ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net
With Reuben Goossens
Maritime Historian
SS
France
SS Norway / SS Blue Lady
Surreal times on the SS France
? 2006 Patrick Jackson - BBC News
?
SS France departing from Le Havre January 1962
Although this page and its contents is now
long in the past, details found in this article and the comments towards the
bottom are certainly interesting and it reminds us what a wonderful ship the SS
France / SS Norway really was!
Reuben Goossens.
Project SS Norway – SS
France
Ship-lovers
and ecologists are battling to prevent the scrapping of a former French ocean
liner in India.
We look back at the (slightly surreal) glory
days of the SS France.
“The great French
Line SS France, became one of the world most popular
cruise ships owned by Klosters/Norwegian Cruise Lines
which was later taken over by the Malaysian Casino giant Genting Corp.
Currently she is owned by Bridgend Shipping/Haryana shipbreakers
and she is currently at anchor off Alang.
Salvador Dali
If the ghost of Salvador Dali appears
off the coast of Gujarat, he may well be on
the deck of the SS France, walking his pet cheetahs. A phantom guitar chord may
hang in the air, left behind by David Bowie the day he played the staff
canteen. Or maybe a stray note of wedding music? This is the
ship that "bore away thousands of lovers", in the words of French
singer Michel Sardou.
Jean Coune
remembers another sound: the smack of a champagne bottle smashing against the
hull on a fine May Day in 1960 to launch the new liner in Saint-Nazaire.
It was released by Madame de Gaulle,
accompanying the French president who was "as ever, on form and delivered
a forceful speech" to tens of thousands of onlookers, Mr Coune says. Jean Coune knows a
thing or two about the hull: at 83, he is the last survivor from among the
engineers who built it.
Salvador
Dali travelling with his pet ocelot-
Saint-Nazaire threw a party that day, adds former shipbuilder Jacques Lheritier, who still remembers the dance in the town
square. Dancing resumed on-board in January 1962 when the luxury liner made its
maiden voyage, and it continued for some 13 years as the France crossed the Atlantic between Le Havre and New
York.
During those years it saw many
weddings, as well as hosting famous passengers preferring the majestic five-day
Atlantic crossing to a plane trip.
Ocean oddity
It was quite a time, recalls Bruno Rabreau, who as a receptionist in the 1970s had dealings
with Dali and his entourage including his formidable wife Gala, his friend
Captain Moore - and the cheetahs, of course.
The first time Gala came to book a
phone call, he remembers thinking she looked very plainly dressed, and he found
it hard to believe the "old maid" was the spouse of the great
surrealist artist.
"She told my chief that I was not
very pleasant, then she came back and gave me five
dollars and said 'I will tame you'," he says. "That's when I knew she
was Madame Dali!"
Luckily for the ship, the cheetahs
appear to have been tamed in advance, as Bruno recalls:
"They took those two big beasts
for a walk around the ship and on the outside desks too - it was not a real
panic but almost!"
Dali, as far as Bruno remembers, did
not do any painting on his trips aboard the SS France but not only did David
Bowie perform - he played for the crew.
Travelling as a first-class passenger,
the rock star was not scheduled to play aboard the France but apparently had heard the
crew were disappointed, so he turned up in the canteen with an acoustic guitar.
"We enjoyed more than 10 songs and
especially Space Oddity which was the first one, and a few crew members took
instruments too and played with him," Bruno says.
"It was a really, really good
time. He was a very ordinary person and very friendly to us. We really enjoyed
it."
'A corpse for cormorants'
In recent years, crew and passengers
alike have been remembering the SS France on a French web site, Souvenirs de
France, which teems with postings as poignant as they are affectionate.
Alain Rochas,
also a receptionist on Le France,
writes: "Oh, the strongbox room before Dinner! How many beautiful women
would come for their jewels; when you are 20 years old..."
Back in 1975 there was already
nostalgia for the liner, which had just been decommissioned and was in port at
the quai d'oubli
(the Quay of the Forgotten) at Le
Havre.
Sardou's Le France
touched a nerve in France
as he sang: "I was a giant of a boat, I bore away
thousands of lovers. I was France
itself and now what remains? A corpse for the
cormorants."
Four years later, the liner returned to
service as the SS Norway and ended up cruising off Miami, where a boiler room explosion in 2003
killed eight crewmen, a tragedy which effectively ended its service at sea.
