A Real Beauty, but the golden age and the genius of the shell, Vladimir Yourkevitch has gone away. Many people was intimidated by the gigantic luxury of many rooms, a little like Versailles. But it's the price of his legend, above all competition.
In my Opinion, if we are looking for the exterieur design The Ocean-liners from 1907-1914 Lusitania Class Olympic class Imperator class Are the most beautiful ever build. Especially the 4 Funnel liners.
My grandmother came to America from Brittany on the Normandie. I still have the passenger manifest of her crossing. The Normandie is part of my family's history. Thank you for this presentation.
She certainly was. I used an ‘Dollar Inflation Calculator’ to see what the $60,000000 that it cost to build her would be in ‘today’s dollar amount’, and she would cost $1,195,633,576.64 to build. She may be the only ‘trillion dollar ocean liner’ in history. Wow!
@@christopherpearman3422 that’s One Billion, 195 million, 633 thousand and 595 dollars. Oh and 64 cents. Not one trillion. Royal Caribbean’s most expensive ships are $1.4 billion each. So certainly while a lot, we’ve got there now.
My late father was in the Coast Guard, stationed in New York. He was assigned to the Normandie and used to run errands for the Captain. He told me the Captain had given him a small replica of the ship, which he kept in his duffle bag on board. My dad was off-duty that day and wasn’t allowed to board the ship to retrieve his belongings. I never knew any of that until a couple of years before he died back in 2007. Thanks for keeping this bit of history alive.
I remember back in 2006 I was invited to attend a focus group when I was living in San Francisco. As a way of introducing ourselves a question was proposed "If you had a time machine where would you go?" As everybody started answering everybody wanted to travel into the future. But when it was my time to answer I gave the date of May 29, 1935. Everybody asked me what happened on that date. So I mention that I grew up in New York City and I've always been fascinated by Art Deco and that the S.S. Normandie was the greatest ocean liner every to sail and that I would have killed to be on her maiden voyage and that her interiors were the ultimate in design. The greatest collection of S.S. Normandie material is the Miottel Museum located in Berkeley, California created by John "Crash" Miottel who's a nice guy.
Would like to have shown up when they were cutting those lamp things away with a big-as Kidde fire extinguisher - the ones with the pet cone hose attachment... and a blow torch in case it turns out a fully loaded Normandie got sunk by a U-boat on the way to Europe. Of course, if 'he' came to grief on the way _from_ Europe with a load of Nazi POWs, we'll just let it go...
Marc, if you would like to feel the full impact of the first class dining saloon of the Queen Mary then you must go to Montreal and to the 9th floor of the former Eaton's department store on rue Ste-Catherine. The head of the Eaton family built a replica of it as a gift for his wife, Lady Eaton, and it has been remarkably well preserved. Also the bronze doors of the Aldred Building on Place d'Armes in the heart of Old Montreal would interest you. They were salvaged from the Normandie. Google and see.
@@cerberus6654 Or visit the actual Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Was saved from scrapping and converted to a Hotel, event space and tourist attraction.
@@chezsnailez Well I have - long ago and it seemed, sorry to say, very American and rather vulgar. Like Westminster Abbey turned into mixed retail and 'luxury' condos.
"Imaging the splendour of Normandie is like imagining a beautiful dream". What a beautiful line to end your film. I feel exactly the same way about the SS Normandie, the greatest liner of them all.
I believe The Great Liners had a direct quote from a French Line sailor about sabotage that went like this: "If we intended to sabotage her, all we would have to do is leave her to you."
There was briefly a cover story (CYA) of possible "sabotage" of NORMANDIE, but it was wartime, and that conspiracy theory soon fell apart after investigations were completed. The only "sabotage" was the stupidity and negligence of those in charge of the ship at the time of the disaster.
@@Frank-mm2yp Staying at her dock in the port of New-York, she hindered the maffia's traffics . So ... But you can blame the crew as much as you want, since he has been dismissed under the pretext that he could maybe have been collaborationnist, and replaced by a voluntarily incompetent american crew who did not use the security equipements which were ultra-modern; then it just stayed to drown the ship under tons of water, and sink her. Gg ...
Just imagine how the sinking of the Normandie would feel for Yorkevitch. He had to watch his pride and joy, his greatest creation, wither away like a candle, as he desperately tried to save her. The allure of ships like the Titanic is that they suffered an astounding, horrific sinking, but a relatively dignified one. Titanic is loved and revered by thousands today, but ships like the Normandie never got justice.
@@anthonyxuereb792 Hey, without the (successful might I add) Norman Invasion of 1066, we wouldn't have modern English (though the new king of England couldn't speak English for generations.) We're the only language that has separate words for the animal (cow) and food (beef) due to this.
@@pickles3128, I do not see those as positives. I would rather have cow than beef, pig than pork, and deer than venison. The distinction between meat and animal adds nothing other than confusion to the language.
I know, the detail that he was in New York was sobering. The man had to flee Russia and had already lost his country, and then had to watch the culmination of his life’s work needlessly destroyed.
Every time I here the story about the Normandie's fire I get irritated because all of this could have been prevented so easily. All that could have want wrong, went wrong.
@@jakobfriedrich5117 it still makes my ass itch. They had the designer trying to give them advice to save it but they reply "this is a navy job" or something in that relm. Dumb ass pompous pride we have here sometimes in America
It’s the USA. Anything that can be cut or a shortcut taken, they’ll do it. Look at infrastructure: they’ll spend billions building it then don’t maintain it for decades then have to pay billions to fix it. Even in war, it was only their sheer size and ability to manufacturer fast enough to replace losses that won; not organisation.
I am a resident of Long Beach California and I adore the Queen Mary but I have to admit that The Normandie was the most beautiful Ocean Liner that ever was. And that Grand Salon! Ou La La!
