CruisingThePast.com » FRENCH LINE

SS L’Atlantique of the Cie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique was an unique example for the next ocean liners of the 1930s.

Michael L. Grace — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:08:08 +0000

SS L’Atlantique of the Cie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique was an unique example for the next ocean liners of the 1930s, not only in Interior design, modernity, and wonderful Art Deco areas, but also a bad example regarding the risk of “fire”. Only 16 months she crossed the seas, when her lacquered interiors, wooden panels, were the victims of a fire on January 3rd 1933.

Youtube video – L’ATLANTIQUE 1931-1933 Part I, before the fire. Take a tour , on the beautiful liner before the accident. Photos source: l’Illustration 1930, 1931 – Miroir du Monde 1933.

Youtube video – L’ATLANTIQUE PART II , the doomed liner

On this January 3rd, 1933 only a part of the crew was aboard, 229 souls, the ocean liner was on the route to Le Havre, for some refits and transformations….but early in the morning at 6h 45…..a fire broke out.

Fitted out with the most expensive wooden lacquered panels, the Atlantique was on of the most modern designed liner of its period.

The beautiful shopping gallery, the use of wood and the important spaces gave the fire the best conditions to destruct this unique Art Deco Liner. 18 victims were the result of this accident and new rules for fire protection for Ocean Liners.

Background and History – SS L’Atlantique

SS L’Atlantique was ordered from the Penhoet shipyards in St. Nazaire, France, birthplace of the famed Ile De France. In fact, she was considered by some to be the “first cousin” to the Ile de France. However, L’Atlantique would work a different route, and her end would come much sooner than the Ile De France.

The L’Atlantique was part of the Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique. This line, as well as other lines on this route, traveled from European ports to South America. She was launched on April 15, 1930, and she set out on her maiden voyage from Bordeaux to Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires on September 29.

Her only shortcomings were the onset of the Great Depression, as well as her external appearance. Externally, she was a rather ugly ship. She looked top-heavy, coming close to looking clumsy. In order to improve her appearance, her three funnels were heightened.

Inside, she was beautiful. Everything was in tune with that which would be found on any North Atlantic vessel of the French Line on the North Atlantic. In the picture at left, you can see the L’Atlantique’s famed shopping mall.

However, her commercial life was short. The New York Times had this to say about the L’Atlantique on January 5, 1933:

“The luxurious new 42,500-ton L’Atlantique, the twelfth-largest ship afloat, and pride of France’s South Atlantic fleet, was wrecked by fire in the English Channel, and it was feared that a score of the more than 200 men of the crew who were aboard drowned or perished in the flames which swept the ship from stem to stern. The others were rescued by four freighters (the Achilles, Erato, Ford Castle, and Ruhr) which responded to the only call for help which the wireless operator was able to send out before he was overcome by smoke.”

“The liner carried no passengers, as it was being sailed from Bordeaux to Le Havre for overhauling before resuming its run to South America, but the fire apparently started in a first class stateroom. Captain Rene Schoofs said it was discovered there at 3:30 AM, and before the crew could organize effective measures against it, the fire had spread through a section of first class cabins, apparently making its way along the electric wire conduits. Just before six o’clock, it was obvious that the L’Atlantique, ablaze from end to end, was beyond saving, and the order was given to abandon ship. One of the first boats lowered met with disaster when the davit ropes broke, throwing seven or eight men into the sea, where they were drowned. Others, according to the Captain, particularly the boiler-room crew, stayed at their posts until too late to save themselves from asphyxiation, and still others were trapped by swift-spreading flames.”

“Captain Schoofs, the last to leave the ship, jumped overboard half dressed, following seven or eight of his crew who had remained until the last minute working the lifeboat winches. In the half light provided by the glow of the burning vessel and the first rays of dawn, a lifeboat from the Dutch steamship Achilles made its way to the point where men where in the water water, and rescued all of them. They were landed at Cherbourg, Captain Schoofs coming ashore in a Dutch officer’s uniform lent to him by the captain of the Achilles.”

