French Line style.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
Madame Charles de Gaulle launched the $80 million liner on May 11, 1960, and the first voyage with passengers went south to the Canary Islands. Then on February 2, 1961, she sailed from Le Havre via Southampton on her maiden voyage for New York, arriving on February 8, 1962. With a striking appearance and a fireboat welcome, she made her way up to her berth on the West Side.
For the first several years, she often sailed full, then transatlantic travel began to quickly erode especially during the winter months, and the France turned to off-season cruising. In 1972, the France made a world cruise, and two years later with fuel prices almost tripling in cost, the French government decided to withdraw the subsidy in favor of the Concorde.
In September 1974, near the end of a voyage from New York crew members took over the ship off Le Havre, demanding that she remain in service and striking for higher wages. When the crew relented, the ship tied up and was immediately removed from service and laid up near Le Havre.
There she remained until Norwegian Caribbean Lines bought her for $18 million and spent $80 million refitting her at Hapag-Lloyd Shipyards in Bremerhaven, Germany. Renamed SS Norway, she carried both the Norwegian and United Nations flags, because of the several dozen nationalities amongst the new crew.
Now twin screw, and sailing at an economical service speed of 16 knots, her gross tonnage increased to 69,500 and the passenger capacity climbed to 2,181 in one class. The Norway sailed from Oslo for New York arriving on May 16, 1980, but home port was no longer New York but Miami. She began weekly cruises from there and was straightaway a huge success. When costs of operations rose, in 1989 she had to two cabin decks added increasing the gross tonnage to 76,049 and the passenger capacity to 2,565.
The Norway made several transatlantic crossings for refits and made some European cruises. In September 2001, shortly after what was billed to be her final Atlantic crossing, she was not transferred as announced to parent company’s Star Cruises’ fleet in Asia, instead returning to Miami. By now she was considered somewhat out of date, and to fill the ship, fares were rock bottom. Then in May 2003 an engine room explosion, which killed several crewman caused her withdrawal from service, and she was sent to Bremerhaven for assessment about the viability of repairing her for future service. While her fate was being decided, the Norway became an accommodations ship for NCL America’s two newbuildings, then in March 2005, it was announced that she would go to a scrapyard.
In a further development new information indicated that SS Norway would be towed to Port Klang in Malaysia. On Monday, May 23, 2005 the Smitwijs Chinese-flagged ocean going tug DE DA, towed SS Norway out of Bremerhaven presumably enroute to her new destination in Malaysia via The Cape of Good Hope.
The photo essay below is dedicated to the SS Franceand the SS Norway connections to the Port of New York.
Above and below.
From The New York Times, the S.S. France arrives in New York’s Upper Bay
following her maiden transatlantic crossing on February 8, 1962.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
A poster advertising the S.S. France’s West Indies cruises from New York.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
With a Moran tug in the foreground, the France departs New York
in June 1974 on what will be her last season.
(Paul Klee)
The S.S. France sails into the sunset during westbound transatlantic crossing on September 1, 1973
perhaps a portent of things to come.
(Theodore W. Scull)
The front page of London’s Evening Standard dated 12 September 1974.
This incident will cause the French Line to withdraw the ship immediately.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
From The New York Times, the S.S. France is at her pier, and the sign ‘End’ indicates the end of the cross-town street,
but in this photo it also signifies the end of the French Line’s S.S. France.
(Theodore W. Scull Collection)
SS Norway arrives in New York Harbor on her maiden voyage on May 16, 1980.
(Theodore W. Scull)
To view a series of photographs of her maiden arrival
PLEASE CLICK HERE
In the following four images the S.S Norway shows off her piercing profile and knife sharp bow
while docked at the Passenger Ship Terminal on September 3, 1996.
(Theodore W. Scull).
In this Kodak Picture of the Month, a long-time feature in Grand Central’s main concourse,
the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Norway are passing in the North River on May 17, 1980.
Whistles were exchanged as the ships had not met since the ship, as the France, had been withdrawn in 1974.
(Theodore W. Scull).
In this series of six photos below, taken from Castle Point, Stevens Institute in Hoboken,
shows the S.S. Norway outbound for Europe on September 3, 1996.
(Theodore W. Scull)