How is it the most beautiful? You clearly haven't seen many ocean liners, it's interior especially was tacky, art deco liners are just not right. The traditional styles of Cunard/white star are better and classy.
@@michellerogers2996 Well I am not alone, many ocean liner enthusiasts hate the art deco style and think liners should be in the traditional style. Normandie interior is ugly and tacky compared to the Oceanic or Aquitania.
A moving tribute that could be composed only by someone with true love for Normandie. Well done. Every word in that video carries the golden glow of love for that ship. My father grew up in a poor fishing village near Bourgogne on the English Channel. He acquired a love for the sea that never let him and said as a boy he grew up dreaming of becoming a CGT cabin boy. I wish he had been successful; then I could proudly boast that my father sailed on The Greatest Ocean Liner Ever Built.
There was once a time when the oceans were as foreign and as unexplored as the planets in our solar system. under that context, and when told some of the adventures of those who experienced that type of reality, it is easy to fall in love with the mystique of it all.
I’ve read that virtually all of Normandie’s fittings and furnishings were removed in preparation for the troopship conversion, and stored in warehouses in NYC. After the ship’s tragic demise, everything was auctioned off and scattered to the winds. And yet I’ve rarely seen or heard much about what happened to all of the beautiful artworks, furnishings, etc. since. I know that some of the pieces wound up in museums and much is likely in private collections. But I can’t recall seeing many if any artifacts from the ship appear anywhere, even on Antiques Roadshow, besides commemorative items. How great it would be, to gather some of these items even on loan from private collections, to assemble a museum exhibit, where one could experience even a glimpse of Normandie’s grandeur in person. Has such an exhibition ever been shown…?
Actually I thought that at least some of the furnishings were installed on the SS Liberte after the war - the cabin furnishings were the epitome of French art deco and people that own them today may not be aware of their origin. In the lounge some of the cocktail tables had tops of that incredible pinkish-orange Formica (considered a novel material at the time) and people may have tossed them after a while. The fabrics (curtains and bedspreads etc.) were beautiful but in the scheme of things might not have survived after 80 plus years - especially if made of wool (eaten by moths).
Has anyone seen any of the four and five thousand years old ancient artifacts that we looted out of the Iraqi [Ancient Mesopotamia] during the Iraqi invasion by us and the uk...? I haven't...! Same has probably happened to Normandy's treasures.. I'll bet my farm on it.
The Victoria and Albert Museum mounted a stunning exhibition on ocean liners. I went five times and each time, the pieces from Normandie - including a decorative panel from the smoking room and a chair from the grand salon, brought me almost to tears. It was like finally achieving the sacred shrine at the end of a long pilgrimage.
Great video ! SS.Normandie is so far ahead of its design, so luxurious and elegant that the loss of the blue ribbon seems to be only an insignificant detail in front of so much beauty ! Undoubtedly the most beautiful liner of all time !
Most definitely and even though I was a child in 1939 when my parents and I sailed on her to our new life in America, I can remember every incredible amenity (in second class) to ensure the comfort of her passengers, even a movie theater which at that time interested me more than a gym or a night club. Unfortunately the month was March and the weather very bad with driving rain until we got to New York Harbor, which meant that one could not enjoy strolling the decks, partaking of outdoor games or of course the swimming pools, but there was still plenty to occupy one below decks, if one was not affected by the extremely rough seas (ocean of course) which did keep most passengers to their cabins.
I would cry if I walked through the beautiful corridors of what was once the most glamorous and resplendent ocean liner that ever existed. Normandie was revolutionary in all aspects, she was the demonstration of how French architecture is a portrait coming directly from a dream. And this floating palace could still exist if it were not for disabled and ignorant people who did not know how to take care of a treasure, the pride of a nation that was planned by so many people and that needed really hard work to come to life. I am Brazilian and I am 16 years old, and since I was a small child and watched Titanic (1997) for the first time, I fell in love with old ships, and among all I have seen, from all cultures and nations, Normandie has always been my favorite when it came to design. The saddest thing is the lack of recognition, because surely many people would fall in love with Normandie if her history were as famous as that of the Queen Mary. But this beautiful queen will always be the most ambitious and splendid ocean liner that has ever dared to exist ❤
I was about your age when I fell in love with the great liners! I think Normandie has this effect on all who read of her! She is my favorite, too. Cheers!
@@Gabriel_Strelow bem, conheceu hoje um :D Ei, se você tiver algumas recomendações de vídeos, textos e até pasta de imagens do Normandie, pode me mandar? É que eu quero fazer uma pesquisa mais aprofundada pra conhecer cada detalhe dessa maravilha colossal
Normandie has long been my favorite as well, followed by Queen Mary 2 then QE2. Normandie had it all: perfect lines, proportions, speed, efficiency and the most opulent and impressive interior spaces ever conceived for an ocean liner. If ever there was a ship that should have become a museum to the inter-war years and a monument to shipbuilding, it is this one. What an ignominious ending for an exceptional example of the potential for craftsmanship and human ingenuity!
This one almost makes me cry. I know that the war would have likely messed her up anyways, but wow the level of incompetence leading to her end is sad. Thanks for this flick
Fantastic video !! Loved the parting words of your script !! Yes , to us today, she is like a beautiful dream. How I would have loved to have sailed on her !!! Can you imagine what her First Class Dining Room must have looked with all the backlit Lalique glass glowing and reflecting off the gold gilded bas-relief walls !! Magnificent!!! Yes she was the most beautiful ocean liner of all time ! Long live Normandie in our hearts!!!
Imagine that same first class dinning room today with people dressed in ,sneakers,jeans and tank tops, lol ! Just doesn't work, does it . It's sad that class status played such a predominant part , but it certainly seems to be the case. The early airlines were the same with, luxury and prestige, was the architecture built for the class or the class could simply afford tbe architecture? We don't see this kind of craftmen ship now in anything that is affordable for the masses.