“Late this afternoon, the L’Atlantique began to list to port and when last observed bad a twenty-degree list. The flames were no longer visible, but smoke was pouring out of the hulk. The ship still was too hot for tugs to attempt to tow the hulk, which was 25 miles west of the Island of Guernsey. The French Ministry of Marine announced tonight that the liner was a total loss.”

However, L’Atlantique was not alone in her destruction at that time. Another French liner, the Georges Philippar, was destroyed by fire. Fifty people turned up missing after that fire. And that’s a lot, considering that her total capacity was 850 (600 passengers and 250 crew). The Georges Philippar was believed to be destroyed due to defective wiring. This led to an accumulation of a high electrical charge in the ship itself, causing fires to break out all over the ship at the same time. The French press believed a similar cause of the fire on the L’Atlantique, but some hinted at sabotage as the cause.

However, who was to claim the still-floating wreckage of the liner caused rivalry between the French, the Dutch, and the Germans. However, the tugboat captains from these companies were beset by waves, winds, and currents, which caused the wreck of the L’Atlantique to list to starboard, which made some wonder if she could even make it to Cherbourg harbor before sinking.

The first people to board the ship after the fire were two Frenchmen, who risked their lives to raise the French tricolor for the purpose of claiming the wreck for France. However, the tricolor was soon blackened by the clouds of smoke that were still coming out of the liner.

Continuing the national rivalry, the captains of the three nations’ tugs, after towing L’Atlantique into Cherbourg, all filed reports with the Chamber of Commerce in Cherbourg in order to settle the controversy of who salvaged the liner, and thus who owns it. Captain Schoofs claimed that the liner was not officially abandoned, as he gave the captain of Minotaure the authority to take charge of the salvage. But if it was abandoned, the first tug to start salvaging it owns the ship. The French press didn’t particularly appreciate that the liner’s salvage caused a bitter salvage fight.

Though the fire was finally put out on January 8 by the Cherbourg fire brigade, the value of the remains could not be properly assessed until the hull had been pumped out and the wreckage cleaned up. The estimates were that if L’Atlantique was able to be restored after the fire, she would be worth from $2,500,000 to $3,000,000. However, if she was only good for scrapping (as ended up being the case), she would only be worth $80,000 to $120,000.

After she made it to Cherbourg, a year-long battle between the marine underwriters and the ship’s owners ensued. During this whole to do, she sat idle in Cherbourg. It was finally determined, after the final accounting of insurance money coming to $6,800,000 in favor of the Compagnie Sud-Atlantique. Finally, in February 1936, with there being no intention of restoring L’Atlantique to a marketable state and no further need for the ship as evidence, she was sold to scrappers. Thus, she was towed to Smith & Houston, at Port Glasgow, and turned into scrap metal.

THE SS EUROPA and CELEBRITIES WHO CROSSED THE POND ABOARD THE GREAT GERMAN LINER – FROM SCHIAPARELLI TO RIEFENSTAHL

Michael L. Grace — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:22:05 +0000

1930s – THE SS EUROPA and CELEBRITIES WHO CROSSED THE POND – GERMAN DIRECTOR LENI RIEFENSTAHL FOUND THE EUROPA A GREAT WAY TO VISIT THE USA.

THE EUROPA

The SS Europa (later the French Line SS Liberté) was one of a pair of fast ocean liners built in the late nineteen-twenties for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line (NDL) for the transatlantic passenger service. Her sister ship was the Bremen, and the two were very similar, though not identical. The German Director Leni Riefenstahl found it the only way to cross the Atlantic.

German Director Leni Riefenstahl – Original caption: 11/4/1938-New York, New York- Leni Riefenstahl, Naziland’s film queen, greets America with a big smile upon arriving on the S.S. Europa.

Leni Riefenstahl Sits on Ships Railing – Original caption: 11/4/1938- New York, NY- Leni Riefenstahl, 27-year-old Queen of German Cinema and a reported favorite of Adolf Hitler, as she arrived in New York, Nov. 4, on the S.S. Europa. Photo shows her posed on the ships railing.

