NORMANDIE

Backed by state aid right from keel-laying, Normandie entered the New York service a year ahead of her rival, Cunard's Queen Mary.

In the second half of the 1930s the two liners competed strongly for passenger traffic and also vied with each other over speed honours.

Normandie never visited the docks at Southampton but anchored on each of her calls at Motherbank, off the Isle of Wight. Seven tenders used to carry passengers, mail and baggage to and from the ship, an activity non-existent today.

The fact that Normandie did not survive to continue the fight was one of the Second World War's greatest maritime tragedies. Early in 1942 while being converted at New York for trooping, Normandie caught fire and capsized.

After months of effort she was brought back to an even keel and moved to Brooklyn with the object of continuing the troopship conversion. Damage, however, was found to be beyond repair.

The liner remained at Brooklyn until 1946, when President Truman ordered her sale for scrap, with a settlement to be made to her owners, the French Line.

There was more gold in Normandie than in any other Atlantic liner, and glass was used extensively. The French Line pointed out that glass was chosen not as a gimmick but for practical purposes as it needed no painting, could be easily cleaned, and, all important, was non-flammable.

The ship had 1,970 berths for passengers and it is argued that the luxury of her best accommodation has never been equalled in any other liner.