@@BigOldBoats Look up Normandie hotel in Puerto Rico. Ger neon/lit up sign that sat on her top superstructure is ontop of the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel is abandoned and the light is slowly fading away. I hope you or someone saves the last remaing tiny price of her. Dam shame.
The only day my grandfather saw my Great-Grandfather cry was the day he watched the Normandie founder at Pier 88. He was a CGT director his entire career
I love the font and music of this video. It feels like I am sailing on those liners of old again... So calming. The idea.. it feels so romantic and idealistic...
Great video! I, for one, would watch that several hours-long video on her decor and unique/special features. I love these old liners and still cherish the time I was able to explore the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Keep 'em coming!
Great vid! I’ve been a fan of your vids for a long time now, and this vid was honestly, among the best vids I’ve watched on TH-cam, and yes! Normandie’s interiors were magical and magnificent, truly a dream world, imo.
Saw the title of this video, watched it and instantly subbed. Your production and presentation are excellent and you gave one of my favorite ship's it's due. Can't wait to see the rest of your content. Very well done!
Video idea here: The S.S. Great Britian, the grandmother of all Ocean Liners. It's gut wrenching that this ship is barely talked about. It's the world's oldest Ocean liner (Yes, its still around, over 140 years old) and was the first ship to have a propeller
It’s interesting looking at ships like the Normandy, Queen Elizabeth and Olympic and realise they are all different generations of one ships descendants. A video on the S.S. Great Britain is a must. Truly the grandmother of all Ocean Liners.
Wow that ending really got me chocked up. This is my favorite video yet. She was such a great ship. I always felt that something was missing about her but I now know it was her history.
What a tribute to the Normandie! I'm brand new here and your storytelling, narrative and production value will keep me coming back. You have a respectful touch that honors the ship and her human connections. 🖖🐢 (I still choke up every time I see the fire footage.)
Great video, absolutely amazing descriptions of how this ship lived her unfortunately short life. I absolutely love the way you end the video. It completely wraps up all the ideas and wild dreams I’ve had about these ships. Though I’ll never dine in the glamorous dining halls of titanic, relax in the parlors of the Lusitania, wave from the decks of the Queen Mary as she departs New York or stare in awe down the length of Normandie’s grand halls, I will always have my imagination to take me back to the grand time when the clocks moved slower. I’ll always admire these great ships and hope to see something of their sort return to the seas along side QM2 with modern luxury to be added to the history books of the transatlantic world. Keep up the great work! -RRR
Beautifully done video. The Normandie without a doubt the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. …would have been wonderful to see the Bretagne being built
Fantastic film!! Well done; this is a great little film, packed with information and detail!!! In answer to the question......YES DEFINITELY THE GREATEST LINER!!! Her clean, sweeping, streamlined super structure, her revolutionary hull design and her steam turbine - electric propulsion system together with her breath taking interior design: the best that France and French artist and craftsmanship could offer!!! - she is, quint essentially 'Thee Ocean Liner' !!!
Another brilliant video! Can’t wait for the next one! The Normandie is one of my favourites, I would have loved the chance to have sailed on her in her prime.
Thank you for making this gorgeous tribute to one of history's most magnificent ships. I come back to this video again and again. Hats off to you, sir.
A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to find a replica of the Lalique clocks that were given to first class passengers on the initial crossing of the Normandie. While it is not true Lalique it features the ship's name and the ship's famous image of the bow in clear and frosted glass. It is a token to remind me that I can only watch wonderful programs like yours to experience what must have been a wonderful dream. Thank you. Merci beaucoup!
I'd love for a video more dedicated to the Normandies aesthetic design and the artworks created for it as that is initially what I think captivates a lot of us. Anything about the public rooms or private too would be great! Although I know about some of these things there were some interesting facts about the story and design in this video which I wasn't aware of. So any pictures or videos about the interiors would be great !!! Just an idea since you mentioned you could make hours long videos about the interiors which I would gladly watch haha.
I book I have, written around 1970 but about the decorative arts of the 1930s, said that the decorations on liners were usually overwhelmed by obscurity. As far as the Normandie I wonder how many of her regular passengers took photos of her art and furniture (if allowed - I’m guessing it was) and those photos exist in family albums and attics etc. There were critics at the time however who thought the ship was overdone and possibly gaudy, even a comment that the ship gave some people migraines.
I lived for many years on the West side of Manhattan a few blocks from the piers. I woke one morning with B+W image of the capsized Normandy in my mind.. I took a walk over to the river and the QE2 was making a departure. Streamers and champagne and we pretended to be seeing somebody off.. These were the same slips that waited for the Titanic that never arrived.
Actually the Titanic would have docked at the Chelsea Piers if she had made it to New York. The Cunard pier where the QE2 docked was built in the 1930s to accommodate the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.
SUPERB presentation! I've long been an enthusiast of ocean liners, and have a book called The Great Liners with a centerfold of the Normandie. It's worth noting that the much-earlier Lusitania experienced similar vibration issues as the Normandie with her three-bladed propellers. They were also changed out for four-bladed ones as were standard on the Mauritania, which greatly reduced the problem.
Brilliant work. We had a famous poster of the bow when I was young, done in that same art deco style showing the bow of the ship coming right towards you. I could not have believed that it depicted a real ship. So otherworldly and dreamlike
Maybe this is the only view with these 3 ships together: images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc0NjQ1OTE5MDc2NTkwOTcw/rmsqueenelizabeth.jpg There are indeed several photos, shot from different angles.
@@shanetutt518 Not in my opinion. To me Queen Mary (in the middle) looks smaller - and in fact she actually was: At the time this photo was shot QM was 80774 GRT, Normandie 83423 GRT and QE 83673 GRT. Btw - have you noticed that the foredeck of the "new" Queen Mary 2 (2004) looks a lot more like Normandie's than QM's or QE's foredecks?
@@sealover5861 yes that design was taken from the Normandie I believe..the guy who designed the qm2.liked the Normandie and borrowed some of the design
@@shanetutt518 And maybe the fact that QM2 was built in the same ship yard as both Normandie and SS France (1961), that also had the same design, had something to do with it. That "plow shaped" construction on the deck has a purpose - to lead away water from big waves that washed over the bow. Similar constructions were used on other ships too.
Great presentation of the Normandy - one can still enjoy the time machine; and we will be on the QM2 in December crossing the Atlantic by ocean liner as many people have done before...
when I was five I sailed on her she was the best ship I've ever seen but now im 81 old and tired and i made i liner of my own i loved ships and i still love them and well the Normandie she was a beautiful ship
It must've been absolutely crushing for the designer to see his ship destroyed under such avoidable, incompetent circumstances. Such hubris to ignore his input. i like that you equated her demise to a celebrity cut down in youth. Great video!
I have that same cut-away view of the Normandie on my wall! It's fascinating to look at all the rooms and machanics of that enormous ship! Thanks for posting!
These carefully made videos are really interesting because my life overlaps the times of the great liners, though the war brought such poverty to my family that such luxury was totally inaccessible. There is obviously an element of nostalgia in my response but you do this very well both in the archive content and your commentaries. Really enjoyable.
Brilliant video 👍🏼 Some really good research, info and photos. Love your commentary at the end... indeed these ships do live on in our imaginations now. Well done.👏🏼
Normandy was a marvelous ship, I came across a number of videos about her. She might have lived on after the war like the other ships. Was absolutely criminal, how they striped everything and then didn't bother to clear out the spaces before using cutting torches. The fire and damage done by navy as they refloated the hull meant it could never be restored.
I remember once reading a Story that before Normandy went to into service there was a miscommunication with the engineroom and she quickly picked up speed in the harbor basin that was way to small to slow here down in. The only exit being a lock that closed the harbor to the tides. I can not remember if they where oben at the time or if they where hastily opened but anyways they where oben and the captain personally took the helm and steered the massive ship thru the look into open seas at well above 10 knots without receiving the slightest damage..... amazing seamanship
Thank you everyone for watching! Hope I did this great lady justice. Obviously, she's one of my favorites. What's your favorite liner?
You did, sir: "Imagining the splendor of Normandie is like imagining a beautiful dream." Precisely! Thank you!!!!
United States. Still the fastest
Aquitania and Titanic.🥰
My favorite liner is United States
Never really had a favourite since i am more interested in warships but well the United States is a good ship
The Normandie has to be the most aesthetically pleasing and well proportioned ship ever built.
And the epitome of Art Deco, a quite beautiful style.
As a patriotic Englishman I reluctantly have to agree with you .
How about building a 1:1 copy of her?! Just to do her justice ♍👍
A Real Beauty, but the golden age and the genius of the shell, Vladimir Yourkevitch has gone away. Many people was intimidated by the gigantic luxury of many rooms, a little like Versailles. But it's the price of his legend, above all competition.
In my Opinion, if we are looking for the exterieur design
The Ocean-liners from
1907-1914
Lusitania Class
Olympic class
Imperator class
Are the most beautiful ever build.
Especially the 4 Funnel liners.
My grandmother came to America from Brittany on the Normandie. I still have the passenger manifest of her crossing. The Normandie is part of my family's history. Thank you for this presentation.
That’s amazing
Where in Brittany was she from?
Did she travel in first class?
I can only imagine what could have been... She is in my opinion the very epitome of what an ocean liner once was.
Probably the coolest chilliest comfiest transportation device ever made!
She certainly was. I used an ‘Dollar Inflation Calculator’ to see what the $60,000000 that it cost to build her would be in ‘today’s dollar amount’, and she would cost $1,195,633,576.64 to build. She may be the only ‘trillion dollar ocean liner’ in history. Wow!
@@christopherpearman3422 that’s One Billion, 195 million, 633 thousand and 595 dollars. Oh and 64 cents. Not one trillion.
Royal Caribbean’s most expensive ships are $1.4 billion each. So certainly while a lot, we’ve got there now.
My late father was in the Coast Guard, stationed in New York. He was assigned to the Normandie and used to run errands for the Captain. He told me the Captain had given him a small replica of the ship, which he kept in his duffle bag on board. My dad was off-duty that day and wasn’t allowed to board the ship to retrieve his belongings. I never knew any of that until a couple of years before he died back in 2007. Thanks for keeping this bit of history alive.
Hands-down, best history presentation of the Normandie I’ve seen!
I'm only a minute in and I'm like dang
Yeah.... he included that part most documentaries omit: the grotesque negligence of US authorities. :)
Agreed
You forgot include "short" between "best" and "history".
I remember back in 2006 I was invited to attend a focus group when I was living in San Francisco. As a way of introducing ourselves a question was proposed "If you had a time machine where would you go?" As everybody started answering everybody wanted to travel into the future. But when it was my time to answer I gave the date of May 29, 1935. Everybody asked me what happened on that date. So I mention that I grew up in New York City and I've always been fascinated by Art Deco and that the S.S. Normandie was the greatest ocean liner every to sail and that I would have killed to be on her maiden voyage and that her interiors were the ultimate in design. The greatest collection of S.S. Normandie material is the Miottel Museum located in Berkeley, California created by John "Crash" Miottel who's a nice guy.
Would like to have shown up when they were cutting those lamp things away with a big-as Kidde fire extinguisher - the ones with the pet cone hose attachment...
and a blow torch in case it turns out a fully loaded Normandie got sunk by a U-boat on the way to Europe. Of course, if 'he' came to grief on the way _from_ Europe with a load of Nazi POWs, we'll just let it go...
