by John McFarlane
Saturday, February 9, 2002 is the 60th Anniversary of the tragic fire and capsizing of SS NORMANDIE in New York Harbor. This photo essay will focus, for the most part, on those transatlantic liners that joined NORMANDIE in the port during the early part of World War II. The following images show the changing scene at New York's "Luxury Liner Row" after NORMANDIE was laid up on August 31, 1939. During the first few days of the war the Cunard liners lost their peacetime livery and were painted in wartime gray. QUEEN MARY arrived in New York on September 5 and remained out of service at Cunard's Pier 90. NORMANDIE as well as ILE-DE-FRANCE retained their peacetime livery as they sat immobilized at French Line's Pier 88. Only the Italian Line continued a transatlantic service for several months with REX and CONTE DI SAVOIA operating from Pier 92.
line the piers of "Luxury Liner Row" in New York City, late 1939.
In November, 1939 AQUITANIA sailed from New York bound for Halifax and the beginning of her war duties. The new MAURETANIA, in service for less than six months, arrived in New York and berthed on the north side of Pier 90 and joined the line up with QUEEN MARY and NORMANDIE.
The Italian liners REX and CONTE DI SAVOIA continued their service from Pier 92.
and NORMANDIE remain idle for the present time.
In early March 1940, MAURETANIA was suddenly moved to another berth and docked on the northside of Pier 86. On the other side of Pier 86, for a few days, was Cunard's FRANCONIA, both vessels in wartime gray. On March 7, 1940, much to the surprise of the port authorities the world's largest ship QUEEN ELIZABETH sailed into New York having secretly raced across the Atlantic from her builders in Scotland.
to join QUEEN MARY, NORMANDIE, MAURETANIA and FRANCONIA.
On the evening of March 20, 1940 MAURETANIA sailed out of New York for Sydney via the Panama Canal. The next day QUEEN MARY sailed for Sydney via Cape Town, both liners were to be converted for trooping in Australia. QUEEN ELIZABETH alone kept NORMANDIE company, now moving to the south side of Pier 90 within the same slip as the French ship.
QUEEN ELIZABETH eventually sailed from New York on November 13, 1940. NORMANDIE was now alone.
As NORMANDIE was in the process of being converted into a troop transport at her Pier 88 berth a fire broke out in the Grand Saloon. During the afternoon of February 9th the fire rapidly spread to other parts of the ship. The fireboats responding to the alarms pumped water into the liner and by late afternoon she began to list to port.
During the night she gradually turned on her side in the slip between Piers 88 and 90.
the great NORMANDIE lies on her side.
The former French Line flagship lay on her side in the mud for over 18 months. She was finally righted and in late 1943 moved to another berth in New York. At the end of the war she was declared a total loss and sold for scrap. She was scrapped at Port Newark, New Jersey in 1946-47.
THE END