Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line) had first made big waves in the passenger shipping industry in the 1920s, with SS Ile de France, and later with SS Liberte. These liners put the company in direct competition with the likes of White Star, Cunard and NDL and Hamburg-Amerika Line. However, by the 1950s, French Line's ships were lagging behind, especially following the completion of SS United States, and plans for a brand new Cunard liner, which would later be named QE2. In order to compete, French Line knew that it needed something new, something which could rival its competitors, in speed, size and luxury. The pride of the nation would appropriately be named, SS France.
Plans for the construction of the new ship came in rather tumultuous circumstances. First, the transatlantic passenger industry was in decline as air travel became increasingly accessible and popular with the general public. Second, with rising costs of resources such as crude oil, France recognised that it needed to build a ship that was relatively cheap to operate if the populace were to accept such a grand, publicly funded liner. As a result, she would be designed with only two passenger classes, which could be easily unified so that the ship could also be used for cruises, thereby maximising her potential for profit in an increasingly difficult age for the ocean liner.
In 1957, construction of the new ship, known at this point simply as Hull G19, began. Like her predecessors, including Normandie and Ile de France, she would be constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique by the River Loire. The liner's reputation as a pioneer in the shipping world would begin in her construction, for unlike previous ships, which were constructed from a skeleton covered with steel plates, large parts of the hull were constructed in other areas and ultimately welded together at the main shipyard.
On 11 May 1960, two-and-a-half years after the keel was laid down, G19 was ready for launch. Christened SS France, she would be the third liner to bear the name. Like the great liners before her, France's launch would be something of a spectacle, as over 100,000 gathered in the crowds to watch the new marvel hit the water for the very first time. President Charles de Gaulle, who attended the launch with his wife, Yvonne, exclaimed "I have given you a new Normandie!". And it was easy to see why; France would be the longest passenger liner ever, at 1,035 feet, and weighed in at an immense 66,348 tonnes. It was clear that this new ship would be the pride of France for many years to come.
After successful trials in November 1961, she was ready to begin service, and embarked on her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands on 19 January 1962. Her first transatlantic crossing would come on 3 February 1962, sailing from Le Havre to New York.
True to her grand design, SS France would carry a number of the rich and famous across the Atlantic, including ()
Evoking design features similar to that of Normandie, including a slender bow which expanded to a bulbous appearance below the waterline, SS France was constructed for the height of luxury and efficiency.
Inside, her rooms were decorated by a number of French artists, with the aim of creating a unique, classical and luxurious feel. Her designers also made the most of aluminium, for its light weight not only helped reduce the overall weight of the ship, but was also compliant with strict fire safety regulations which had been imposed after World War II.
SS France would not only sail across the traditional transatlantic route, she also enjoyed many successful cruises, and in 1972 began operating world cruises. However, she was too large to sail through the Suez and Panama Canals, so she instead sailed around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, visiting Papeete Tahiti, Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, Australia.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't all be smooth sailing for the liner, for the decline in the transatlantic passenger trade severely hindered France's profits, forcing the government to provide increasingly larger subsidies in order to keep the ship operational. Even for cruises, her size, combined with the fact that she was not a purpose-built cruise liner, made her comparatively expensive to run. The oil crisis of 1973 exacerbated this. By 1974, the French government realised that they would have to spend an additional ten million dollars a year just to keep SS France running, and with the prospect of new developments including Concorde, it was decided that the ship would be withdrawn from service on 25 October 1974. Despite a last-ditch attempt by the French Maritime Trade Union to save the ship and workers' jobs by striking in September of that year, the ship was laid up at Le Havre until 1979.
Yet, all was not lost for this grand ship. In 1979, she was sold to Knut Kloster, owner of Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL) for a sum of 18 million dollars, and she was taken to Bremerhaven, Germany.
Her conversion into a fully-fledged cruise ship required extensive renovations, which took around a year to complete. Much of the original interiors were stripped out and replaced with new decor, and features including shops, a casino and a jazz-club style show lounge. Despite the extensive redecoration, most of the first-class rooms kept the original decor, and the First Class library remained untouched.
On 14 April, she was re-christened and given the name SS Norway. She would now be not only the largest cruise liner afloat, but also the first and only transatlantic liner to be converted and used exclusively as a cruise ship. Renovations included increased accommodation spaces, larger and more numerous public spaces, and a reduction from her four-screw propulsion to two-screws as speed became less of a necessity.
The new SS Norway revolutionised the cruise industry, for her size, speed and popularity led to other companies quickly starting to build new ships to similar specifications. For the next ten years, she would prove highly popular and became the pride of Norway. In order to keep up with increasing competition though, she would undergo a refit in 1990, which included two new decks, providing more luxury cabins and thus an increased passenger capacity.
SS Norway in Southampton, 1997
However, by the late 1990s, her rule of the seas was coming to an end. As newer ships began to rival her, she became increasingly neglected by NCL, who severely cut back on maintenance. This led to a number of safety violations, breakdowns and fires. This came to ahead on 25 May 2003 while docked in Miami, when a boiler explosion killed 8 crewmen and injured 17. This disastrous outcome came as a result of extensive neglect to the ship, ending in tragedy for those lives lost and the ending of Norway's career. Deemed too expensive to replace the boilers, she was laid up and renamed SS Blue Lady, as she waited to be scrapped. After a number of delays due to environmental concerns, she was finally sold for scrap in late-2007 and towed to Alang, India. By December 2008, she was all but completely destroyed.
One of the last ever photos of the former SS Norway. Here she is during her scrapping
Her fate was ultimately similar to that of the many great ocean liners, but her legacy cannot be understated. With a service career that lasted over 41 years, she is remembered not only as one of the last great ocean liners, but also as one of the great cruise ships, and her presence helped to completely revolutionise cruising as we know it today.
Thus, it seems only fair to end with an often seen picture of the liner at the height of her glory:
