Goodbye SS Norway

Sad to see but this was in today's Tampa Tribune paper:

 

"The storied passenger liner SS France, now rechristened the Blue Lady, spent weeks on a ghostlike voyage in the Indian Ocean, unable to get into the breaker's yards that were supposed to strip it. Even Bangladesh turned it away. An Indian court finally allowed it to sail to Alang, and it is due to arrive there in the coming days."

 

The newspaper article was about the high number of accidents and deaths that occur among the poor migrants who do the demolition of the ships.

 

We were on that last cruise of the Norway when the accident in Miami happened. I would have rather heard of her sinking at sea than be taken to the breaker's to be stripped.

 

Goodbye sweet lady.

Sad to see but this was in today's Tampa Tribune paper:

 

"The storied passenger liner SS France, now rechristened the Blue Lady, spent weeks on a ghostlike voyage in the Indian Ocean, unable to get into the breaker's yards that were supposed to strip it. Even Bangladesh turned it away. An Indian court finally allowed it to sail to Alang, and it is due to arrive there in the coming days."

 

The newspaper article was about the high number of accidents and deaths that occur among the poor migrants who do the demolition of the ships.

 

We were on that last cruise of the Norway when the accident in Miami happened. I would have rather heard of her sinking at sea than be taken to the breaker's to be stripped.

 

Goodbye sweet lady.

 

:( sad & goodbye.........and yes a burial at sea might have seen more dignified !

The ship deserves a better end. At least the SS United States rusts away at home. You would have thought that is the least that could have been done for the SS France:mad:

 

Not this

 

 

 

Better memories of those things that are now gone

So sad.

Sometimes I don't understand why this ship draws so much attention.

 

NCL placed the SS Norway into service in 1979. She originally entered service as the SS France in 1962. Although two additional decks were added to her in 1990, her machinery and layout are significantly more obsolete to today's older cruise ships. Golly, some will suggest the Crown, Majesty, Dream and Wind are obsolete too, they were built later than the Norway's last remodeling, and can't wait for them to be replaced with something new.

 

Just reading through the threads the newest ship generates in this forum confirms that most passengers want newer ships, or at least get very excited over them. Many of today's passengers expect balconies and much larger cabins. If you get right down to what technical aspect of the SS Norway's design that most post they miss most, it's the glassed enclosed Promenade Deck and it's traditional decoration. Glass enclosed Promenade Decks can be designed and installed onto new ships, and the SS Norway's traditional decor can be installed onto a new cruise ship.

 

While I am also disappointed that NCL reached a business decision to not repair the SS Norway, I understand NCL isn't advertising "traditional" cruising anymore, that they are committed to "freestyle" cruising. There was no way that NCL could convert the SS Norway into a "freestyle" cruising ship cheaply. So, it really didn't fit into NCL's future plans anymore.

 

It has been on sale for years, opportunity has existed for other lines to purchase and repair her. It's a shame none have.

Although I was never on the Norway, I did get to ride on her tenders this past week at Great Stirrup Cay. NCL took her old tenders (Little Norway 1 & Little Norway 2) and use them to tender people from NCL ships to the shore in GSC.

Although I was never on the Norway, I did get to ride on her tenders this past week at Great Stirrup Cay. NCL took her old tenders (Little Norway 1 & Little Norway 2) and use them to tender people from NCL ships to the shore in GSC.

 

Is this really true??? That would be awesome to be able to cherish a part of the Norway for much longer.

 

PE

Electricron,

 

Sure the Norway was old, and outdated. There was just something about her that made her special. When we were on her last cruise in 2003, we had already cruised on the megaships. In 2003 I believe she still held the record as the longest cruise ship. I can't explain it exactly, but it was like going back to visit your grandmother's house. In St. Thomas, her draft was too deep to reach the dock, so she had to tender everywhere but Miami.

 

She was one of the grand old ladies that really helped get this cruising thing going. When we left St. Thomas, on that last trip, all of the other ships blew their horns out of respect. Why do people still go out of their way to ride steam trains? Same thing.

 

She should have been sunk at sea.

Sometimes I don't understand why this ship draws so much attention.