Marc, if you would like to feel the full impact of the first class dining saloon of the Queen Mary then you must go to Montreal and to the 9th floor of the former Eaton's department store on rue Ste-Catherine. The head of the Eaton family built a replica of it as a gift for his wife, Lady Eaton, and it has been remarkably well preserved. Also the bronze doors of the Aldred Building on Place d'Armes in the heart of Old Montreal would interest you. They were salvaged from the Normandie. Google and see.
@@cerberus6654 Or visit the actual Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Was saved from scrapping and converted to a Hotel, event space and tourist attraction.
@@chezsnailez Well I have - long ago and it seemed, sorry to say, very American and rather vulgar. Like Westminster Abbey turned into mixed retail and 'luxury' condos.
"Imaging the splendour of Normandie is like imagining a beautiful dream". What a beautiful line to end your film. I feel exactly the same way about the SS Normandie, the greatest liner of them all.
I believe The Great Liners had a direct quote from a French Line sailor about sabotage that went like this: "If we intended to sabotage her, all we would have to do is leave her to you."
There was briefly a cover story (CYA) of possible "sabotage" of NORMANDIE, but it was wartime, and that conspiracy theory soon
fell apart after investigations were completed. The only "sabotage" was the stupidity and negligence of those in charge of the ship at the time of the disaster.
@@Frank-mm2yp Staying at her dock in the port of New-York, she hindered the maffia's traffics . So ... But you can blame the crew as much as you want, since he has been dismissed under the pretext that he could maybe have been collaborationnist, and replaced by a voluntarily incompetent american crew who did not use the security equipements which were ultra-modern; then it just stayed to drown the ship under tons of water, and sink her. Gg ...
Just imagine how the sinking of the Normandie would feel for Yorkevitch. He had to watch his pride and joy, his greatest creation, wither away like a candle, as he desperately tried to save her. The allure of ships like the Titanic is that they suffered an astounding, horrific sinking, but a relatively dignified one. Titanic is loved and revered by thousands today, but ships like the Normandie never got justice.
Because she's French
@@anthonyxuereb792 Hey, without the (successful might I add) Norman Invasion of 1066, we wouldn't have modern English (though the new king of England couldn't speak English for generations.) We're the only language that has separate words for the animal (cow) and food (beef) due to this.
"This is a Navy job". I'll bet he ne never got over hearing that.
@@pickles3128, I do not see those as positives. I would rather have cow than beef, pig than pork, and deer than venison. The distinction between meat and animal adds nothing other than confusion to the language.
I know, the detail that he was in New York was sobering. The man had to flee Russia and had already lost his country, and then had to watch the culmination of his life’s work needlessly destroyed.
Why did this make me wanna cry omg- I’ve known the story of Normandie for a while but the way you told her tale, magnificent. Truly.
Yo facts!
Every time I here the story about the Normandie's fire I get irritated because all of this could have been prevented so easily. All that could have want wrong, went wrong.
absolutely criminal. i cringe so hard everytime i hear about it
@@jakobfriedrich5117 it still makes my ass itch. They had the designer trying to give them advice to save it but they reply "this is a navy job" or something in that relm. Dumb ass pompous pride we have here sometimes in America
Americans🙄
@@jamesdelatour2266 making sweeping statements about a group of people 🙄
It’s the USA. Anything that can be cut or a shortcut taken, they’ll do it. Look at infrastructure: they’ll spend billions building it then don’t maintain it for decades then have to pay billions to fix it. Even in war, it was only their sheer size and ability to manufacturer fast enough to replace losses that won; not organisation.
I am a resident of Long Beach California and I adore the Queen Mary but I have to admit that The Normandie was the most beautiful Ocean Liner that ever was.
And that Grand Salon! Ou La La!
Yes, the grand salon, amazing!
How is it the most beautiful? You clearly haven't seen many ocean liners, it's interior especially was tacky, art deco liners are just not right. The traditional styles of Cunard/white star are better and classy.
@@michellerogers2996 Well I am not alone, many ocean liner enthusiasts hate the art deco style and think liners should be in the traditional style. Normandie interior is ugly and tacky compared to the Oceanic or Aquitania.
I was honestly touched by your final remarks on the Normandie. Wonderful tribute.
Yeah, agree. If only not interrupted by a stupid ad.
A moving tribute that could be composed only by someone with true love for Normandie. Well done. Every word in that video carries the golden glow of love for that ship.
My father grew up in a poor fishing village near Bourgogne on the English Channel. He acquired a love for the sea that never let him and said as a boy he grew up dreaming of becoming a CGT cabin boy. I wish he had been successful; then I could proudly boast that my father sailed on The Greatest Ocean Liner Ever Built.
I never knew that big old boats was a fascination of mine but I have watched several of this video's in the last few hours. Who knew!
There was once a time when the oceans were as foreign and as unexplored as the planets in our solar system. under that context, and when told some of the adventures of those who experienced that type of reality, it is easy to fall in love with the mystique of it all.
I’ve read that virtually all of Normandie’s fittings and furnishings were removed in preparation for the troopship conversion, and stored in warehouses in NYC. After the ship’s tragic demise, everything was auctioned off and scattered to the winds. And yet I’ve rarely seen or heard much about what happened to all of the beautiful artworks, furnishings, etc. since. I know that some of the pieces wound up in museums and much is likely in private collections. But I can’t recall seeing many if any artifacts from the ship appear anywhere, even on Antiques Roadshow, besides commemorative items. How great it would be, to gather some of these items even on loan from private collections, to assemble a museum exhibit, where one could experience even a glimpse of Normandie’s grandeur in person. Has such an exhibition ever been shown…?
Actually I thought that at least some of the furnishings were installed on the SS Liberte after the war - the cabin furnishings were the epitome of French art deco and people that own them today may not be aware of their origin. In the lounge some of the cocktail tables had tops of that incredible pinkish-orange Formica (considered a novel material at the time) and people may have tossed them after a while. The fabrics (curtains and bedspreads etc.) were beautiful but in the scheme of things might not have survived after 80 plus years - especially if made of wool (eaten by moths).
