Derf: Where did you see these pictures of the funnel? Thank you

http://captainsvoyage.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=735...torder=asc&start=720

it's not the funnel, but the hull plate bearing her name, cut from the bow.

Derf: Thank You. A sad picture indeed.

In case anyone wants to see the hull plate here it is.(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc14/alang1/india053.jpg)

Try this. Norway hull plate photo

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dave Beers,

Dave Beers: Sorry and Thank you for fixing it.

quote:

Dave Beers: Sorry and Thank you for fixing it.

That's what I'm here for! It is indeed a sad photo though. I sat here and looked at it, and reflected on my lone cruise aboard Norway. I now wish I had done more of them.

Here is a link that provides some details on the U.A.E plans:

http://forums.france3.fr/france3/Thalassa/delaissons-fr...ujet_2321_51.htm#bas


The information is in French. But it's quite interesting.

It would be awesome if they could get the hull and funnels. Could this be the reason they aren't scrapping her bow first, but her superstructure instead? From what I've seen, they always start with scrapping the bow of a liner, not the superstructure. I really hope they can get the hull and funnels, but the forward funnel is missing a part already.

I'm sorry, but this idea just has no creditbility to me. Why buy a pair of funnels and a hull of a vessel for such an extortionate amount of money?

It would be cheaper and much easier to rebuild a 'replica' of the vessel. This would make more economic and commercial sense. If the plan is to rebuild a 'France' cruiseliner, why have the hull of the Blue Lady which has numerous issues regarding draught?

I personally think someone has read about the Normandie hull saga, and related it to the current Blue Lady; to play on our sentiments for what was a fine vessel.

I think I can state that we all thought the scrapping of the Blue Lady was wrong. She should have had a role as a stationary museum/hotel/centre, which would be similar to that of the Queen Mary, Rotterdam V etc.

However, Indian politics, Mr Metha, a lack of willing buyers, and Star/NCL's desire to see the vessel broken up have resulted in the tragic images we see.

The SS France is no more, as is her later incarnation as SS Norway. Clutching at straw will not bring her back.

As for the breaking process, there is interesting information on the scrapping of the SS Canberra. The breaking took a considerable amount of time on Gadani beach, Pakistan. This was due to her deep draught, and the fact that the breakers had little or no experience in dealing with such a large vessel. I infer that these are the same problems Mr Metha and Priya Blue are facing.

http://www.sscanberra.com

it is not unusual to scrap a vessel from the top down rather than fore to aft, The Canberra is a case in point. I doubt her draught would cause Metha that much concern, many larger vessels have been scrapped at alang with no problems.
As she has a deep draught, it would make sense to remove as much weight from the top as you can in order to make her sit higher in the water, thus fscilitating dragging her forward.
It is probably a good idea to remove much of the weight from forward superstructure, so as to have her bows slightly higher than the stern, to help drive her up the beach.

Realistically, the only comfort we can have from this saga now, is that the Indian court will slap Mr Metha with hefty fines for his illegal breaking, and thus he not making one penny (or cent) from having this beautiful machine on his beach.

Is there any possibility that the UAE are going to build a replica of the SS France/Norway? They sure have the money for it. It's so sad the real ship will soon be gone. I'd rather have the real ship saved than a replica being built.

Does anybody knows where are the asbestos located in the vessel?
Have the people already reached them???

quote:

Originally posted by MercuryQueen:
Is there any possibility that the UAE are going to build a replica of the SS France/Norway? They sure have the money for it. It's so sad the real ship will soon be gone. I'd rather have the real ship saved than a replica being built.

MercuryQueen,
I'll agree that no replica will ever capture the elegance of the original. However, it's possible to create a sister vessel that is a twin of the orginal; but with different interior design and technological function that could exceed its older sister. For instance, the RMS Olympic, Titanic, and Britanic were near identical to one another, as far as exterior apprearance goes. However, the interior layout was different for each ship, more or less.

Another comparison are the TS Mich and the TS Raff. Both were near identical to each other; but vastly different interior layout.

It's possible to create a sister vessel to the SS France that could be near identical on the outside. However, different interior layout on the inside. Thus, no one can say that the someone is trying to create a replica of a ship that is now gone.

That's an awesome idea!

A replica woudn't make sense, let's understand that the S/S Norway originally was a transatlantic liner, that kind of ships have disappear. Now the cruises ships have to be profitable, they have to build in the superstructure as many staterooms as possible, the enormus bow (big enough to carry the two little Norway's ships) won't be possible again the enormus open areas. The classic liners....are gone.

By the way, Does anybody around here thinks that the QM2 is a classic liner??????