Europa was built in 1929 with her sister ship Bremen to be the second 50,000 gross tons North German Lloyd liner. With both ships, the NDL will reach the top class shipping company of Atlantic traffic once more.

Europa and her slightly larger sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27.5 knots, allowing an Atlantic crossing time of 5 days. This enabled Norddeutsche Lloyd to run regular weekly crossings with two ships, a feat that normally required three.

Evangelist Aimee Semple – Original caption: Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson noted Los Angeles Evangelist looking as fashionable as ever as she arrives on the S.S. Europa after a tour of the Holy Lands.

The launching of Europa took place at Blohm & Voss shipyard, Hamburg on August 1, 1928. Europa was intended to be completed in spring 1929. However, on the morning of 26 March 1929, a fire broke out while still at the equipment dock. The fire raged all day long and it was not until the evening when the fire was under control. The ship’s turbines were damaged heavily and also the remainder of the ship had been significantly damaged. After long discussions between builder and shipping company, it was decided to repair the ship. Within eleven months the ship was finished and completed on 22 February 1930. The cause of the fire could be never clarified completely.

Europa made her maiden voyage to New York on 19 March 1930 taking the westbound Blue Riband from the SS Bremen with the average speed of 27.91 knots and a crossing time of 4 days, 17 hours and 6 minutes.

Like the Bremen, Europa had a small seaplane launched from a catapult on her upper deck between the funnels. The airplane flew from the ship to a landing at the seaplane port in Blexen. The pilots and technicians gained experience later applied to equiping German warships with on-board aircraft.

The catapult was removed from both Bremen and Europa after a few years of service, because it was too expensive and complex.

During World War II, she was in German hands and largely inactive. There were plans to use her as a transport in Operation Sealion, the intended invasion of Great Britain, and later conversion to an aircraft carrier. None of these plans came to pass, and in 1945, she was captured by the allies and used as a troopship, sailing as the USS Europa (AP-177).

However, after it was discovered that the ship had infrastructural problems from years of neglect (defective wiring and hull cracks), she was removed from this service.

THE LIBERTE

After the war she was turned over to the French as war reparations and France began to refit her for passenger service. In 1946 while being refitted, she broke free of her moorings during a storm and collided with the wreck of the Paris and sank.[1] She was raised, and in 1950, made her maiden voyage under her new name, Liberté, to New York.

The refitted Liberté received the colours of the French Line, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, as well as lengthened funnels. The original squat-shaped funnels had already been lengthened while in service as the SS Europa, to address the problem of exhaust soot coating passengers, but gained further height for the French Line.

Following eleven years of service as one of the largest transatlantic liners in the French Line fleet, SS Liberté was laid up in 1961 and scrapped in 1962.

SS Liberté also made an appearance in the 1954 classic film Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, as the ocean liner which features in the final scenes of the film.

William Randolph Hearst is seen working in his suite aboard the S.S. Europa during a transatlantic crossing in 1931.

Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli: Parisian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli aboard the SS Europa. She is in New York to do some Christmas shopping.

Original caption: Opera Star Returns. Mme. Elizabeth Rethberg, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, shown as she arrived at New York on the S.S. Europa for the opening of the Metropolitan season.

Charles M. Schwab Talking to the Press – Original caption: Charles M. Schwab, (L), steel magnate, is shown as he was conversing with reporters aboard the Europa, on which he arrived in New York on June 17th, from Europe.

THE FRENCH LINE – SS LIBERTE – 1950s

Michael L. Grace — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:59:46 +0000

Cruising the past: The SS Europa was the pride of Norddeutscher Lloyd Line in the 1930s. She was the sister ship of the SS Bremen.

Sadly the Second World War caused an end to her years in German hands and she was handed to the French as war reparations.

As SS Liberte, the ship became the stop gap flagship for CGT French Line as a replacement for the legendary SS Normandie that had been lost during the Second World War.

She was transformed into the pride of France and finally was retired in 1961 after serving two great nations.

THE FRENCH LINE – SS LIBERTE – 1950s – Here are some wonderful vintage home movies shot aboard a crossing on the Liberte. The photographer even tried to shoot a few poorly lit interiors.

