NORMANDIE: Ship of Dreams - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

NORMANDIE: Ship of Dreams

J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine the background and events leading up to the design, construction, launching, operations, salvage and ultimate demise of the transatlantic ocean liner S.S. Normandie. As well, to fully understand and appreciate the great ship, we will examine the events leading up to her conception as flagship of the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (CGT) – a.k.a. “French Line.”

We will examine the origins of CGT, evolution of transatlantic liners up to and including the development of the “Super-Liner” (for which Normandie was the French representative) in the nation-contest for supremacy in speed, luxury and accommodations. The ships hydrodynamic hull design, turbo-electric propulsion and many technical innovations will be highlighted and discussed in depth and detail as well as the ships magnificent interior treatments. Also, we will examine the fire that caused the ship to capsize in February 1942 and the heroic and innovative salvage/righting effort in the proceeding months.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Understand/appreciate the origins and history of the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (CGT) and the role it played in the evolution of transatlantic passenger ship service;
Understand/appreciate the changing market for ocean liner passengers from large scale immigration (steerage passengers) to an emphasis on luxury by the late 1920s focusing on first-class passengers;
Understand/appreciate how the French Line’s S.S. Ile de France (1927) set a new standard of ship design with her art-deco interior treatments and how that influenced the design of S.S. Normandie (1935) and land-based hotels, restaurants etc.;
Understand/appreciate the role of Vladimir Ivanovich Yourkevitch in the design of the hydro-dynamically efficient hull of Normandie and his background as a naval engineer;
Understand/appreciate the infrastructure required to construct, launch and fit-out Normandie at the Penhoet shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France;
Understand/appreciate the evolution of propulsion systems including direct-drive steam turbines to turbo-electric drive as was featured in Normandie;
Understand/appreciate the “Floating Palace” the ship represented in terms of interior fittings, artwork accommodations etc.;
Understand/appreciate the significance of Normandie’s short career (1935-1939) as a transatlantic liner whereby she set several speed records (first French ship to win the coveted Blue Riband);
Understand/appreciate the events leading to her internment at Pier 88 in New York, seizure by the U.S. government and rapid conversion to troopship in the wake of America’s entry into WWII;
Understand/appreciate the causes and results of the fire that broke out on February 9th 1942 while she was undergoing conversion to a troopship and subsequent capsizing;
Understand/appreciate the difficult, dangerous, large-scale salvage/righting effort that took twenty-plus months to complete and how that experience helped train and expand the U.S. Navy’s salvage service; and
Understand/appreciate why Normandie was sold for scrap and broken up after righting rather than being refit.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers, contractors and other design/construction professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the creation of one of the world’s greatest ships: S.S. Normandie

Course Introduction

When complete, she would be the largest ship afloat at nearly 80K-tons and over 1K-feet in length. She was the pride of the French Line and the symbol of a resurgent France after the calamity that was WWI. As well, she would highlight France’s technical capabilities and advertise her role as world leader in art and culture as embodied in the ship’s art-deco interiors and streamlined silhouette. Her hydrodynamic hull design would allow her to cruise at +30-knots using less horsepower to maintain speed than her rivals, but it couldn’t be known that a White-Russian immigrant – not a Frenchman, made that possible. She was one of the first ships to use RADAR (RAdio Detection And Ranging) as well as Ultrasound and Radio Direction Finding. Those experienced passengers who traveled on her said her Tourist (Second) Class was as good as any other ship’s First-Class and indeed, the emphasis was on attracting a first-class clientele. The emphasis on luxury would prove to be her Achilles Heel, intimidating travelers of lesser means during a worldwide depression. Typically, Normandie would travel at 60% occupancy – enough to cover expenses but not enough to turn a profit for her owners; CGT and the French Government. The lesson learned was too much of anything, including luxury, isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:

NORMANDIE: Ship of Dreams (printable handout in PDF, 28 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
NORMANDIE: Ship of Dreams (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 64 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Salvage of the USS Lafayette (1944)(Video)

Title: Speed Machines - Great Ocean Liners
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4UlddSQ9zA
Duration: 48:26

Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

It was “The Ship of Dreams” - a floating palace celebrating Arts Decoratifs (Art Deco) in grand fashion. She brought to sea the best of French art, culture, cuisine, fashion and maritime technology. No matter that the French government had to subsidize first her construction then her operation, the image Normandie presented to the world was worth every French Franc. She was the first truly modern liner in appearance, technology and accommodations. Her fully equipped theater rivaled any Broadway stage and set the standard for on-board entertainment. Her outdoor swimming pool was open to second-class passengers, atypical for her class-conscious era. She featured one of the earliest ship-born radar systems and a gyro-compass kept her on course automatically. Ultrasound found her depth while maneuvering in harbor and radio-telephone allowed her first-class passengers to communicate directly with both Europe and/or America from the middle of the Atlantic. Normandie had one of the most sophisticated fire detection/suppression systems at sea, but it was deactivated during her conversion to troopship. Paradoxically, it would be an accidental fire started by a workman’s torch and the inability to subdue it quickly that would, in the end, bring the great ship an ignominious demise.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Normandie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compagnie_G%C3%A9n%C3%A9rale_Transatlantique

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80461472/USS-Lafayette-Salvage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbQwY0_3ZNA
(Film: Modern Marvels: World's Largest Ships - 45:03)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T93IFBCzg0M
(Film: Floating Palaces - 50:04)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.