Home > Ocean Liners > SS France > 2006 Finale > WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . SS NORWAY?
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.
BY AMY MARTINEZ [email protected]
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.
BY AMY MARTINEZ [email protected]
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:
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.