When a ship's designer tells you how best to save that ship, you should really pay attention!

As a 6 year old, with my mom, I sailed from New York to Le Havre in 1952 on the Queen Elizabeth. It was as grand an adventure a 6 year old could ever imagine, especially when we were caught up in a huge North Atlantic storm! My mom and I were invited to dine with the Capt., that's a whole nother story. Elegant was the word for the whole show, from from stem to stern. Another great liner with a sad ending, also a ship that deserves to be remembered...

The art deco Normandie was the most beautiful liner inside and out. Some of her interiors still exist as they were removed prior to the fire.

When I was in college, I worked roofing and gas station canopy construction with a guy who said something I'll never forget. He was inordinately careful when welding and using a cutting torch. His reason was the headline we've all read... "The Fire Was Sparked by a Welder's Torch." My whole adult life, before I start welding, I think of that line and then double check for nearby flammable materials.

I was 6 years old when the Normandie capsized in 1942. My dad took me to the observation deck of the RCA building to view the scene through the coin operated telescopes. It was a shocking sight; one that I shall never forget. Thanks for some happier memories

Thank you for that, my father sailed on the Normandie and has fond memories of that ship. It is a shame that it was lost to carelessness but at least no lives were lost.

A sad end to a proud ship and an elegant era. Thank you for remembering. My father traveled both to and from Europe as a soldier in WWII on both the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary, going over on one and coming back on the other, wounded in France in 1944 on the run up to the Battle of the Bulge near Nancy, ironically not far from where our ancestors originated in Alsace. I stood in the historic port of Southampton and watched the majestic QMII steam into port as she prepared for her maiden voyage. Truly a sight to behold. Hearing your telling of the Normandie and the era of Transatlantic Ocean Liners brought back to me the dear memories of my father telling about his experiences and that wonderful day in Southampton. Thank you HG. You never fail to enlighten, astound, amuse, and uplift.

Your History productions are among the most interesting segments on KZfaq

I was lucky enough to travel to England on the SS United States in 1956 when I was 10 years old. It was in the pre-jet age, and transatlantic flights on prop planes were long and tiring. It was a lovely trip on the United States by comparison. I've taken several cruises, going port to port in the Caribbean, but not making a real sailing voyage. Those days are gone for good. Now we go to sea on ships transporting human cattle.

It hurts to see the current and last holder of the Blue Riband, the SS United States, rot away in Philadelphia! The great times of the Ocean Liners may never return but its ultimate development deserves to be preserved.

These ships that plied the Atlantic were certainly marvels of engineering. I heard a tale once about a sailor on a small sailing boat trying to sail across the Atlantic but got caught in horrendous weather. He recalled seeing the RMS Queen Mary travel west past his boat then a few days later travel east...then west again while he was still stuck in the mid Atlantic.

We sailed on both the France and the United States when I was a baby. My parents still remember those voyages very fondly. Thank you for telling the story of the great liners! 😀

I traveled from England to the United States on the SS United States in about 1966. I was 8 years old and still have a plate from that ship and a bar of soap in the original wrapper. Yet another great story well told by you, as per usual. Thank you for this piece.

85 years after her maiden voyage, Normandie still looks modern. As an enthusiast of the Golden Age of Transatlantic Ocean Liners, there are many I admire for multiple reasons. But, in my opinion, Normandie was the most fabulous ocean liner of all time. That grand ship’s end still evokes sadness all these years later.

Wow that was a sad ending! Must have been hard for Vladimir to watch helplessly as his ship burned, his suggestions for saving her ignored. Poor guy.

Hi History Guy, The Normandy was docked on the East River in NYC when the fire broke out. My Father who lived in nearby Brooklyn, NY saw the ship several days later capsized and still smoldering as it was eye level to the adjacent East River Drive elevated highway.. There was much talk then about German spies setting her afire. i’ve read that the fie was also adapted into the script of the movie “The Maltese Falcon” near the end of the film. Also, I understand that two huge bronze doors from the ship were purchased and installed on the front doors of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church also in Brooklyn, NY until this day. Thank you again for another great History Guy episode “which deserves to be remembered “.

A chasm between the elegance of those ocean liners and today's ocean cruising. One is elegant, romantic while the contemporary ones are..... I toured the "Queen Mary" permanently docked in Long Beach, California harbour. The grandeur of this vessel is still apparent even decades later. Excellent presentation.

I remember when I was a kid the wine salesman who used to come once a year was a cook on the Normandie. He was really proud about his experience. I remember him talking about it.

My mother lived in Brooklyn with her mother. They were among the thousands who went to see the Normandie burn.

My favorite liner, a shame it's gone. Loved the video and I do particularly enjoy the appropriately blue bowtie!

12:00 As a welder, I could quite easily start an "accidental" fire on purpose. Especially if someone leaves a bunch of burnable stuff in the work area. In fact, a part of my job was to inspect the work area and clear out anything that might start a fire. Every time I hear about a fire started by a welder I always think it is either gross incompetence, or arson. One problem ruling a fire as arson, you have to prove that the fire was deliberately set. If the fire could have been set through carelessness, then it can't be ruled as arson. Fires ruled as arson are always *ALWAYS* set by idiots. If you do something stupid, like spread fuel around in places where no fuel should be found, then it is pretty clearly arson. Spread your fuel in a place where you would expect to find that sort of fuel, like in a stowage bin for life jackets, then bring a welder in to start the fire.

Great video. You are a rare historian: one who has a soul for his stories. Keep them coming!

Oh how wonderful & romantic it must have been to travel on these magnificent ocean liners! And how very sad for the end of an era with the destruction of the Normandie RIP. 🌹

When The Spirit Of St. Louis landed in Paris, it foreshadowed the end of an awesome era.

My dad was one of the Coasties that fought that fire, would have loved your vid. Thank you, sir.

OMG I LOVE OCEAN LINERS SO MUCH. ITS HARD TO FIND GOOD VIDEOS ON THE SUBJECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Normandie is widely thought of the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. People see that these ships have a personality to them. It was sad when they were scrapped or sunk. People were crying in the streets when Normandie capsized.

Steerage, the beginning for many of us. Thank you, Sir.

The best description I’ve ever heard was in a documentary about Queen Mary and Normandie. Queen Mary was evolutionary. Normandie was revolutionary. I love Art Deco, and I’d have loved to have seen the embarrassment in riches that it was said to be

I see you are wearing a blue tie in this video indicating that you have won the Blue Ribbon of History Channels. I really think you deserve the Blue Ribbon. I find all of your videos very interesting.

What a sad destiny for the SS Normandie. Thank you for telling the tale of the era of transatlantic liners, History Guy.

I just finished reading "Dead Wake," by Erik Larson. It's a fascinating story of the Lusitania and of seagoing liners in general.

I’m a volunteer and an assistant engineer aboard one of the boats that fought the Normandie fire, Marine unit 9, Fire Fighter. Built in 1938, retired 2010. Still has her original engineering plant. Whenever we have tours aboard, I usually tell the story of the Normandie fire

It would be interesting to do a follow up presentation on the Navy salvage operations on the Normandie. The salvage effort was so immense that the Navy actually established a diving and salvage training program for new divers on the Normandie. Additionally, new salvage techniques were developed and are still being utilized today - one I used a number of times during my navy diving career was the Tooker Patch originally used to patch the multitude of blank port hole openings that had to be sealed before dewatering could be effected. Very valuable mooring space was unusable while the Normandie remained there as nothing more than a hulk, so the salvage operation rivaled those being undertaken at Pearl Harbor.

What a sad end to a beautiful ship! Thanks for a wonderful look at an fascinating chapter in maritime history.

hands down this is one of the best KZfaq channels. 👍

Very inspiring and informative. The Normandy was ART DECO at its finest...

Your uploads are just great. I loved this one more than most. I do have a tiny comment. Hybrid steam/sail vessels were used partly for the reasons you stated, but also because at first they could not carry enough coal for an entire voyage under power. Their main -- and huge -- advantage was they could make way when the winds were adverse, or when there was no wind at all.

I look so forward to your uploads, another stellar video

It is good to watch a well researched and presented video about the Normandie. If not counting loss of life this is the most tragic sinking in the history of Merchant shipping. There was only one Normandie and its loss is the worst of it's kind.

As a boy, I lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, directly across from the docks the great liners used. Lying on my bed the distinctive funnels of the S.S. United States could often be seen, and I spent more than a few summer days watching the big ships enter and leave port. I grew fascinated with them and wanted very much to travel on one, but we were not a wealthy family though we had many friends who had traveled on them. It saddened me when the S.S. United States was finally retired, and no longer got the maintenance she needed and deserved. It seemed like almost overnight her paint faded and started to flake on her stacks. Rust streaks soon followed. Not long after we moved to a new apartment, not close enough for me to see the docks (though I did discover the wonder of Central Park, the story of the creation of which would make a good episode for this channel) but my interest in the ships lived on. I knew that cruise ships weren't for me as soon as I heard about them, and seldom paid them any mind on TV (even the Love Boat had no interest for me), but I did start developing an interest in military ships when I studied about the liners' service during WWII. That, and a few other things, led to my becoming a USN Gunner's Mate. I eventually did cross the Atlantic and tour the ports of the Mediterranean and French Riviera, but I did it from the decks of an amphibious cargo ship, the last LKA ever built, about as far from a luxury passage as you can get, but filled with memories I've treasured for a lifetime. I miss the liners. I miss that era.

Well done! The Normandie was indeed the apex of luxury liners - the pinnacle of an elegant mode of travel in a bygone era.

In 1957, my father (who was in the USAF) was assigned to a posting in the UK. The family (my parents, my 3 older brothers and myself) traveled from Riverside, CA to NYC by car, a 1955 Oldsmobile. We shipped the car to the UK (it would be biggest thing on the roads in the area we lived - just a bit smaller than a Royal Army battle tank). To get from the US to the UK, the USAF booked us passage on the US America. My oldest brother tells the story that everyone in the family but for him and yours truly were seasick - so to keep me out of trouble we walked all over the ship. It seems odd today but I don't remember a thing about our crossing! I wish I did, my brother says that several famous people (old time famous you know... not today's television famous, 'he or she is famous for being famous eg the Kardashians') were onboard with us. The only person my brother remembers distinctly was Salvador Dali. As my brother puts it, "[Dali] had a significant waxed mustache and he wore a beret and a cape wherever he went." Four years later, we shipped the Oldsmobile back to the US so it could take us back to California, this time to Lompoc. And we flew rather than go by sea. Flying back from London, involved stops to refuel in Scotland, Iceland, Labrador and finally McGuire AFB in NJ, but that's another story.

You’re the history teacher I never had in school. Thank you for your passion and ‘sheer elegance’. Love all your content.

My great grand father was on the Lusitania when it was sunk. That fact has lead me to love history. It's crazy how one thing that happened a hundred years ago can still affect somebody.

Who votes a thumbs down for THG??? why??? The history guy is awesome.

How grand it must have been to stand in the reception area at the base of that grand staircase. While enjoying a relaxing crossing with other mannered and classy people. Now days with jet travel the traveler is packed into a small uncomfortable plastic seat with semi rude fellow traveler. With similarities of a cattle transport trailer, I believe I was born 100 years late. Great video Thanks History Guy

My grandfather came to the United States on a ship called Teutonic. After seeing photos a few years back I always wondered why it had smoke stacks and sails. This video answered that question for me. Thank you!

@TheHistoryGuy - thank you for taking the time to accurately provide details about our shared past and educating the younger generations to come on things likely to be struck from the pages of time as it progresses ever forward. Hope you're well and happy sir.

I did enjoy it...I love anything to do with WW2, ships and airplanes... Nicely told, you are gifted in that area... Thanks and thumbs up.

Your abilities as an orator just seem to be getting better. Great story and a wonder presentation

I have always loved the Normandie, She was beyond over kill of style and grace.

Not only the most beautiful ship eve built, but the most beautiful piece of machinery ever. She was wonderful to look at, those lines ......

It's always a good day when The History Guy pops up in my feed! As for the Normandie, such an ignominious end to a great ship.

In 1958, I got to sail across the Atlantic in an ocean liner. It started as a jaunt down the English Channel and ended by going past the Statute if Liberty. Seven days, comprised of relaxation, delicious food, diverse entertainment, wonderful service, tours of the ship and the North Atlantic. I look at today's cruise ships and they appear to be non-stop, 24 hours a day, floating amusement parks were the object is to cram in all the excitement that you can, to get the biggest bang for your buck. Sort of like work but when working they pay you to do it, not you pay them. When over, you need another vacation to recuperate. Fifteen years ago, I again got to go to sea. My son and I drove to Camden Maine and spent the most relaxing week sailing along it's coast aboard the Grace Bailey, which is considered the finest restored 1800's schooner. It held approximately 27 passengers, had a gourmet cook, stopped at a different island each day and we got to see Moby Dick's son. Only this time the white whale went under the ship instead of crashing into the side, before proceeding to circle around the ship for about 20 minutes. I'd never before observed a loon be nor seen a wild seal. Now I have. One evening, when stopped for the night off the shore of an island that housed a wooden ship museum, approximately six more, antique sailing vessels also dropped anchor. The sight was historical. I took the road less traveled and am all the better for it.

It seems that the curriculum taught by the school I went to. Instead of making it into something that might actually interest a young developing mind, they present this "dry-drone" which interests both the teacher and the taught. Presentation is everything. Well Done, History Guy. My best to Ms. History Wife and History Cat.

Hi, I haven’t finished the video yet, but I know it’s going to be great content. I’m always so happy when you upload, especially with the more “niche” history that often goes overlooked. Keep up the good work!

The current versions of Queens Mary and Elizabeth provide round the world tours lasting more than six months, with one ship heading east and the other west. Sounds like a wonderful trip and experience.

I would note that you didn't mention the SS France, later converted to the SS Norway. I would think the SS France was the ultimate in luxury and style. It was the ship that brought me to the US from France in 1965 and I think was unmatched in design and beauty. Obviously, it too, couldn't match air travel. C'est la vie! Thank you again for you diverse take on all things historic

My dad did a business round trip with a high corporate executive who didn’t like to fly traveling Star Class on the Ile de France sometime in the ‘50s. I did a round trip on the SS United States in the summer of 1963 with a group from my high school graduating class. On the return run we met with former President Eisenhower who had been filming on the Normandy beaches in preparation for the twentieth anniversary of D-Day the following June.

I was in Liverpool, UK in 2015 to see the 3 Cunard "Queens"- _Elizabeth,_ _Mary 2_ and _Victoria,_ celebrating 100 years' association with Cunard and Liverpool. Magnificent as they were as cruise ships, somehow they lacked the elegance, style and panache of the old trans Atlantic "Queens". This was summed up by a comment of "they look like blocks of flats" (apartments for non-UK residents!). A bit unkind perhaps, but I could see what he meant. A bit of extra information for you: The dry dock at St. Nazaire on the Loire estuary, France was built to accommodate SS _Normandie_ and as it was the only dry dock on the Atlantic seaboard large enough to accommodate _Tirpitz,_ it was the target of Operation _"Chariot"_ on 28th March 1942. The objective of this daring raid by British Commandos was to deny the use of the dry dock to _Tirpitz_ in the event of it being damaged at sea. If St Nazaire was unavailable , _Tirpitz_ would have to run the gauntlet of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet in order to get back to Kiel or Wilhelmshaven for repairs. The attack was ultimately successful, but with many casualties on both sides. Five Victoria Crosses (Britain's highest military medal ("For Valour") were awarded.

Let me begin with how much I enjoy your channel. As 10 year old in 1971, I sailed with my family from Montreal to Liverpool (and back after a couple of weeks in England & Scotland) on Canadian Pacific's RMS Empress of Canada. Shortly after that, CP sold her to a Carnival Cruise Lines. I believe she ran aground briefly on a sand bar on her maiden voyage as the Mardi Gras for them.

My parents went to Europe on the SS France. One story was asking for a Baked Alaska. It came out as a model of the liner. The waiter served a slice from the center to my mother and father. Then took it back not to be served again. Luxury not duplicated today. They flew back but the voyage over was part of their vacation. I had forgotten the memory till just now. Thanks

That was a sad end to such a stately ship. I remember looking through some old National Geographic magazines at my great grandmother's house and seeing the advertisements for big ocean liners and tried to imagine what it would be like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in one. The advertisements did a great job of stating the elegance of the ships. And now people are packed on cruise ships about like sardines in a can. Quite frankly, cruise ships always look like they are top heavy and could roll over quite easily. Approaching 70 now, I doubt that I will ever make it on a cruise ship and seeing all of the recent "emergencies" some have suffered, it might be a good thing. Thanks for another interesting video. Take care.

Grandmother traveled steerage out of Hamburg to Ellis island in 1910.

I always learn something new from watching your channel. Very informative, lots of great info. Well done, as always. Thank you!

Your superb research and your magnificent presentation style set you far above the other KZfaq channels to which I subscribe and yours is the only one I can afford to support (Patreon). I wish I could contribute more, but I am a disabled veteran on a fixed income. Your channel provides me great joy and I so look forward to the next installment. Thank you for your time, your effort, your diligence and your wonderful way of presenting history. Your channel should be required viewing in every school so as to inspire our children in a love of history and to someday carry the torch to future generations. Thank You.

Yet another well thought out and perfectly presented episode! Kudos to you Mr. History Guy, and thank you.

I saw a cross section of Normandie once and it was simply mind boggling. Apparently through the whole cenyer of the ship the walls of these massive, towering ballrooms and dining rooms could all be opened up and create a collosal canyon of space and luxury that would stretch almost the entire length of the ship. I simply can't imagine how that would have looked like in real life!

