Books, 1977
- Fox, Robert. ''Liners: The Golden Age. Die Grosse Zeit der Ozeanriesen. L'Age d'or des paquebots''. text Cologne: Konneman, 1999.
- Kludas, Arnold. ''Record breakers of the North Atlantic - Blue Riband Liners 1838-1952'', Chatham Publishing, London, 2000.
- Maddocks, Melvin ''The Great Liners''. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978.
- Maxtone-Graham, John. ''The Only Way to Cross''. New York: Collier Books, 1972.
- Boks, W. Holland: photo of the model boat SS Normandie 1935.