The French Line’s Liberte.

Snaphots of two women passengers aboard the Liberte.

SS LIBERTE (formerly the German liner EUROPE)

If the time before the Second World War is indexed within the annals of history for its aspirations of achievement and advancement of technology and design, then, the period following the great turmoil should be looked upon as a testament to the longevity of that vision and drive.

In the frenzy and misery which is war, the great passenger fleets of the Atlantic trade were reduced to a mere ghostlike representation of life before the War. The superliners of the decade before, the Normandie, the Rex, and their brethren lay in ruin. The few great ships which survived for the duration found themselves sorely lacking in competition and silently alone on the vast expanses of the Atlantic seas.

S.S. Europa – Norddeutscher Lloyd Line (1930 – 1946)

It is during this period which the shipping companies, both European and American, found themselves clamouring to rebuild their diminished fleets. The French Line, having lost it’s fabled Normandie, was suddenly out of the fierce competition it had enjoyed prior to the War, when rival nations had struggled not to best each other in weaponry or strength but in who could master the seas and prove the fastest on the North Atlantic.

As Germany submitted itself in disgrace to the American and British invasion forces, its national assets and treasures would soon be confiscated as war reparations to those nations who had fallen under Hitler’s assaults. The Europa, having been siezed by American troops in May of 1945 as they advanced into Bremen, was to be turned over to the French.

Renamed Liberte, the former North German Lloyd flagship would now fly the French flag. In the days preceding the war, Europa had represented Germany as one of the fastest ships on the North Atlantic, having captured the Blue Riband in 1931 with a record crossing of 27.91 knots. Now though, as the Liberte, she would find her place as a flagship successor of the Normandie.

With her funnels repainted in French Line red and black the ship was moved to Le Havre for refitting of her interior finery into the tasteful decor consistent with those ships of the French Fleet. Before work could commence, she would suffer a great indignity in December of 1948 as the dormant ship was torn from her berth in a violent gale and thrown into the nearby wreckage of the Paris. The Liberte sank in place and would not be refloated until the following spring.

Towed to St. Nazaire in 1948, Liberte received a 19 million dollar refit and refurbishment and was slowly given new life as work began on stripping her German water-damaged interiors. With the refit already behind schedule due to the Le Havre mishap, work would fall yet even further behind as French shipwrights soon found themselves battling a fire which threatened to consume the ship at its dock.

With the fire subdued and pressures to bring the ship into service mounting, work started immediately on reclaiming her already new interiors. The ship would quickly be put right and in August of 1950, would make her maiden debut, five years after being siezed by American troops in Bremen.

For a time, the Liberte would enjoy being third to none. Her only comparisons were those flagships of the British Cunard Line, the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.

Teamed with the Ile de France, the Liberte would give the world a small glimpse of what the French Line had to offer before the Second War.

With crisp white linens and deft French service, the standards which rose Normandie to acclaim remained in place aboard Liberte.

Now paired with the Ile de France rather than the Bremen, it was in reassuring comfort that passengers who could recall the prewar era, would find solace in the atmosphere and familiarity present aboard the two ships. It would remain thus for far too brief a time.

Sarah Vaughn sails to Europe aboard the SS Liberte.

Many African-American celebrities sailed aboard the French Line because the French were far less prejudiced and much more welcoming than the US Lines and Cunard.

Following the launch of the characteristically American SS United States, the ship underwent a major refit both interior and exterior. The ship’s funnels were fitted with domed tops in an attempt at modernity, and the internal accommodations were altered in their numbers. With more modern ships on the near horizon, the refit was not a new lease on life, but rather an extension of the old. Indeed, it was only two years later in 1956, that the new France was ordered, signaling the end for the French liners of old.

American humorist James Thurber w. cigarette in hand, indoors aboard SS Liberte.

The Ile de France would first fall under the stroke of time and age, making her final voyage in November of 1958. Then, three years hence, the Liberte herself would find her career for the French Line at a close. Departing New York for the final time under the celebratory plumes of fireboats, she made her final crossing to Le Havre where, ironically, she would tie up alongside the new flagship France, with preparations for her maiden voyage already underway.

