Normandie 1935

[shipstamps]

Builder : Chantiers & Ateliers de St. Nazaire, Penhoet, France.
Completed : 1935.
Gross tonnage: 83,423.
Dimensions: 1027ft x 118ft. Depth 58ft. Engines: Four steam turbines connected to four electric motors.
Screws: Quadruple. Decks: Ten.
Normal speed : 30 knots. (Attained a speed of 31.95 knots on her trial runs.)
Officers and crew: 1320.
Passenger accommodation : 848 first, 670 tourist and 454 third class.
Maiden voyage: Le Havre—Southampton—New York on May 29, 1935.
She won the Blue Riband from the Italian Line's Rex on her maiden voyage by making the run from Bishop Rock
to Ambrose Lighthouse in 4 days, 3 hours and 14 minutes at a speed of 29.94 knots. The Normandie's main dining
room was three decks high and 270ft long with a seating capacity of 1000. Built with a bulbous bow to increase
her speed. Her funnels were 160ft in circumference and 145ft in height. Her swimming pool was 100ft long and 30ft wide.
In March 1936 her super¬structure was enlarged to give her the present tonnage and acclaiming to be the largest ship in the world.
Each of her propellers weighs 23 tons and measure 15ft in diameter.
Employed in the Le Havre—Southampton—New York run until she was laid up at New York on August 28, 1939,
and seized by the United States on December 16, 1941, for conversion to a transport with renaming to Lafayette.
Caught fire by a worker's acetylene torch that ignited some bedding which had been brought on board prematurely whilst fitting out on February 9, 1942.
As the fire raged on, the water was poured in by the ton from fireboats and from the docks and when she became top heavy be¬cause of the great intake
of water she keeled over on her port side at the French Line's quay in 50ft of water. Refloated by the Americans on August 9, 1943, at a cost of
S4 million. Anticipating further costs for reconstruction she was sold to Lipsett Incorporated for $161680 and was scrapped at Port Newark, New Jersey in September 1946. It was a pity she lived such a short life for she was the pride of France at the time of building and was lost in the hands of strangers.
France SG526. Chad SGMS582. Bhutan SGMS810. Mali SG291.

[aukepalmhof]

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