Now renamed the SS Blue Lady, it is the
subject of a preservation battle. If the breakers do not win out, there is a
proposal to convert it into a floating hotel off a Gulf State.
The hull is said to be still in excellent condition.
Campaigners in the France Liner
Association want to see it moored in its "its birthplace Saint-Nazaire for a third lease of
life", where it could be used as a museum and conference centre.
"The SS France is part of France's heritage,"
says Jean Philippe Prieur, its spokesman.
"For a French person, scrapping le
France is like dismantling the Tower
of London for a Briton."
Do you have any pictures of The France?
If so, you can send them to rg@ssmaritime.com. All photographs used will receive credit as
instructed.
SS France was indeed a piece of maritime art!
Comments (Obtained
by Patrick
Jackson)
I was on board during Sept. 11th. with many friends. It was a very surreal experience.
Erik Ryan, Providence, RI USA
Definitely a keeper!!! Obsolete ..yes, of a by-gone era ...yes, expensive
travel...yes. Anything comparable now.......NO. That's
good enough reason to preserve her. May her hull always lap the waves of her
home!!
Jan , CANADA
I journeyed from New
York to Southampton on the France in 1970 at the age of seven,
and I shall never forget it. My sister and I paid no attention to the signs on
the free-of-charge cinema and ended up seeing Women in Love a few good years
before we were meant to. Johnny Halliday was aboard
and his unbelievably unruly little son was our dining partner in the childrens mess. Crew could not stop the little tyrant from
jumping out of his chair etc. All in all it was like a dream gilt-edged ...
john Dunton-Downer,
London UK
During 1968-70, before I reached my
teens, my family lived in Sierra
Leone. The Suez Canal was closed after the Six
Day War and large vessels had to take the long way around Africa.
One day the SS France called in. She was far too big for the dock at Freetown but dropped
anchor just offshore. My mother and I managed to score passes to go aboard -
what a contrast to the African bustle and confusion just a few hundred metres
away! SS France was a small part of Europe which had almost magically descended
into West Africa for the day. I will never
forget my all too few hours aboard its glamorous yet understated luxury. Simon
Simon Carter, Brisbane, Australia
I sailed on the SS France from New York to Southampton
in late 1962. I was two years old. My earliest memory is of looking at the ship
at its mooring in New York
at night before we sailed. My father subsequently built a scale model of the
ship and it was on the shelf in our living room for many years. In that sense,
it continued to be part of my life. I hope the SS France can be saved.
Sean Lynn-Jones, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Does she not hold the record for the
fastest crossing of the Atlantic at a staggering average of 41 mph.
Les Watson, Wales
Unfortunately a bygone era; nowadays
people get excited by the Airbus A380, quite the opposite. I have childhood
memories of a cousin of my father, Capt. Christian Pettre,
telling stories over dinner about the ship he was in command of (he was I
believe the last captain of France).
Bruno, France
I was a passenger in 1994 when she was
the SS Norway, my wife and I did a wonderful two week cruise from Florida down to the Carribean. She still had so much style even then she stood
out from the vast white american
cruise ships. It will be sad if they break her up for scrap - she was the last
of the "blue ribbon" liners. I remember my time aboard her with great
affection. Chris Rose
Chris Rose, York N. Yorks
I sang and had dinner on board for the
commemoration of the Norway
in 1980. Dinner guests included the actors Liv Ullman, Burl Ives, and Rock Hudson, and the famous ship
builder and owner Knut Kloster, who'd bought and
refitted the SS France into the SS Norway. I was a visiting performing
songwriter from New York
singing at the commemoration concert. It was a perfect summer evening when from
the windows of the SAS hotel, I saw a flotilla of white sails of escorting
boats and fountains of water spraying from the numerous tugs saluting the
beautifully refitted vessel as she pulled out of the Oslo harbor
into the blue fjord to her new future as the SS Norway. Eric Andersen
Eric Andersen, New York, New York
I first saw the SS France in October
1973 alongside the pier in New York
... I'll never forget her beautiful lines with those distinctive perfectly
proportioned funnels. I went specifically to Southampton
to see her off at the old ocean terminal in 79/80? after
her conversion. She still looked beautiful. It's sad that she's at the end of
her life, she epitomised the ambition & hope of post-war France as well
as being a showcase of sixties design.
Paul Edwards, Peacehaven,
England
I remember visting
the SS Norway whilst in Miami
and although traditional and elegant she was very very
big, even our on board guide managed to get us lost.