With the liner dormant and her fate uncertain, much speculation arose as to the proposed fate of the Liberte. There was talk of her use as a hotel at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, but spared the undignified fate of her former running-mate, the Liberte would decidedly be scrapped before suffering a similar end. On January 30, 1962 she made passage to La Spezia, Italy where she would be broken up. Six months later, nothing but memories and scattered relics would remain of the liner which had served as flagship for two nations.

Du Bois, W. E. B., and Shirley Graham Du Bois aboard the S.S. Liberte, 1958 August.

THE SS FRANCE AND THE SS LIBERTE – Elegance at sea – Now a memory.

Michael L. Grace — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:32:17 +0000

Cruise History: THE SS FRANCE AND THE SS LIBERTE – Elegance at sea – Now a memory.

Enjoy these gorgeous full color home movies from SHIPGEEK shot by a lucky couple who traveled on the SS France Eastbound, and the SS Liberte Westbound, trans-Atlantic. Crossing the pond. Shipgeek has combined to suggest a mythical time when such a trip might have been possible. Bon Voyage!

The SS France.

The France’s maiden voyage to New York took place on 3rd February 1962, with many of France’s film stars and aristocracy aboard. On 14th December 1962, the France carried the Mona Lisa from Le Havre to New York, where the painting was to embark on an American tour.
From the 13th July to 26th July 1967, the France docked at the Île Notre-Dame in Montreal, acting as a secondary French pavilion at the 1967 World’s Fair, Expo 67.

She sailed the North Atlantic run between Le Havre and New York for thirteen years. However, by the beginning of the 1970s jet travel was by far more popular than ship travel, and the costs of fuel was ever increasing. The France, which had always relied on subsidies from the French government, was forced to take advantage of these more and more.

Using the ship’s versatile design to its full potential, the CGT began to send the France on more cruises during the winter, which was off-season for the Atlantic trade. One design flaw, however, was revealed when the ship reached warmer waters: her two swimming pools, one each for first and tourist class, were both indoors; the first class pool deep within the ship’s hull, and the tourist class pool on an upper deck, but covered with an immovable glass dome. The latter, perhaps, was the more aggravating in hot weather. She also had limited outdoor deck space, with much of what was available protected behind thick glass wind-screens; useful on the North Atlantic, but frustrating when blocking cooling breezes in the tropics. (The Queen Elizabeth 2 suffered from a similar design flaw as well.)

The first class dining room aboard the SS France.

Nonetheless, the France’s cruises were popular, and her first world cruise took place in 1972. Too large to traverse the Panama and Suez Canals, she was forced to sail around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. That same year, with the destruction of the Seawise University (former RMS Queen Elizabeth) by fire in Hong Kong, the France became the largest passenger ship in the world in service.

Still, as the opening years of the decade progressed, the cruise market expanded, seeing the construction of smaller, purpose built cruise ships which could also fit through the Panama Canal. Worse, in 1973 the Oil Crisis hit and the price of oil went from $3 US to $12 US per barrel. When the French government, at the end of the Trente Glorieuses, realised that keeping the France running would necessitate an additional ten million dollars a year, they opted instead to subsidise the then developing Concorde. Without this government money, the French Line could not operate, and with a press release issued in 1974 it was announced that the France would be withdrawn from service on the 25th October that year.

At that, the crew decided to take matters into their own hands: an eastbound crossing on the 6th September, her 202nd crossing, was delayed several hours while the crew met to decide whether to strike then and there, in New York, or six days later outside Le Havre; Le Havre won, and the ship was commandeered by a group of French trade unionists who anchored the France in the entrance to the port, thereby blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic. The 1200 passengers aboard had to be ferried to shore on tenders, while approximately 800 of the crew remained aboard. The hijackers demanded that the ship be allowed to continue to serve, along with a 35% wage increase for themselves. However, their mission failed, and the night of the hijacking proved to be the ship’s last day of service for the CGT. It took over a month for the stand-off to end, and by the 7th December 1974, the ship was moored at a distant quay in Le Havre, known colloquially as the quai de l’oubli – the pier of the forgotten.