In my opinion of course not...is a Carnival black painted....

Hi Changoleon,
The ships that I came up with ARE not replicas. They are sister ships to the vessels I have mentioned. They do not fall into the category of cruise ships. Nor would they compete against them. They are museum/hotel ships that are capable of sailing on occasional world cruises. They will have all of the modern conviences, minus the balconies. If someone has the money to build those ships, who are we to stop them? They would be an addition to the Queen Mary/SS Rotterdam V category. But are able to sail if the situation calls for it.

Therefore, the twin sister of the SS France, for example would not replicate the ship, as far as interiors go. The idea is ment to see if its possible to exceed it. By blending the Art Deco style of the 1960s with the modern conviences, one could create an interior decour that could be the 1960s equivilant of the SS Normandie to the SS France's twin sister. Maritime/Naval technology could be that of an aircraft carrier that could generate a speed of 35+ knots. Everything that the SS France once had and so much more. That's my version of creating a ship that looks like the SS France on the outside; but vastly different on the inside. So it can't be considered a replica.

They are way too many cruise ships out there already. Why should anyone be confined to the popular trend?

Dan, I wouldn't call FRANCE's original decor Art Deco. If anything, it was a 1950s guess at '60s tastes that was very understated, even a bit bland. Interestingly, while the beauty of the ship's exterior was universally hailed, her interiors were very controversial, with the Chambord restaurant (for example) execrated by one critic as "a brass bus terminal," and another critic stating that the ship, interior-wise, was "a resounding disappointment." When barriers separating first class spaces from tourist class it took a close look to tell which was which, although that close look revealed not only the "coded" red and blue carpets, but also differences in trim and artistic quality.

Besides colors and decorations, another aspect that disappointed people was a lack of dramatic, cavernous public spaces that extended two or three decks in height (only the rather sterile Versailles restaurant did that, and just partially). Part of the reason was likely fire safety concerns (remember the fate of French liners such as PARIS, LAFAYETTE, and NORMANDIE. Another was the decision not to split funnel uptakes such as had been done on NORMANDIE. Likely, this decision reflected a perceived need for clear vertical access routes from topside to machinery spaces in anticipation of possible conversion to nuclear power. In contrast to the daring of NORMANDIE, FRANCE was pretty conservative.

If FRANCE's interior decor disappointed many at first, it nevertheless seems to have had a certain timelessness, and seems to have fallen into line with tastes by the early seventies. A writer commented at the time of her withdrawal that artificial lighting made the difference: what was bland in daylight sparkled at night.

For me at least, NCL greatly improved the ship's interior decor. What the new owners did to the exterior is another story, though of course those mods extended the ship's life by two decades.

If indeed FRANCE were ever re-created, I can't imagine that interior similarities to the original would make any sense whatever. I also think it would be hard to sell the public on a ship whose exterior appearance onjectives precluded balconies and the superstructural height required therefor.

By way of amendment, I meant to say that "when barriers were down." Also, I should say that the Riviera Lounge (later Club Internationale) was multi-deck in height as well, and the Chambord was only that high in the middle.

quote:

If indeed FRANCE were ever re-created, I can't imagine that interior similarities to the original would make any sense whatever. I also think it would be hard to sell the public on a ship whose exterior appearance onjectives precluded balconies and the superstructural height required therefor.

My idea of a twin sister to the SS France is to create a decour that would exceed it, in terms of interior decour. It would be the 1960's version of the SS Normandie. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. Just to come up with a style that would be the futuristic 1960's world of tomarrow design. Also, the vessel is largely a museum/hotel. It would not sail as a cruise ship on a regular basis. As of the baconies, I don't believe they are a standard requirement because that's a chioce of the cruise ship companies. The sister ship to the SS France could be named the MS Ill De France.

This vessel will fall in the Queen Mary/SS Rotterdam V category, which are permanently docked ships. But has the ability to sail on ocassion.

For the time being, I doubt that anyone will follow my idea to begin with. However,there are three other vessels that comes to my mind as well, which as as follows:

TS Michaelangelo
RMS Britannic
TS Normanidie

The three ships mentioned would have a twin sister that's near identical to each of them, as far as exterior appearance is concerned. However, each vessel would have vastly different interiors and modern naval/maritime technology that would exceed its predecessors. This way, a guest would feel as though they are stepping back in time. The cabin spaces would follow a modern lay out regarding luxury and service.

I believe that the static museum industry will do quite well, as long as the ships are placed in the right areas where the people will appreciate them. And no one can say that the ships mentioned are imitations, because they would be far from that.