New Effort to Save the Norway

For those of you who were fond of the Norway and are saddened by her seemingly imminent breaking, their is a new effort to save her and preserve her as a hotel ship in the French town of Havre. Club Le France Prestige is the name of the effort. They are seeking investors to buy stocks to raise the 100 million that they need. Each stock is 55 euros. Anyway its an interesting effort. For those interested: http://www.clfp.fr/ (it is in english and french, though the english is a little broken.

For the most curretn information on the Norway go to:

www.ssmaritime.com Latest news and pictures of the grand lady.

It would truly be a great thing if she were finally saved. Seeing those last pics on the beach nearly broke my heart.

I hope everyone who loves her will subscribe, its not a lot to spend for a share and if the bid is not successful the money will be returned via pay pal, so theres nothing to lose apart the pay pal fee, time is running out...

It'll take a lot of stockholders at 55 Euros to raise 100 million Euros.

100,000,000 / 55 = 1,818,181 shares.

Good luck!

Or it might just take one. A shareholder can buy more than one share. :)

Honfleur is lovely village. Personally I wouldn't want it spolied by having a cruise ship tied up in its harbor. It would be like tying up a cruise ship in Oyster Bay or Sag Harbor or a million other little harbors through out the world. My opinion of course.

Honfleur is lovely village. Personally I wouldn't want it spolied by having a cruise ship tied up in its harbor. It would be like tying up a cruise ship in Oyster Bay or Sag Harbor or a million other little harbors through out the world. My opinion of course.

According to Wikipedia, the entire community (13 villages) has a population 15,933 people, with the town having just 8,352 habitants. I agree, this town isn't large enough to care for the Norway/France by itself. Of course, many will state that tourists will pay for it's upkeep. But I suggest that 2000 guests aboard the Norway/France would surely overtax any existing infrastructure, water and electric utilities, roads, parking, traffic, and its fire and police departments.

Let's take a look at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, once again. Long Beach has a population of 461,564 (Fifth largest in California). The Queen Mary is booked solid because of the nearby Convention Center, one of the largest convention centers in California and the West Coast. The Convention Center draws 1.6 million visitors annually. The 1000 or so rooms on the Queen Mary is almost a fifth of the Hotel/Motel rooms in Long Beach, which has a total of 5000 rooms. It has the busiest port on the West Coast (handling the most cargo tonnage). Recently named #1 container port in the U. S. Long Beach can easily afford upkeep on the Queen Mary from its Convention Center business alone.

What resources can a small town of 16,000 citizens or so muster? What other tourists attractions are nearby? Golly, Disneyland has more employees than that, and I'm not even counting its vacationing customers.

And lets look at New York City's predictament with the aircraft carrier Intrepid. New York's population far surpasses Long Beach. The Intrepid Museum draws visitors 700,000 yearly. It was supposed to go to drydock last Monday, but they couldn't budge it into the Hudson River.

Read this news story ~ USS Intrepid Heads For Rehab ~ http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-intrepid1106.artnov06,0,2453741.story?track=rss

Excerpts: -- After 24 years at the same Hudson River pier, the legendary aircraft carrier USS Intrepid is overdue for some R&R - restoration and repair. The ship's rehabilitation begins today, when the high tide and New York harbor's most powerful tugboat join forces to extract the World War II flattop from its berth for a one-day journey to a New Jersey shipyard.

A 6,000-horsepower "tractor tug" has been assigned to pull the 27,000-ton ship into deep river water from the slip where it has rested in up to 17 feet of mud. The move is timed for 9:15 a.m., when the river tide is at its yearly peak.

The carrier's $60 million refurbishment will include opening up more interior spaces to the public, upgrading its exhibits and a bow-to-stern paint job in naval haze-gray.

Then read this news story ~ The Carrier Intrepid Runs Aground In Hudson's Muddy Bottom ~ http://www.nysun.com/article/42999

Then read this news story ~ No Quick Fix For Stuck Intrepid ~ http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyship1107,0,5175156.story?track=rss

$60 million is a huge sum for a drydock, which should occur every 24 years or so, or sooner. That averages ($60 million/ 24 years =) $2.5 million per year for drydock expenses. That doesn't include your day to day maintenance expenses, and operating expenses, including pier fees.

Preservationists forget these expenses when they talk about saving ships. The 100 million euros this group wishes to raise is only enough to buy the Norway/France, and perform it's initial refurbishment into whatever they want to make of her. But there's other expenses that follow, and follow, and follow.

You know that old joke about that boats are nothing more than a huge hole in the water for pouring money into. I'm afraid investors into such a project will never see any income from their investment.

Isn't the Qm in Bankruptcy having a fight with the town? The Intrepid too has been in and out of bankruptcy and if it wasn't that NY was doing so well, the $60,000,000 to refurbish it and the pier would be hard to come by- most of the money is coming from slush funds created by Battery Park City.....I don't believe the Qm in Long Beach has ever been profitable.

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2005/031705.htm

I am so glad you posted this thread. I will definitely buy some shares and see what happens. I would like to see the Norway preserved. Happy Sailing, Joy

Loved the Norway but all good things must come to an end. May not be a popular statement but let the tired old lady pass into history. Like a loyal pet that has served us well there comes a time when we have to make tough decisions. There will always be those that will try heroic measures to extend the suffering. :(

Loved the Norway but all good things must come to an end. May not be a popular statement but let the tired old lady pass into history. Like a loyal pet that has served us well there comes a time when we have to make tough decisions. There will always be those that will try heroic measures to extend the suffering. :(

I absolutely agree. How do we not know that this is not a scam:confused: Please people have some sense:rolleyes:

If we are going to save ships as museum ships, we ought to fund their restoration and preservation too, for that is what museums do. If we are savng a static display without the proper funding, all we are doing is extending their lives, with the ship dying slow and painful death.

Since this scheme shows no signs of proper restoration and preservation, we shouldn't support it.

PLUS.......this is a first post wonder:rolleyes:

BTW.......I have a bridge and some swamp land to sell:p

Loved the Norway but all good things must come to an end. May not be a popular statement but let the tired old lady pass into history. Like a loyal pet that has served us well there comes a time when we have to make tough decisions. There will always be those that will try heroic measures to extend the suffering. :(

Maybe put on ice like Ted Williams.:rolleyes: