WJHopwood
2013-09-17 19:11:31 UTC
In a September 16 article, the New York Times points out the similarities
between the current difficult salvage job on the 951 foot cruise ship Costa
Concordia now underway in Italy and the wartime fire, capsizing, and raising
of French ocean liner, the S.S. Normandie, which burned and capsized while
docked at Pier 88 in New York City in February 1942.
Whether the fire was the result of accident or sabotage was a mystery then
and remains so to some now, although the official account blamed the incident
on a welder's torch said to have ignited some life preservers.
The Normandie, launched in 1932, entered service on the Atlantic run in
1935 as what was then believed to be the largest and fastest passenger liner in
the world at 1029 feet in length (approx 3 football fields long). It is said that
the diameter of both tubes of the Holland tunnel would have fit into one of
Normandie's stacks. The ship had completed five seasons between
New York and Europe before finding itself in New York when WWII started
and remained there until taken over by the U.S. after Pearl Harbor. At the
time of the fire the ship had been re-named the U.S.S. Lafayette and was
being converted into a troop ship to carry 12,000 soldiers.
Water being pumped on the ship to douse the fire and also with the intent
of saving the 1000 foot pier, caused the ship to list at an angle similar to
that of the current Concordia and lodge on its side, resting on the rock and
mud at the bottom,
It was decided to try to raise and salvage the vessel rather than to return
it to service, but there was a shortage of divers due to the war and the
U.S. Navy established a training school for the 700 men who worked on
righting the ship. That job was not completed until July of 1943 at which
time it was towed to a drydock in Brooklyn where scrapping of it took
place throughout the rest of the war and was not completed until 1947.
The detailed story with a video can be seen at:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/salvage-work-in-the-hudson-long-before-the-costa-concordia-took-on-water/#postComment
WJH
between the current difficult salvage job on the 951 foot cruise ship Costa
Concordia now underway in Italy and the wartime fire, capsizing, and raising
of French ocean liner, the S.S. Normandie, which burned and capsized while
docked at Pier 88 in New York City in February 1942.
Whether the fire was the result of accident or sabotage was a mystery then
and remains so to some now, although the official account blamed the incident
on a welder's torch said to have ignited some life preservers.
The Normandie, launched in 1932, entered service on the Atlantic run in
1935 as what was then believed to be the largest and fastest passenger liner in
the world at 1029 feet in length (approx 3 football fields long). It is said that
the diameter of both tubes of the Holland tunnel would have fit into one of
Normandie's stacks. The ship had completed five seasons between
New York and Europe before finding itself in New York when WWII started
and remained there until taken over by the U.S. after Pearl Harbor. At the
time of the fire the ship had been re-named the U.S.S. Lafayette and was
being converted into a troop ship to carry 12,000 soldiers.
Water being pumped on the ship to douse the fire and also with the intent
of saving the 1000 foot pier, caused the ship to list at an angle similar to
that of the current Concordia and lodge on its side, resting on the rock and
mud at the bottom,
It was decided to try to raise and salvage the vessel rather than to return
it to service, but there was a shortage of divers due to the war and the
U.S. Navy established a training school for the 700 men who worked on
righting the ship. That job was not completed until July of 1943 at which
time it was towed to a drydock in Brooklyn where scrapping of it took
place throughout the rest of the war and was not completed until 1947.
The detailed story with a video can be seen at:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/salvage-work-in-the-hudson-long-before-the-costa-concordia-took-on-water/#postComment
WJH