# The French dream of a replacement France



## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

A French group are trying to raise money to build a new FRANCE. The proposed ship is a medium-sized ship, 240 meters long and having a capacity for 500 passengers. 

If it is ever built the vessel will have two funnel-shaped towers containing the public spaces. Between these “funnels” a palm tree garden of 2,000 square meters will offer a paradise-island experience. The stern of the ship will be equipped with a water sport marina.

www.lenouveaupaquebotfrance.com

I cannot see many Members regarding this as true replacement of FRANCE/NORWAY.

Fred (Thumb)


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

fred henderson said:


> A French group are trying to raise money to build a new FRANCE. The proposed ship is a medium-sized ship, 240 meters long and having a capacity for 500 passengers.
> 
> If it is ever built the vessel will have two funnel-shaped towers containing the public spaces. Between these “funnels” a palm tree garden of 2,000 square meters will offer a paradise-island experience. The stern of the ship will be equipped with a water sport marina.
> 
> ...


I don't think that there will ever be a ship built that could equal France. it didn't matter how you looked at her, from the dock bottom from for'd or aft, from across the river, from a plane or from the bilge flat and tunnels, the whole thing was perfection with ten Gold Stars. I don't think that there is any company in the world that could agree to the original building guarantees, mainly because there aren't any companies left, with the integrity in business, to do so. (EEK)


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

Good luck to them, if anybody can the French will have a go.


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## NoMoss (Mar 14, 2007)

It's different enough to be a success - if I had the money I would be booking already!


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## benjidog (Oct 27, 2005)

I am very disappointed Fred.

When I saw the thread title I had a mental image of all the French people moving out and leaving their beautiful country empty for us to move in.


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## John Callon (Dec 20, 2008)

Billieboy said:


> I don't think that there will ever be a ship built that could equal France. it didn't matter how you looked at her, from the dock bottom from for'd or aft, from across the river, from a plane or from the bilge flat and tunnels, the whole thing was perfection with ten Gold Stars. I don't think that there is any company in the world that could agree to the original building guarantees, mainly because there aren't any companies left, with the integrity in business, to do so. (EEK)


Although I agree the France was a beautiful looking ship, I think the honour of the finest looking ship ever must go to the first Queen Elizabeth. To see that ship moving down the Solent or see her at speed on the Western Ocean was really something.
John C.


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## NickNZ (Dec 29, 2007)

As R58484956 says, If anyone can, or decides to, it will be the French that do it. They have never let anybody or anything, get in the their way. May have put a few noses out of joint along the way. But they have done it before. I hope they do it again, and they have had plenty of practice building the latest Cunarders for Britain/America.


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## bert thompson (Nov 28, 2005)

The France was truly beautiful.
Fred every time I see your logo I wonder where my Hawthorn Leslie Motor Club badge is. That too will never be repeated
Regards
Bert.


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## Richard Green (Apr 9, 2006)

Nah, Brian, I've already had my little corner of Burgundy staked out, paid for and decorated for the last 30 odd years!.....But why not? A new France! NoMoss is already up for a passage. I'm pretty sure there would be more takers. I'm not too sure if I go for the palm trees between the funnels though...


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## NoMoss (Mar 14, 2007)

Richard Green said:


> Nah, Brian, I've already had my little corner of Burgundy staked out, paid for and decorated for the last 30 odd years!.....But why not? A new France! NoMoss is already up for a passage. I'm pretty sure there would be more takers. I'm not too sure if I go for the palm trees between the funnels though...


They say the best cure for sea-sickness is 20 minutes under an apple tree - I wonder if palm trees work as well?


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

benjidog said:


> I am very disappointed Fred.
> 
> When I saw the thread title I had a mental image of all the French people moving out and leaving their beautiful country empty for us to move in.


(Jester) I was thinking that - and just waiting for the posts to start from the more conspiracy minded Stormy Weather crew


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

John Callon said:


> Although I agree the France was a beautiful looking ship, I think the honour of the finest looking ship ever must go to the first Queen Elizabeth. To see that ship moving down the Solent or see her at speed on the Western Ocean was really something.
> John C.


Quite possible John, but I never had the privilege of seeing her afloat, let alone in dock or from the inside, so I have no right to comment.


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## R396040 (Sep 30, 2008)

*"France"*



fred henderson said:


> A French group are trying to raise money to build a new FRANCE. The proposed ship is a medium-sized ship, 240 meters long and having a capacity for 500 passengers.
> 
> If it is ever built the vessel will have two funnel-shaped towers containing the public spaces. Between these “funnels” a palm tree garden of 2,000 square meters will offer a paradise-island experience. The stern of the ship will be equipped with a water sport marina.
> 
> ...