Section of the glass mural from the lounge is in the Met Museum in N Y (at least it used to be).
Has anyone seen any of the four and five thousand years old ancient artifacts that we looted out of the Iraqi [Ancient Mesopotamia] during the Iraqi invasion by us and the uk...?
I haven't...!
Same has probably happened to Normandy's treasures.. I'll bet my farm on it.
The Victoria and Albert Museum mounted a stunning exhibition on ocean liners. I went five times and each time, the pieces from Normandie - including a decorative panel from the smoking room and a chair from the grand salon, brought me almost to tears. It was like finally achieving the sacred shrine at the end of a long pilgrimage.
ebay has a couple of items.
I didn't cry at the end if 1997's Titanic, but cried at 24:10 when you said that. That footage... Thats presentation right there...
"Imagining the splendor of Normandie is like imagining a beautiful dream." ♥️
brought a tear to my eye. beautiful line
@@ScramasaxeRA me too
Great video ! SS.Normandie is so far ahead of its design, so luxurious and elegant that the loss of the blue ribbon seems to be only an insignificant detail in front of so much beauty !
Undoubtedly the most beautiful liner of all time !
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Most beautiful ocean liner to ever sail the oceans
Totally agree, and her demise was definitely one of the most careless and wasteful!
Couldn't agree more
Most definitely and even though I was a child in 1939 when my parents and I sailed on her to our new life in America, I can remember every incredible amenity (in second class) to ensure the comfort of her passengers, even a movie theater which at that time interested me more than a gym or a night club. Unfortunately the month was March and the weather very bad with driving rain until we got to New York Harbor, which meant that one could not enjoy strolling the decks, partaking of outdoor games or of course the swimming pools, but there was still plenty to occupy one below decks, if one was not affected by the extremely rough seas (ocean of course) which did keep most passengers to their cabins.
good choice! my opinion is Olympic
Agree with you
I would cry if I walked through the beautiful corridors of what was once the most glamorous and resplendent ocean liner that ever existed. Normandie was revolutionary in all aspects, she was the demonstration of how French architecture is a portrait coming directly from a dream. And this floating palace could still exist if it were not for disabled and ignorant people who did not know how to take care of a treasure, the pride of a nation that was planned by so many people and that needed really hard work to come to life. I am Brazilian and I am 16 years old, and since I was a small child and watched Titanic (1997) for the first time, I fell in love with old ships, and among all I have seen, from all cultures and nations, Normandie has always been my favorite when it came to design. The saddest thing is the lack of recognition, because surely many people would fall in love with Normandie if her history were as famous as that of the Queen Mary. But this beautiful queen will always be the most ambitious and splendid ocean liner that has ever dared to exist ❤
I was about your age when I fell in love with the great liners! I think Normandie has this effect on all who read of her! She is my favorite, too. Cheers!
Sim, concordo com tudo que você disse. Também sou brasileiro e sou apaixonado pela Normandie
@@KaiserRoseNemo Que legall!
Até hoje não tinha conhecido um brasileiro que gosta de transatlânticos ksksks
@@Gabriel_Strelow bem, conheceu hoje um :D
Ei, se você tiver algumas recomendações de vídeos, textos e até pasta de imagens do Normandie, pode me mandar? É que eu quero fazer uma pesquisa mais aprofundada pra conhecer cada detalhe dessa maravilha colossal
It's not the most ambitious or splendid, it's art deco style is ugly and it didn't have as many features as some cunard/white star ships.
Normandie has long been my favorite as well, followed by Queen Mary 2 then QE2. Normandie had it all: perfect lines, proportions, speed, efficiency and the most opulent and impressive interior spaces ever conceived for an ocean liner. If ever there was a ship that should have become a museum to the inter-war years and a monument to shipbuilding, it is this one. What an ignominious ending for an exceptional example of the potential for craftsmanship and human ingenuity!
Your comment is magnificent.
@@litamtondy Period. 💅
This one almost makes me cry. I know that the war would have likely messed her up anyways, but wow the level of incompetence leading to her end is sad. Thanks for this flick
Fantastic video !! Loved the parting words of your script !! Yes , to us today, she is like a beautiful dream. How I would have loved to have sailed on her !!! Can you imagine what her First Class Dining Room must have looked with all the backlit Lalique glass glowing and reflecting off the gold gilded bas-relief walls !! Magnificent!!! Yes she was the most beautiful ocean liner of all time ! Long live Normandie in our hearts!!!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. I would absolutely love a chance to experience her beauty too!
Imagine that same first class dinning room today with people dressed in ,sneakers,jeans and tank tops, lol ! Just doesn't work, does it . It's sad that class status played such a predominant part , but it certainly seems to be the case. The early airlines were the same with, luxury and prestige, was the architecture built for the class or the class could simply afford tbe architecture? We don't see this kind of craftmen ship now in anything that is affordable for the masses.
@@BigOldBoats Look up Normandie hotel in Puerto Rico. Ger neon/lit up sign that sat on her top superstructure is ontop of the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel is abandoned and the light is slowly fading away. I hope you or someone saves the last remaing tiny price of her. Dam shame.
@@willyD200😂 lol!
The only day my grandfather saw my Great-Grandfather cry was the day he watched the Normandie founder at Pier 88. He was a CGT director his entire career
I would have wept as well, just such unnecessary destruction. Interesting family story.
I love the font and music of this video. It feels like I am sailing on those liners of old again... So calming. The idea.. it feels so romantic and idealistic...
Great video! I, for one, would watch that several hours-long video on her decor and unique/special features. I love these old liners and still cherish the time I was able to explore the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Keep 'em coming!
Thank you for making this. Of the Great liner connoisseurs, I've been waiting for your take on this fine ship
Great vid! I’ve been a fan of your vids for a long time now, and this vid was honestly, among the best vids I’ve watched on TH-cam, and yes! Normandie’s interiors were magical and magnificent, truly a dream world, imo.
Bro your intros are absolutely beautiful, especially this one. I literally screen recorded it, and I still have it.
Oh yes SS Normandie aka the best oceanliner of all time!
You did a wonderful job explaining everything on the video!
Saw the title of this video, watched it and instantly subbed. Your production and presentation are excellent and you gave one of my favorite ship's it's due. Can't wait to see the rest of your content. Very well done!
Video idea here: The S.S. Great Britian, the grandmother of all Ocean Liners.
It's gut wrenching that this ship is barely talked about. It's the world's oldest Ocean liner (Yes, its still around, over 140 years old) and was the first ship to have a propeller
Great suggestion. I'll add her to my list. Definitely a story I'd like to learn more about too.
That is comparable a new Jet airplane, to a propellar one. There a not such comparison.
It’s interesting looking at ships like the Normandy, Queen Elizabeth and Olympic and realise they are all different generations of one ships descendants. A video on the S.S. Great Britain is a must. Truly the grandmother of all Ocean Liners.
Louis, this is a video about the Normandie. can we just appreciate that without going into full wataboutism lmao
I'd say that the _Great Western_ was the first ocean liner, as she was the first ship specifically designed to travel between continents.
Wow that ending really got me chocked up. This is my favorite video yet. She was such a great ship. I always felt that something was missing about her but I now know it was her history.
What a tribute to the Normandie! I'm brand new here and your storytelling, narrative and production value will keep me coming back. You have a respectful touch that honors the ship and her human connections. 🖖🐢 (I still choke up every time I see the fire footage.)
What a lovely video of a magnificent ship, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. Thank You.
Great video, absolutely amazing descriptions of how this ship lived her unfortunately short life. I absolutely love the way you end the video. It completely wraps up all the ideas and wild dreams I’ve had about these ships. Though I’ll never dine in the glamorous dining halls of titanic, relax in the parlors of the Lusitania, wave from the decks of the Queen Mary as she departs New York or stare in awe down the length of Normandie’s grand halls, I will always have my imagination to take me back to the grand time when the clocks moved slower. I’ll always admire these great ships and hope to see something of their sort return to the seas along side QM2 with modern luxury to be added to the history books of the transatlantic world.
Keep up the great work! -RRR
You got me emotional.
Really, really beautiful video. Thank you so much for your work.
I think you can take that question mark out of the title.
Your ending script was really really well done- it gave me goosebumps!
Superb video! Brilliant work! I love the SS Normandie, and you are doing her a favour with such quality work! Thank you
This video was beautifully done and really did her justice. Fantastic job my friend.
"Sir! Good news! All three props are in perfect shape!"
"...what do you mean 'three?'"
Do the R.M.S Olympic next!!! ❤️
Very much yes
She should’ve been first
Yes!!!
Beautifully done video. The Normandie without a doubt the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. …would have been wonderful to see the Bretagne being built
Sensational narration, mate. Good job.
Slowly falling in love with this channel, keep it up! This is great stuff.
Every time I hear the Normandie's horn ring out I get chills
It’s back!!!! Favorite video about the Normandie!!!
Fantastic film!! Well done; this is a great little film, packed with information and detail!!!
In answer to the question......YES DEFINITELY THE GREATEST LINER!!!
Her clean, sweeping, streamlined super structure, her revolutionary hull design and her steam turbine - electric propulsion system together with her breath taking interior design: the best that France and French artist and craftsmanship could offer!!! - she is, quint essentially 'Thee Ocean Liner' !!!
Another brilliant video! Can’t wait for the next one! The Normandie is one of my favourites, I would have loved the chance to have sailed on her in her prime.
Damn you need some good amount of money to sail on her 😂
Amazing presentation all around! I couldn't get over how well you put together that swan lake and Normandie footage sequence!
Thank you for making this gorgeous tribute to one of history's most magnificent ships. I come back to this video again and again. Hats off to you, sir.
A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to find a replica of the Lalique clocks that were given to first class passengers on the initial crossing of the Normandie. While it is not true Lalique it features the ship's name and the ship's famous image of the bow in clear and frosted glass. It is a token to remind me that I can only watch wonderful programs like yours to experience what must have been a wonderful dream. Thank you. Merci beaucoup!
I'd love for a video more dedicated to the Normandies aesthetic design and the artworks created for it as that is initially what I think captivates a lot of us. Anything about the public rooms or private too would be great! Although I know about some of these things there were some interesting facts about the story and design in this video which I wasn't aware of. So any pictures or videos about the interiors would be great !!! Just an idea since you mentioned you could make hours long videos about the interiors which I would gladly watch haha.
I book I have, written around 1970 but about the decorative arts of the 1930s, said that the decorations on liners were usually overwhelmed by obscurity. As far as the Normandie I wonder how many of her regular passengers took photos of her art and furniture (if allowed - I’m guessing it was) and those photos exist in family albums and attics etc. There were critics at the time however who thought the ship was overdone and possibly gaudy, even a comment that the ship gave some people migraines.
I know right! Such a great vid idea….
I don’t know if she was The Greatest, but she damn sure was, and is, The Most Beautiful.
Well, not 'is', as she's probably riding around in the fender of an old Biscayne somewhere.
she looked even more modern than 20y newer ss united states!
I can't even begin to imagine the level of absolutely livid the designer must've been after all of this went down.
What an excellent video. Keep up the good work! Seriously, the videos you are making are marvelous.
You did a marvelous job. I enjoyed it immensely and thank you!
Thank you for watching!
I lived for many years on the West side of Manhattan a few blocks from the piers. I woke one morning with B+W image of the capsized Normandy in my mind.. I took a walk over to the river and the QE2 was making a departure. Streamers and champagne and we pretended to be seeing somebody off.. These were the same slips that waited for the Titanic that never arrived.
