France/Norway: France’s Last Liner/Norway’s First Mega Cruise Ship

Product Description

The dean of ocean-liner historians brings to life one of the last transatlantic liners: the legendary France, later renamed Norway. As a dedicated passenger during both the vessel’s lives, John Maxtone-Graham is in a perfect position to give us this rich, profusely illustrated history of
France/Norway. The French Line’s dazzling ocean liner
S.S. France was alone in her class until the arrival of the QE2 in 1967. She was fast, chic, lavishly manned, and offered sumptuous catering. For a dozen years she was a star on the North Atlantic. However, in the summer of 1974, with jet airliners dominating transatlantic travel,
France was withdrawn and allowed to molder for five years.

Then a miraculous reprieve: the head of Norwegian Cruise Line decided to buy
France; the vessel was revamped for warm weather and rechristened
Norway. One of the last North Atlantic liners became the Caribbean’s first megaship. The singularity of this incredible hull that sailed in two contrasting modes demands remembrance―she was
the pioneering big ship, popularizing a scale of cruising then unknown. 270 black-and-white and color photographs and illustrations

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Like mammals, which wrested the world from the dinosaurs, the jet plane quickly became the most popular and economical way to cross the Atlantic during the 1960s, leading to a decline in bookings on ocean liners. Into this transitional world, the French Line nevertheless launched the magnificent France in 1960; at the time, it was the longest passenger ship in the world and certainly one of the most elegant of the classic Atlantic-crossing queens. But the economic times in which the France lived took their toll on the ship�s livelihood, and a dozen years after it entered service, the great ship was withdrawn, never to grace the waves between Europe and New York again. Fortunately, it was not yet confined to the scrap heap. A few years after retirement, the France was converted into the cruise ship Norway to live a few years more, although not in the same royal state. Maxtone-Graham, an expert on passenger-ship history and author of the seminal The Only Way to Cross (1972), here documents, with considerable authority and passion, the story of the France/Norway from inception and design to eventual scrapping at an Indian port. The illustrations in this lovely oversize book are plentiful and gorgeous, all contributing to a vibrant, informative book that all ship lovers, travelers, and students of social history will greatly appreciate. –Brad Hooper

About the Author

John Maxtone-Graham (1929–2015) wrote many books on trans-Atlantic ocean travel, among them
Titanic Tragedy: A New Look at the Lost Liner,
Normandie: France’s Legendary Art Deco Ocean Liner, and
The Only Way to Cross.