 Yes the original France was a lovely ship. When she was new I was in Le Havre on one of the Cunard cargo ships and her owners CGT were also our agents and I got a guided tour of her and later presented with a small oil painting of her which still hangs in my garden bar with other memobrillia of m ythirty great happy years at sea. Also remember seeeing her in New York opposite one of Cunards Queens and right outside the old favourite Market Diner and it was there you could see the lenght of her I believe I am right in saying her claim was to be the longest liner/ship at that time. It was sad in later years to see her tied up ,lifeless,. at Le Havre before bein g sold on to become Norway. Even sadder to see her going to the breakers.
Truly one of the greats. Cheers Fred for the memories.
Stuart Henderson
France


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## R396040 (Sep 30, 2008)

*Le Havre /liner France*

Hi.
Just after posting my previous effort above I sat down to lunch in front of the telly watched the French programme & news on TF1. On Saturdays they end the news with an up to date on various French towns & cities and todays turn was Le Havre which was quoted as Frances 2nd port. There were only two ships in sight a big container ship Hapag LLoyd and a red hulled tanker/chemical carrier ? what a difference from the 60/70s that I recall.
However to bring the subject back to the liner France they also showed an ex France crew member who had sailed as crew hairdresser. He now has his own barbers shop in Le Havre and is still cutting hair. The twist being he wears a French matelots uniform whilst working complete with hat & pompom and name band, The shop walls were decorated with nautical items and pictures. Must try and visit next time Im going north
Stuart[=P]


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## NoMoss (Mar 14, 2007)

At Stanford Airport in Orlando the Lounge has a barman called Alain Girard who told me he used to be MD on those ships. He now runs a Wedding and Reception business called Magnolia Acres, 'Victorian House and Gardens'.

Nothing to do with the subject but why do Americans talk of 'Victorian' houses etc when the country was not ruled by Victoria and they are usually much newer.


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## tom roberts (May 4, 2008)

In an article re Mersey Disasters I mentioned an old book I found well also in this book is an article on Liners that held the Blue Riband among other holders it shows the Normandie in 1935 when she broke all records the first to do an average 30 knots on her maiden voyage if the French or anyone else for that matter build ships like her again the generation today will see what wonderful elegant vessels should look like not these floating monstroties that pass as liners.


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## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

It really depends upon whether you want to look at passenger ships from the shore or travel in them. All the great transatlantic liners from the 1920s onwards were financed by their governments and most lost their taxpayers large amounts of money, because so few people wanted to travel in them.

Normandie had a bad reputation for pompous and pretentious on-board attitudes – first class passengers were expected to wear white tie outfits for dinner for example. The New York Herald-Tribune reported that when she was brand new, she only managed to fill 59% of available space, eastbound and westbound in May, June and July 1935. No government would pay for these financial white elephants today.

Modern cruise ships owned by the big operators are completely unsubsidised and carry capacity passenger loadings throughout the year. The largest, Carnival Corporation, owns 11 operating companies who between them have 93 ships in service and another 13 on order. They employ about 80,000 people world-wide. The group carried 6,383,000 passengers and made a net profit of $1,597,000,000 in the first nine months of 2009. You may not like the outside appearance of modern cruise ships but clearly a lot of people enjoy the product.

Fred (Thumb)


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

To be fair, whilst many enjoy the product that Carnival offer, it is a completely different product to what the liners of yesteryear provided.
E.g. Glorified Ferry with the commensurate facilities which you use to get to your destination, as opposed to a Floating Resort where the destination is the ship itself.
To compare the two is a bit unfair.


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## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

Agreed Jim. The point I was trying to make is that the construction of the great transatlantic liners was financed by governments and their subsequent running costs subsidised. There is no way governments will do that today.

Fred (Thumb)


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## RayJordandpo (Feb 23, 2006)

Fred and Jim,
I think in your own way you are both spot on there. Surely modern day cruise ships cannot be compared to the liners of yesteryear. I don't think the likes of Carnival Cruises really build ships to look good from the outside or get the nod of approval from critical seamen like ourselves. They build them as floating holiday hotels or resorts to cater for the masses. To me the main function of a liner was to get passengers from A to B as quickly as possible, hence their great speed. I agree that lack of government funding contributed to their demise but surely what really killed them was the aviation industry, transatlantic liners anyway.


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

There was some talk of the French making a near copy of the second five master named "France" too I remember. It was reported on this site as well, but I haven't heard about the project for a while. I guess they made a serious cost calculation and lost the impetus? Stein.


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## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

The name "France" has been reserved in the French registrary for the new cruise ship project.

Fred (Thumb)


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## John Bruce Ismay (Mar 4, 2011)

I know well that project, the man at the helm is a true passionate. His family has a long standing tradition of decorating most famous French liners. The new web site is :http://www.reconstruirelefrance.com/fr/construction-paquebot-france.html

Frankly I don't like at all the looks of that ship. I am happy that a luxury cruiseship under the French flag could be built but I don't believe that ship could deserve such a prestigious name as "FRANCE". The 1962's France share with Normandie to be certainly one of the most elegant and beautiful ocean liner ever designed, that "thing" certainly not!


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## Ray Mac (Sep 22, 2007)

Hope they have better luck than us in Sunderland, trying to reclaim and rebuild the City of Adelaide(Read)(MAD)


Ray


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## baldyman26 (Apr 14, 2007)

looks hideous -


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## stein (Nov 4, 2006)

Here's another "France" rebuild dream: http://www.grand-voilier.com/tallship/navigation/france.htm Based on the contents of that website i find the likelihood of this ship ever being built small - but if it ever were, it would look better than the "two gigantic funnels" project.


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## jaguar06 (Dec 10, 2006)

Looks like a submarine with two conning towers. Unworthy of the name.


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