Actually the Titanic would have docked at the Chelsea Piers if she had made it to New York. The Cunard pier where the QE2 docked was built in the 1930s to accommodate the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.
@@trevorn9381A lot of history there and now they are gone..
@@Larkinchance Yes and that history was not all that long ago. I am 50 and I knew a guy the same age as my dad whose father was a Titanic survivor.
@@trevorn9381 I hope that is not analogy
Merci pour ces magnifiques images et vos commentaires qui sonnent si justes !
OH MY! I thank you for bring such beauty to my day. The music was wonderful as well. Now I must decide my next ship to visit! YEA!
SUPERB presentation! I've long been an enthusiast of ocean liners, and have a book called The Great Liners with a centerfold of the Normandie. It's worth noting that the much-earlier Lusitania experienced similar vibration issues as the Normandie with her three-bladed propellers. They were also changed out for four-bladed ones as were standard on the Mauritania, which greatly reduced the problem.
all three propellers were in good shape - an alarming report for a 4-propeller ship.
i can't stop laughing. your deadpan delivery was right on.
Well done, you didn't leave anything out, and you found some great archival footage.
Awesome, the best documentary ever about this incredible ship!
A wonderful and very interesting documentary. It's a real shame we never get to experience these beautiful ocean liners.
Yes!!!! The video is back!!!!! After months of waiting!!!!! Cue the goosebumps…..
Brilliant work. We had a famous poster of the bow when I was young, done in that same art deco style showing the bow of the ship coming right towards you. I could not have believed that it depicted a real ship. So otherworldly and dreamlike
Wow imagine the sight of seeing her side by side with the two queens...that would be a historical moment
Maybe this is the only view with these 3 ships together:
images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc0NjQ1OTE5MDc2NTkwOTcw/rmsqueenelizabeth.jpg
There are indeed several photos, shot from different angles.
@@sealover5861 and she looks small next to them lol
@@shanetutt518 Not in my opinion. To me Queen Mary (in the middle) looks smaller - and in fact she actually was: At the time this photo was shot QM was 80774 GRT, Normandie 83423 GRT and QE 83673 GRT.
Btw - have you noticed that the foredeck of the "new" Queen Mary 2 (2004) looks a lot more like Normandie's than QM's or QE's foredecks?
@@sealover5861 yes that design was taken from the Normandie I believe..the guy who designed the qm2.liked the Normandie and borrowed some of the design
@@shanetutt518 And maybe the fact that QM2 was built in the same ship yard as both Normandie and SS France (1961), that also had the same design, had something to do with it.
That "plow shaped" construction on the deck has a purpose - to lead away water from big waves that washed over the bow. Similar constructions were used on other ships too.
Very good documentary!
Unbelievably complete!
A magnificent video! The general aesthetic and tone fits perfectly with the Normandie herself. Well done, and thank you for such a wonderful video!
Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Even being down for a few months its still one of your best preforming videos
Great presentation of the Normandy - one can still enjoy the time machine; and we will be on the QM2 in December crossing the Atlantic by ocean liner as many people have done before...
Big fan! Love the effort you put into these.
when I was five I sailed on her she was the best ship I've ever seen but now im 81 old and tired and i made i liner of my own i loved ships and i still love them and well the Normandie she was a beautiful ship
It must've been absolutely crushing for the designer to see his ship destroyed under such avoidable, incompetent circumstances. Such hubris to ignore his input. i like that you equated her demise to a celebrity cut down in youth. Great video!
Congrats for the technical/historical sources search and vid construction ! It's a great adding value doc !
This was a coincidence since I am working on a video project and the thing I was working on now was the Normandie, so thanks for your help I guess!
I have that same cut-away view of the Normandie on my wall! It's fascinating to look at all the rooms and machanics of that enormous ship! Thanks for posting!
Thank you Bradley. The Normandie is my favorite liner and you did a bang up job. 👍🏻
These carefully made videos are really interesting because my life overlaps the times of the great liners, though the war brought such poverty to my family that such luxury was totally inaccessible. There is obviously an element of nostalgia in my response but you do this very well both in the archive content and your commentaries. Really enjoyable.
Simply a wonderful presentation. I found the epilogue particularly touching. And yes, you did this, "Great Lady" justice, absolutely...😉
VERY well done... even romantically poetic there at the end with your words. Bravo!
12:09
There's that one moment of every video of yours when I keel over laughing
I love that little touch he adds. His videos are well researched, funny and a little emotional
Never was there a more beautiful ship!
Thank You for this wonderful video.
Not going to lie the end of the video maked me cry.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.
This is amazing. Well done.
Brilliant video 👍🏼 Some really good research, info and photos. Love your commentary at the end... indeed these ships do live on in our imaginations now. Well done.👏🏼
Never heard of this ship until now. Thank You!
YES THE VIDEOS BACK LETS GO
Hopefully it stays up!
Thank you!
The ending actually made me teary eyed! This was amazing!
Very cool and informative video. Thank you.
A beautiful tribute, thank you.
The Normandy was an elligant ship. So beautiful . Sad what happened to her.
Normandy was a marvelous ship, I came across a number of videos about her. She might have lived on after the war like the other ships. Was absolutely criminal, how they striped everything and then didn't bother to clear out the spaces before using cutting torches. The fire and damage done by navy as they refloated the hull meant it could never be restored.
I remember once reading a Story that before Normandy went to into service there was a miscommunication with the engineroom and she quickly picked up speed in the harbor basin that was way to small to slow here down in.
The only exit being a lock that closed the harbor to the tides. I can not remember if they where oben at the time or if they where hastily opened but anyways they where oben and the captain personally took the helm and steered the massive ship thru the look into open seas at well above 10 knots without receiving the slightest damage..... amazing seamanship
I loved the narration. Especially the end!