Normandie

[Stowaway2k]

to expand on the discussion began in another thread...

color footage is from the DVD video "A Bord du Normandie" distributed by Thalassa... in case you would like to shop for the DVD 

[Dr. Edmund Carus]

This is wonderful stuff and an almost unique colour archive of a Normandie voyage. PBS used it in the US - but not seen here in the UK me thinks! It is interesting to compare this with a QM2 voyage - as see on

There is no contest!!

Cheers!

[KEV]

Saw where she was built at St Nazaire- One hell of a dock-must have been one hell of a ship. 29 boilers? One huge kettle!

[Rob Lightbody]

I never realised this!

Normandie's whistle lives on!

Here it is, being powered by steam!  Unfortunately the recording equipment has been overwhelmed by the volume so its a bit distorted, but it still sounds lovely compared to new air-powered whistles.  It is such a shame that they couldn't give QM2 a steam powered whistle - even if it wasn't her "official" whistle.  Given that QM2 was built in Normandie's ship yard, and that Normandie is widely regarded as possibly the high-point of transatlantic ocean liner design, it would have been quite nice for her to have her whistle.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

AMAZING! What an extraordinary head of steam, and what an awesome sound!

You can see that the onlookers were impressed too, with all the camera flashes going off...

When and where was this taken I wonder -- has the whistle survived the ship?

[Rob Lightbody]

Oh sorry, for not being clear

If you click on the video to go to YouTube itself, you can see the following description

This whistle was originally used on the French ocean liner SS Normandie. After the ship was destroyed, the whistle was used at the Bethlehem, PA, plant of Bethlehem Steel.

[luzparis]

when I heard the sound !! horrible sure it's not on site on the top of the funnel !!but it's strange !!

[luzparis]

which Normandie you prefer? the the first version without the lounge or the one with  tourist class  lounge on back ?  I prefer the second version  

[luzparis]

the first version without the lounge

[Bob C.]

She just looks so massive sitting next to QM.  I wish I could have gone on board.  Great photos Luz, thanks!!! 

Oh by the way, if anyone ever gets to QM in Long Beach, there is an outstanding cut away model of Normandie there as well as a few others (no QE2 though).

[luzparis]

oh massive she was not very massive !! the hull was so aerodynamic!! and so modern!
look this beautiful web site  http://www.alae.us/Normandie/

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Thank you, Pat, for this excellent site!

It is amazing to think that, in terms of speed, the greatest ships of the Normandie's era were so far ahead of what we can produce now...

And, while I really like Art Deco dating from its own period, the modern pastiche rarely manages to recreate the simplicity that underlies all those gorgeous surface details and those opulent materials.

[Rob Lightbody]

Wonderful Normandie website Pat, thanks for sharing! 

[luzparis]

one picture of the masterpiece of this ship !! for me the most beautiful space was the First dining room
86m long

[Twynkle]

Here is a video clip taken from the copy of "L'Illustration';
a lovely book (1935) that was given to the first passengers to sail on Normandie

Thanks to 31051935