I tend to agree with cruzincurt. The Norway was an older ship that is nothing like the newer mega ships but she had character. She had something that makes you feel like you're experiencing what cruising was meant to be. I haven't seen anything on any other ship that compares to Club Internationale or the enclosed promenade deck with the huge wide walkways. Sure, the layout was awkward and sometimes no two cabins were alike but I treasure the time I spent in an inside room with three twin beds (one folded down from the wall) and the shower/toilet combo bathroom on my very first cruise. Yes, the NCL Star and RCI's Mariner of the Seas are great newer ships and I appreciate all the modern stuff. However, none of those mega ships gave me an emotional connection to cruising like the Norway did. My grandmother was on the maiden voyage of the SS France in 1962. My grandmother and my mom were on the SS Norway's maiden voyage. And I took my first cruise on the SS Norway in 1984. Cruising on a newer mega ship is about being on a floating resort. Cruising on the SS Norway was about cruising. JMHO :)

The Norway was a ship that I never got to board, but would really have loved to.

I look at people paying millions of $/£'s for paintings and other works of art.

Are the great liners not works of art?

Would it not be truly fantastic to be able to go back in time and step on board the likes of UNITED STATES, MAURITANIA, NORWAY, CANBERRA, BERENGARIA, ILE DE FRANCE, and many many more.

You would think there was an entrepreneur out there that would realise that these ships are worth saving.

Perhaps we as cruise fanatics should start a fund to save these ships, so that future generations can enjoy their beauty. Even the modern liners will become revered when they are no longer in service.

Sometimes I don't understand why this ship draws so much attention.

 

NCL placed the SS Norway into service in 1979. She originally entered service as the SS France in 1962. Although two additional decks were added to her in 1990, her machinery and layout are significantly more obsolete to today's older cruise ships. Golly, some will suggest the Crown, Majesty, Dream and Wind are obsolete too, they were built later than the Norway's last remodeling, and can't wait for them to be replaced with something new.

 

Just reading through the threads the newest ship generates in this forum confirms that most passengers want newer ships, or at least get very excited over them. Many of today's passengers expect balconies and much larger cabins. If you get right down to what technical aspect of the SS Norway's design that most post they miss most, it's the glassed enclosed Promenade Deck and it's traditional decoration. Glass enclosed Promenade Decks can be designed and installed onto new ships, and the SS Norway's traditional decor can be installed onto a new cruise ship.

 

While I am also disappointed that NCL reached a business decision to not repair the SS Norway, I understand NCL isn't advertising "traditional" cruising anymore, that they are committed to "freestyle" cruising. There was no way that NCL could convert the SS Norway into a "freestyle" cruising ship cheaply. So, it really didn't fit into NCL's future plans anymore.

 

It has been on sale for years, opportunity has existed for other lines to purchase and repair her. It's a shame none have.

 

 

France/Norway is like the Titanic in a way. They are enigmatic, liners with history and people just remember them with fondness or as something that marked an era.

 

When Canberra went to Alang, she evoked memories of those who sailed onboard her to start new lives in Australia along with the Falklands conflict in 1982.

 

These liners are important in so many different ways and to so many different people.

 

There are two consortiums, one from St Nazaire and one from Dubai, trying to save the Norway. They have til mid July.

 

The liners of now are like jellymoulds...little or no character or style of their own. The likes of Canberra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Norway will never be repeated and they will always be deeply missed. Norway's demise will truly be the end of the REAL ocean liners and all they stood for.

 

Its a criminal waste of a beautiful work of art too, Salvador Dali designed so much on her, and most is still there.

 

It will be a very sad day when she is finally beached, the end of an era in ocean liners. She, and the others who have gone before her, will never be forgotten, but they are all lamented.

Sad to see such ladies go.

Have noted at least one review/bulletin/forum site that has really taken things to heart by electing to totally BAN any NCL/NCLA related information, apparently at some stage they had indicated that the Norway/France would be refurbished (along with one other vessel, can't recall the name) but that the subsequently renegged on this for some apparently very lame reason.

Nothing like taking things to heart, but at least they're sticking to their guns and actively protesting what NCL has done.

