SS France (1960)

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SS France laid up in Le Havre, 1978
History
France
Name	SS France
Namesake	Country of France
Owner	Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line)
Operator	Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (French Line)
Port of registry	Le Havre, France
Route	Le Havre–Southampton-New York
Ordered	26 July 1956
Builder	Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Yard number	G19
Laid down	7 October 1957
Launched	11 May 1960
Christened	11 May 1960 by Yvonne de Gaulle
Decommissioned	25 October 1974
Maiden voyage	3 February 1962
In service	1962–1974
Out of service	24 October 1974
Identification	IMO number: 5119143
Fate	Sold to Norwegian Cruise Line after 5 years out of service
Norway
Name	SS Norway (1980–2006) SS Blue Lady (2006–2008)
Namesake	Country of Norway
Owner	Norwegian Cruise Line
Port of registry	Oslo, Norway (1980–1987) Nassau, Bahamas (1987–2003)
Route	Miami, Key West, Cozumel, Roatán, Great Stirrup Cay, Miami, and also European cruises
Ordered	26 June 1979
Builder	Lloyd Werft (Refitting for Cruising Duties)
Christened	3 May 1980 by King Olav V
Completed	3 May 1980
Acquired	26 June 1979
Decommissioned	23 May 2005
Maiden voyage	6 May 1980
In service	1980–2003
Out of service	25 May 2003 (Boiler explosion)
Identification	Call sign: LITA IMO number: 5119143
Fate	Scrapped 2006
General characteristics
Tonnage	66,343 GRT, 37,063 NRT (1961)[1] 70,202 GRT, 38,573 NRT (1980)[2] 76,049 GRT, 45,886 NRT (1990)[3]
Displacement	52,646 tonnes (51,815 long tons)
Length	315.66 m (1,035 ft 8 in) overall 299.22 m (981 ft 8 in) waterline
Beam	33.70 m (110 ft 7 in) (1961) 33.81 m (110 ft 11 in) (1990)
Height	67.66 m (222 ft 0 in) keel to mast
Draft	10.49 m (34 ft 5 in) design
Depth	28.10 m (92.2 ft) keel to main deck
Decks	12 (1961) 13 (1980) 15 (1990)
Installed power	160,000 HP (1961, total) 80,000 HP (1980, total) 54,000 HP (1980, propulsion)
Propulsion	Geared CEM-Parsons turbines  quadruple propeller (1961–1979)  / twin propeller (1979–2008)
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) approx.
Capacity	1961–1974  First class: 407–617  Tourist class: 1,271–1,637 1980–1990 – 1,944 passengers 1994–2003 – 2,565 passengers
Crew	1961–1974 – 1,104–1,253 1980–1990 – 875 1994–2003 – 875
Notes	Cost US$80 million approx.

SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner,^[4] constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962. From the time of her construction in 1960 until the construction of the 345 m (1,132 ft) RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004, the 316 m (1,037 ft) vessel was the longest passenger ship ever built. France was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in 1979, renamed SS Norway, and underwent significant modifications to refit her for cruising. She was later renamed SS Blue Lady preparatory to scrapping, sold to be scrapped in 2005, with scrapping completed in late 2008.