WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . SS NORWAY?
Storied ship appears to be destined for scrap heap
One of South Florida's most famous luxury ships is expected to be
dismantled in India despite a loyal following and protests from
environmental
activists.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO... The SS Norway?
On the second night of a Caribbean cruise aboard the SS Norway, Linda
Corley slipped into a black dress and headed to the ballroom.
Glancing at a large, ornate wall mirror, Corley noticed a handsome
Norwegian ship officer in navy blues amid the confluence of tuxedos and
gowns. Their eyes met and locked. Then, as if in a dream, he grabbed her
by the elbow.
''We're going to dance,'' Geir Lilleeng told her.
That memory from five years ago is one reason Corley and her husband
feel nothing but sadness when they think of the fate of the Norway,
which stopped cruising after a deadly explosion in 2003. Now it's in the
hands of ship breakers, who are expected to tear it apart in India and
sell it as scrap.
Fans of the SS Norway, originally christened the SS France and of
late called the Blue Lady, recall an uncommonly elegant, romantic ship
that was once a favorite of Cary Grant and Salvador Dalí. When the
Louvre loaned the Mona Lisa to an exhibit in the United States, the
ocean liner carried the painting over.
The ship moved to Miami in 1980 and entertained more than two
million vacationers during the next two decades, making it a mainstay of
the South Florida cruising scene. Built as a showpiece for the French government, the France set sail
in 1962 on its maiden voyage to New York, where it was greeted by
water-spraying tenders and tugboats. At 66,348 gross registered
tons, it became the world's largest luxury liner built after World
War II.
Its lines were long and sleek, and it featured a domed dining room
run by French chefs, a large theater, and kennels for both European
and American dogs (which were given a choice between a Parisian
milestone and a New York City fire hydrant for relieving themselves).
The ship completed more than 300 trans-Atlantic crossings from 1962
to 1974 before competition from jet airplanes caused the French
government to lose confidence in its financial viability. The
government withdrew its subsidies, and the ship sat idle for the
next five years. MODERNIZATION Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line spent nearly $80 million in 1979
to turn it into a modern cruise ship with outdoor swimming pools and
sun decks. ''They sunk a lot of money into her, and she was a huge
smash,'' said Peter Knego, a ship historian living in California.
Renamed the SS Norway, the ship ruled the high seas until rival
cruise operators built bigger vessels featuring casual restaurants,
teenage discos and gee-whiz amenities such as rock-climbing walls
and ice-skating rinks. Even so, the Norway maintained a loyal
following, with about 2,000 passengers boarding weekly for voyages <
from Miami to the Caribbean.
''The service was white-glove, and the waiters were amazing,'' said
Devon Scott, an information technology worker from the Houston area,
who took his first cruise on the Norway in 1999. He liked it so much
that he persuaded NCL to hire him as a ship historian, offering
lectures to passengers three times a week. ''The waiters would
memorize your drinks the moment you walked in,'' he said. ``I had
tea with lime, and it was always there at my table before I sat
down.'' Fans of the Norway praise the ship for clinging to tradition even as
others around it achieved success catering to baby boomers and
Generation Xers with more contemporary surroundings.
''The Norway was very reminiscent of the way sailing was in the
olden days. You still dressed for dinner, and it was a very elegant
affair. It wasn't party down, neon lights,'' said Linda Bailey, a
travel agent who met a man and fell in love during a cruise aboard
the Norway in 2001. They still live together in Raleigh, N.C. ''There was no other ship like the Norway,'' Bailey said. But the Norway's fate was sealed in May 2003 when a boiler exploded
while the ship was docked in Miami, killing eight crew members. The
ship had just returned from a weeklong cruise, and passengers later
had to be evacuated. None were injured. The ship was towed to a German shipyard to be repaired, but NCL's
Malaysian owner, Star Cruises, decided against putting more money
into it, and it never cruised the Caribbean again. It was sold to a
ship breaker and renamed the Blue Lady. SLOW DEATH The Norway now is believed to be sitting alone off India, awaiting
approval for its dismantling at Alang in the western state of
Gujarat. India's Supreme Court ruled last week that the Norway can enter
Indian territorial waters over the objections of environmental
activists, who warn that it's full of asbestos and poses a health
risk to workers who will be given the task of cutting it into metal
pieces. A panel of experts has been given the task of investigating
its contents and reporting to the Indian court next month. In February, the Bangladeshi government turned the Norway away
because of the asbestos concern. But even Greenpeace, which leads an
effort to clean up ship-breaking practices, has little hope that
India's government will do the same. The ship-breaking industry
contributes significantly to India's economy. ''There's about 1,300 tons of asbestos on the vessel,'' said Ingvild
Jenssen, a Greenpeace activist in Brussels. ``The vessel is broken
up on open sea, with the tide bringing toxic waste back and forth.
The workers don't have helmets. They don't have shoes. They don't
have proper masks.'' Approved to enter Indian waters, the ship is expected to get the
court's go-ahead for its dismantling in Alang, where hundreds of
other ships have gone to die. This is not the way that so many fans of the Norway wanted its story
to end. More than 200 people signed a petition on the Internet urging NCL to
buy it back and perhaps turn it into a sightseeing attraction, as
the Queen Mary is in California. Corley, a TV news producer for WPBT-PBS Channel 2, would have liked
to see the Norway become a museum or an artificial reef. ''For her
to end this way,'' Corley said, ``is just really disturbing.''
SS NORWAY'S HISTORY
The SS Norway set sail weekly on Caribbean
cruises from Miami during the 1980s and '90s after two decades as
the SS France, then dropped out of service after a deadly boiler
explosion in 2003. It's now headed for Alang, India, known worldwide
as a place where ships go to die. Here's a look at the SS
Norway's
history:
- 1962: The France embarks on its maiden voyage as the French national ship, traveling between Europe and New York. At 66,348 gross registered tons, the France ranks as the world's third-largest
luxury liner, behind the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth.
- 1972: The France becomes the world's largest luxury liner after
Seawise University, formerly Queen Elizabeth, sinks in Hong Kong harbor. (Five years earlier, the Queen Mary was pulled from service and made a stationary attraction.)
- 1974: The French government stops subsidizing the ship's operations as commercial airlines become the primary mode of trans-Atlantic travel. Owner Compagnie General Transatlantique retires the ship.
- 1979: Norwegian Caribbean Lines, today known as Norwegian Cruise
Line, buys the France and spends nearly $80 million converting it
into a modern cruise ship with outdoor swimming pools and sun decks.
The ship begins service a year later as the SS Norway, offering
seven-night cruises from Miami to the Caribbean.
- 1988: Royal Caribbean Cruises introduces Sovereign of the Seas,
wresting the title of world's largest cruise ship away from the
Norway.
- 1990: Norwegian adds new decks to the Norway, giving it the title
of world's largest until the Sun Princess is introduced in 1995.
- 2000: The Norway gets a new owner when Malaysia-based Star Cruises
buys Norwegian Cruise Line.
- 2003: One of four boilers aboard the Norway explodes while the
ship is docked at the Port of Miami-Dade, killing eight crew
members. The ship is taken to Germany for repairs, but Star Cruises
reportedly decides they are too costly.for any reason in the future.
- 2006: The Norway has a new name, Blue Lady, and belongs to a ship
breaker now. India's Supreme Court allows the Blue Lady to enter
Indian waters despite protests from environmental activists
concerned it poses a safety risk to workers because of high levels
of asbestos.
|