Paul shoosmith,
This ship must be saved
! As a child I crossed the Atlantic six
times on the S.S. France between 1969 ad 1974. Truly one the most amazing ways
to travel, the ship became my World...at about 300 meters, it could be fully
explored, really amazing.
Andrew
Hayden, Newburyport, MA. USA
In March 1981 (I was only 21 and very
newly engaged) I spent the most fantastic week on the Norway, my husband won
this trip from his then company, there must have at least 50 of us in the
group. I had never been to the carribean then - and
my word I can still remember the ship, it looked stunning in the harbours of the
islands we visited, and the food and the crew were fantastic. The most
memorable night was Captains ball, and the waiters came down a spiral staircase
with 'Baked Alaskas' singing....
Mrs Christine, Surrey
I travelled on Le France as a
foetus. Departed New
York on April 27, 1967. I still have the baggage
labels to testify. My mother was quite seasick during the trip and I wonder if
this is the reason why I'm not prone to sea sickness.
Thomas, Zurich. Switzerland
I can remember sailing on the SS France
and the magnificent cuisine and that was not in first class!
Talbot Hood, Santander Spain
I was a Customs Officer at Southampton
in the late sixties/early seventies and 'boarded' the France many
times. The paperwork was always completed in the music room. She certainly was
the most elegant of the Atlantic liners. The entrance to the dining room was
stunning.
Peter Hayward, Haywards Heath UK
Never a passenger, sadly, but I
remember as a child standing at the harbour entrance in Le Havre as she steamed
out with a replica of the Statue of Liberty forward of her bridge. It was being
filmed for a film called "The Brain". A beautiful ship...
Peter Parsons, Worthing, England
I went to New York
on the France
in 1972 aged seven. They had kennels on board and a fenced-off exercise yard on
deck for the dogs. This featured a variety of street furniture - New York hydrants,
British pillar boxes, Parisian lamp standards etc, to ensure that dogs of every
nationality would know where to go!
George Davson, Oxford
Franck Muller Replica Watches Replica IWC Portuguese watches omega replica watches Rolex Air King Replica
I was a waiter on
the SS Norway during 1980. Nineteen years old and saving my
tips to pay for University. Left Bremenhaven
and moored in Norway
when people queued for hours to see her. Almost every nationality worked on
board - most there to send money home or save for a later dream. Hours were
long with tips being the raison d'etre. Her
metamorphosis into cruising was not without problem - leaking pipes, no air con
etc. oh - and that kitchen floor was like an ice rink! My Korean friend met his
wife whilst docked in Norway
- yes she changed many lives - and prepared me for mine.
Dr Tim du Feu, Jersey, CI
I was on the SS France in 1964 at the
age of 11. It was absolutely fabulous. The food was incredible, the service was
magnificent and the facilities were amazing. She was a beautiful, elegant ship.
What a way to cross!! I have Great memories of a wonderful, long gone way of
life. We also traveled on the SS. United States
(destroyed in the late 70's). It would be a real pity if the SS France was
destroyed too. I hope she will live.
Don Taylor, Checkendon, Uk
INDEX
Page One …???????????????????? SS
France
Page
Two …???????????????????? SS Norway
Page
Three …?????????????????? SS Norway – Blue Lady
Page
Four …???????????????????? Norway Deck Plan
Photo …?????????????????????????? QE2
passes the Norway
Photo …?????????????????????????? Photographer Don
Tremain presents his experience and four photographs
Photo
…?????????????????????????? Tomas-Rosales
shares his photographs of the Norway
in Miami
Photo …?????????????????????????? Michael and Lee Ann Pavlick
honeymoon cruise in 2002
Photo …?????????????????????????? Norway in Bremerhaven
– Page Two
Photo …?????????????????????????? Norway Departs Bremerhaven 23 May 2005
Photo …?????????????????????????? A
series of photographs of SS Blue Lady in Alang
Story …?????????????????????????? Pauli Dangerousli describes his
1997 cruise on the SS Norway
Story …?????????????????????????????????? “The
Ship that Saved my Life” – The Karl Henrik Henriksen Story (2 pages)
Article …????????????????????????? “Surreal
times on the SS France” by Patrick Jackson
Visit
the “Save The Classic Liners Campaign”
page
***************************************************
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trust you have enjoyed reading this page on this fine and much loved passenger
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any photographs I would greatly appreciate some, especially those of the
interiors and out on deck. Email Me!
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