By that time the France had completed 377 crossing and 93 cruises (including 2 world cruises), carried a total of 588,024 passengers on trans-Atlantic crossings, and 113,862 passengers on cruises, and had sailed a total of 1,860,000 nautical miles.

The SS Liberte.

The SS Europa was the pride of Norddeutscher Lloyd Line in the 1930s. She was the sister ship of the S/S Bremen.

Sadly the Second World War caused an end to her years in German hands and she was handed to the French as war reparations.

As SS Liberte, the ship became the stop gap flagship for CGT French Line as a replacement for the legendary S/S Normandie that had been lost during the Second World War.

Two lady passengers sailing aboard the SS Liberte.

She was transformed into the pride of France and finally was retired in 1961 after serving two great nations.

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique – THE FRENCH LINE

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line) was founded in 1861. The company began sailing in 1862 from Havre to Mexico and in 1864 they added a services from Havre to New York. They also sailed to Canada via Plymouth, plied the Mediterranean and they had routes to the West Indies. The vessels averaged 8 days to New York.

In 1880 CGT took over Cie Valery Eugene Pereire and their Mediterranean service and 12 ships. They purchased Cie Franco-Tunisienne and their three ships in 1907. Cie Havraise Peninsulaire was acquired in 1915 and in 1916 they formed a subsidiary company Cie Générale d’Armements Maritimes (CGAM) in partnership with Cie Chargeurs Reunis. In 1917 Cie Navale de l’Oceanie was acquired with five ships. By 1919 they controlled Cie d’Orbigny, Societe Plisson, Societe des Vapeurs de Charge and Societe Marseillaise d’Armament Fritsche & Cie. They were also a major shareholder in the Fabre Line. In 1973 CGT merged with Cie des Messageries Maritimes to form Cie Generale Maritime.

Routes:

1862-1980 St Nazaire (Brest) to Caribbean and southern US ports.
1864-1974 Le Havre to Plymouth or Southampton and Philadelphia, Halifax, New York.
1866-1980 St Nazaire – New Orleans Marseilles to Havana, New Orleans.
1871-1878 Panama to Peru and Chile.
1878-1969 Marseilles to Mediterranean ports.
1905-1976 Le Havre to Halifax, Quebec, Montreal (1954 Great Lakes)
1914-1920 Caribbean service extended to Rio de Janeiro
1919-1966 French ports to Panama, Peru, Chile – later extended to French Pacific Islands.
1920-1976 French ports to Caribbean and US / Canada Pacific ports.
1875-1969 French ports to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore & Norfolk, Va. (cargo)
1946-1960 Tunisia / Algeria to North America (cargo)
1953- West Indies – Antwerp (fruit service)
1956-1988 Dunkirk – Kiel Canal – Baltic ports (automobiles)

Great SHIPGEEK Video of the SS FRANCE

Michael L. Grace — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:27:50 +0000

Cruising the past and cruise history. This is a terrific SHIPGEEK video in memory of the glorious SS France, set to the song “France” by Jimmy Kennedy, performed by the Roger Wagner Chorale (written for the maiden voyage).

The video is produced by SHIPGEEK. Please visit this wonderful website by clicking here.

The SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962. At the time of her construction in 1960 she was the longest passenger ship ever built. Her length of 316 meters remained unchallenged until the construction of the 345 meter RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. The France was later purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), renamed SS Norway and used primarily for cruising.

SS UNITED STATES YOUTUBE VIDEO

Michael L. Grace — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:05:40 +0000

The Flagship of America is in need of help…your help…and a vision to restore her. Please help save the SS United States!

Cruise ship history: 22-year-old SS UNITED STATES Conservancy supporter Jonathan Doucette has crafted a sixty-second online commercial spot promoting the cause of saving our nation’s flagship. A fierce advocate for the ship’s preservation, Doucette is a graduate of the Pratt Institute in New York where he studied Communications Design and majored in Advertising Art Direction. When he was an infant, Jonathan’s grandparents traveled about the QE2 and he subsequently became fascinated with the memorabilia they saved from their voyage. His emerging interest in ocean liners ultimately lead him to discover the SS United States, and he made a pilgrimage to Philadelphia in March 2009 to see the ship first hand.