I tend to agree with cruzincurt. The Norway was an older ship that is nothing like the newer mega ships but she had character. She had something that makes you feel like you're experiencing what cruising was meant to be. I haven't seen anything on any other ship that compares to Club Internationale or the enclosed promenade deck with the huge wide walkways. Sure, the layout was awkward and sometimes no two cabins were alike but I treasure the time I spent in an inside room with three twin beds (one folded down from the wall) and the shower/toilet combo bathroom on my very first cruise. Yes, the NCL Star and RCI's Mariner of the Seas are great newer ships and I appreciate all the modern stuff. However, none of those mega ships gave me an emotional connection to cruising like the Norway did. My grandmother was on the maiden voyage of the SS France in 1962. My grandmother and my mom were on the SS Norway's maiden voyage. And I took my first cruise on the SS Norway in 1984. Cruising on a newer mega ship is about being on a floating resort. Cruising on the SS Norway was about cruising. JMHO :)

 

Well said Cecilia.

1. France/Norway is like the Titanic in a way. They are enigmatic, liners with history and people just remember them with fondness or as something that marked an era.

2. These liners are important in so many different ways and to so many different people.

3. The liners of now are like jellymoulds...little or no character or style of their own. The likes of Canberra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Norway will never be repeated and they will always be deeply missed. Norway's demise will truly be the end of the REAL ocean liners and all they stood for.

4. It's a criminal waste of a beautiful work of art too, Salvador Dali designed so much on her, and most is still there.

5. It will be a very sad day when she is finally beached, the end of an era in ocean liners. She, and the others who have gone before her, will never be forgotten, but they are all lamented.

 

1. The Titantic didn't even complete its first cruise, and more than half its passengers froze to death. Why would anyone use that as an example?

2. Ocean liners aren't cruise ships. Ocean liners were built to get passengers from one port/country to another, as a means of transportation. Cruise ships have always been designed as floating resorts. We aren't cruising on cruise ships today to visit one port. We see several ports.

3. Even ocean liners from the past were built as sisters to one another. The Titantic, Baltic and Olympic were practically identical ships. It's much cheaper and therefore more profitable to build several ships of one design than to build individually designed ships. The same can be said for tact homes, cars, trains, and planes.

4. Salvador Dali designs can be installed on a new cruise ship. There's nothing stopping any cruise line from doing so.

5. There's still the slight hope the SS US will be refurbished. As long as that slim hope remains, it isn't the end of ocean liner era yet. Also, the QE2 is still in service.

Is this really true??? That would be awesome to be able to cherish a part of the Norway for much longer.

 

PE

 

 

Yes. I thought the Dawn would just use its own tenders for the trip into GSC but when we got there (an hour late due to engine repairs), there were three large tender boats waiting and as soon as we anchored they came up alongside. The Cruise Director said that we would be using "NCL Special tenders" which can accomodate 300 - 400 people. I watched the first one pull up and it said "Little Norway 2" on the side and had the old NCL logo on it. (not the Freestyle one that is common) That made me start thinking and then I saw "Little Norway 1" on another. (the third, smaller tender had no name on the side but was a piece of junk, very loud...). When I finally got off the Dawn, I asked about the tenders and was told that they were from the old Norway.

 

So now you have a reason to sail one of NCL's ships that go to Great Stirrup Cay!

 

Btw: the two Norway tenders seemed in fine shape. Their ability to do a beach landing like army landers make them perfect for GSC!

Considering all the use that Little Norway 1 and Little Norway 2 got over the years, it's great to hear they remain in great shape. The tenders were used constantly as SS Norway's draft was too deep to allow her to dock in the Caribbean ports she visited. Remember that SS Norway was in service (as SS Norway) for 22 years.

 

Some of the best photos I ever took of a ship were taken from these tenders. Of course, the ship was SS Norway... it was amazing to see the beautiful profile come closer and closer, culminating with a sail right in front of her knife-like bow.

 

Back to why the ship is so important, here is my take:

• She was the last liner built for CGT, or the French Line
  
• While this one is debatable, she was the last ship of the 20th century built exclusively as an ocean liner
  
• As SS Norway, she revolutionized the cruise industry by illustrating how a liner could be successfully converted into a cruise ship
  
• Until QM2 was completed, she held the record as the longest passenger ship in history -- a record that stood for more than 40 years
  

 

Yet, nearly every ship meets its end at some point, and these endings are dreadful (sinking or torching). I'll try not to think about that -- and instead remember sitting in Club Internationale every night, feeling like royalty while enjoying its wonderful ambiance with my husband.