“I was motivated to create the video ‘The Vision’ to help spread the word that the SS United States is far too special and unique to be forgotten. While she is still here with us, we must come together with a vision to see her restored so that she can enter a new chapter of her life,” said Doucette. The Conservancy appreciates such efforts on behalf of spreading public awareness about the plight of our national flagship.

THE FUTURE OF CRUISING

Michael L. Grace — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:20:34 +0000

THE FUTURE OF CRUISING – Cruise Line History and Cruising The past…

Why getting there is no longer half the fun!

Ships use to be glamorous and elegant.

Are these cruise ships just another horrifying version of a MOTEL SIX AT SEA or VEGAS alfoat?

Its worse!

Take a look at this video for a preview of what cruising is headed for – a reflection of the future of America and its great values.

SS France Eastbound – SS Liberte Westbound

Michael L. Grace — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:18:35 +0000

Cruising The Past takes you aboard the SS France and SS Liberte. Great cruise ship history – with videos of the French Line ships. 1950s trans-Atlantic glory. When going by ship was a joy – with class and grace. Enjoy these gorgeous full color home movies shot by a lucky couple who traveled on the SS France Eastbound, and the SS Liberte Westbound, here combined to suggest a mythical time when such a trip might have been possible. Bon Voyage!

Video cruise history of the French Line’s SS Normandie.

Michael L. Grace — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:57:32 +0000

Video cruise history of the French Line’s fabulous liner SS Normandie.

SS Normandie was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. When launched in 1932 she was the largest and fastest ship in the world, and she maintains the distinction of being the most powerful steam turbo-electric propelled passenger ship ever built in cruise history.

Her novel design features and lavish interiors have led many to consider her the greatest of all ocean liners.

Despite this, she was not a commercial success, and relied partly on government subsidy to operate. During her service career as the flagship of the CGT, she made 139 transatlantic crossings westbound from her home port of Le Havre to New York (but only 138 eastbound).

During World War II, Normandie was seized by United States authorities at New York and renamed USS Lafayette. In 1942, while being converted to a troopship, the liner caught fire, capsized, and sank at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal. Although she was salvaged at great expense, restoration of the vessel was deemed too costly, and she was scrapped in October 1946.

“If there’s a better or more lovingly displayed collection of S.S. Normandie material in the world (and that includes France), I don’t know of it. What Crash has assembled in the Miottel Collection is nothing less than the history of a legend. For people interested in transatlantic shipping in general and the Normandie in particular, it is the mother lode.” Harvey Ardman, Author: “NORMANDIE HER LIFE AND TIMES”

Click here to visit THE MIOTTEL COLLECTION.

Sailing trans-Atlantic on the French Line – 1920s – Great video from youTUBE…

Michael L. Grace — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:34:31 +0000

Cruise History – Sailing trans-Atlantic on the French Line – 1920s – Great video from youTUBE…

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line) was founded in 1861. The company began sailing in 1862 from Havre to Mexico and in 1864 they added a services from Havre to New York. They also sailed to Canada via Plymouth, plied the Mediterranean and they had routes to the West Indies. The vessels averaged 8 days to New York.

In 1880 CGT took over Cie Valery Eugene Pereire and their Mediterranean service and 12 ships. They purchased Cie Franco-Tunisienne and their three ships in 1907. Cie Havraise Peninsulaire was acquired in 1915 and in 1916 they formed a subsidiary company Cie Générale d’Armements Maritimes (CGAM) in partnership with Cie Chargeurs Reunis.

In 1917 Cie Navale de l’Oceanie was acquired with five ships.

By 1919 they controlled Cie d’Orbigny, Societe Plisson, Societe des Vapeurs de Charge and Societe Marseillaise d’Armament Fritsche & Cie.

They were also a major shareholder in the Fabre Line. In 1973 CGT merged with Cie des Messageries Maritimes to form Cie Generale Maritime.