Unfortunately The Norway is a victim of the costs to refurbish her.

 

Even as a static display, like Queen Mary, it is too expensive to clean her up to current environmental standards.

 

Then, someone or a city like Long Beach, has to step up to the plate with the funds to restore her.

R.I.P. Norway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have sailed on the Norway twice and will always have fond memories. Yes as a cruise ship she did have her faults but she was one of a kind and provided an experience like no other ship. Norway / France will never exist again and it is a shame from a historical standpoint.

 

I do not look forward to seeing photos of thousands of Indians with blowtorches cutting her into scrap on some filthy beach. I would have preferred her to go out in a more classy manner like having the French Navy or Norwegian Navy sink her out in the ocean and give her a deserved burial at sea...mentioned France since I am not sure of the size or capabilties of the Norwegian Navy...may only be coastal?:cool:

A lot of people don't want to see this ship recycled...but nobody has offered up the millions of $$$ to buy it.

 

You know, you could park it in your front yard....

 

The fact is that even at its life end, the components of the ship (steel, copper, etc.) have value.

 

Sinking it sacrifices all of that value (plus pollutes the ocean).

 

It's sad that old things die. It's part of the circle of life.

Eh, people, the fat lady hasn't started singing just yet.

 

As I type this, negotations are going on between parties in the UAE and Kumar Steel of Alang (the current owners of the vessel) for the former to buy the France a.k.a. Norway a.k.a Blue Lady.

 

The seller is asking for $23 million and has stated they will not accept less. The potential UAE purchasers -- who are interested in the ship for use as an attraction at a new theme park/resort being built in Dubia - have not yet responded to the offer.

 

Those close to the negotiations say they are being complicated by an "Arab Vs India pride problem," which apparently translates into something to the effect “Arabs don't like to be dictated to by Indians.” The UAE party certainly has the funds to buy and completely turn the ship into a magnificent venue restoring much of her previous glory (supposedly being willing to spend up to $200 million). However, due to the pride issue, the deal may fall through and we indeed may lose this magnificent liner

 

And just to make things even more interesting, there's another rumor currently circulating that the indian crew currently on the vessel may be manually stripping asbestos off it while at sea and dumping it overboard. The Blue Lady apparently left Port Klang with an Indian crew of 33, much larger than is necessary to manage the ship while it is being towed. The theory is that these were not actually sailors, but rather scrap yard employees with "a mission" to lower as much as possible the amount asbestos aboard while the ship is en route to India.

 

More to come, and again, this saga isn't over just yet.

My first cruise was on the Norway, and it totally hooked me for the only way to take a vacation. We sailed on this beautiful ship 3 times (91-93-01). Cecelia said it right. This ship was about cruising and embodied all that cruising means. While I enjoy todays megaships and the floating resorts that they are, none of them come close to the character that the Norway had.

 

She may be torn apart and stripped of her dignity, but she will always remain a jewel of a ship in my heart! Rest in peace to your spirit, my lady!

I had the luck to sail on her, 1 year before she was taken out of service by NCL. The best cruise, the smoothist sailing, and the crew, service, and food, the best. I'm an NCL cruiser, but by far, the norway was a gem!!!!

 

Maria

I was fortunate enough to have sailed on her a number of times since the early 80's. Having drinks in the Club International, listening to music etc was always memorable. Through the years, we would sail on other ships and other lines, but going back to the Norway was like going home. Each time we would upgrade a bit - about three or four years ago, we sailed at July 4th from Miami and we had gotten one of the owner's suite. Living large! It was fabulous. I am sure to update her would be a fortune and in todays market, the vast differences in cabins would be too much for the newbies to understand. We probably sailed on her a dozen times - and she is missed.

Saturday we are leaving on the Dawn fron NYC - our expectations are different. But I promise to toast to her - perhaps as we pass the Statue of Liberty!

FWIW, there is a photo in a thread on the HAL forum which is not genuine.

 

Before people start getting worked up about it.