Dang,Lance. That conclusion brought a tear to my 👁! That Art Deco beauty up in smoke. Sad .😢 Thanks for sharing your good works.

Fine work, Sir!! The Queen Mary, took my Great uncle, ( U.S. Army ) to Australia during WW 2

I love your channel, and your devotion to detail. Your story about the Normandie reminded me of another ocean liner that met a sad (and suspicious) end: The SS Morro Castle. You should check out the story, it is rather interesting. In any event, keep up the incredibly good work!

Thank you for the video. I only wish you were my instructor in high school. I would have done a lot better!

My parents and grandparents told me stories about how the ocean liners used to be. My father took several troop ships during his military time. I remember our family touring the Queen Mary in California and it made the family stories come to life. You have a wonderful channel, History Guy.

You mentioned WWI Auxiliary Cruisers, and that reminded me of The Ship That Hunted Itself (by Colin Simpson) about a couple of Auxiliary Cruisers in WWI. That story would be a good one for an episode.

I have scoured your channel and have found only one reference to the city of St. Nazaire, France, in this episode about the Normandie. My interest in the town is its place in the history of World War II as the location of the Normandie dry dock: one of the largest dry docks in the world and the only dry dock on the Atlantic coast capable of servicing the German battleships Tirpitz and Bismarck. St. Nazaire was the location of the raid known in British military circles as "The Greatest Raid of All." It was a raid in which British commandos and sailors set about to destroy the dry dock and deny the German battleships access to repair facilities on the Atlantic coast. This past February, just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world, I was able to kick an item off my bucket list by visiting the site of the Greatest Raid of All. It was, for me, a humbling experience to walk on ground that played host to one of the most brazen military raids in history, and it deserves to be remembered. Could we see an episode on "The Greatest Raid of All"?

Good delivery pacing and set presentation, good story too.

Look forward to your videos everyday! Thank you HG!

I love this stuff. I will always give it watch time and I’m only :30 seconds in.

A beautiful remnant of the SS Normandie still exists in Chicago. The Normandie Ballroom of the Hilton Towers Hotel is decorated with wood paneling retrieved from the ocean liner. You might want to reissue this video with this little tidbit of history added. I understand other remnants of the ship also still exist elsewhere. Anyway, great video. And then of course, there's also the U-505 submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry. More Chicago maritime history. And don't forget the Eastland disaster, which could be another video. And the training aircraft carriers; i.e., USS Langley which operated off Lake Michigan training US Navy pilots during WWII. Lots of naval history here in Chi-town.

Your passion for history is palpable. Thankyou so much guy!

My father came back from WWII on the Queen Mary and talked about the old gal. All of the liners from that era carried themselves with a certain grace and dignity that is lacking in modern ships.

The way you use your voice is great the slight changes in volume, cadence and the subtle pauses. Please do the story of Ernie Pyle

That bow tie though! Seriously, very interesting video. Thank you.

Would love to see a similar video about the luxury train lines during their apex. Love your work!

As always, another fascinating glimpse into another fascinating topic. Thanks History Guy!

Would love some history on the great rail routes both in America and Europe. Great video. Thanx for posting!

ill second that Your History productions are among the most interesting segments on KZfaq glad to see you nave a sponsor

Having family that has lived in the Southampton area since the 19th century, including a late grandfather who watched the Titanic sail, I got to see the tail end of the great liners. Seeing the Queen Mary towering over the nearby buildings is a great memory along with watching the Queen Elizabeth and the France sailing past the Isle of Wight. I occasionally drive down past the port but the cruise ships are just ugly, gaudy boxes in comparison to the old ladies. Thanks for the videos.

I came to America from W Germany on the United States in May of 1954

My first ship as a surface warfare officer, was the USS Butte, AE27. We were assigned to leave Sandy Hook New Jersey, site of a weapons station, re-arm the Nimitz battle group and then performed the first ever skin at sea transfer of a harpoon missile. All went very well, most particularly the 28 straight hours of very difficult to navigate UNREP and VERTREP rep services. Upon leaving Norfolk, we settled down on the first night out for a movie in the ward room after the supper hour. The same evolution was taking place on the mess deck. When stepping over the transom into the passageway, an officer exiting the ward room stepped down into water. Compounding the problem was the distinct smell of fuel oil in the water. It took quite a while to unravel the mystery and repair all systems. Needless to say, the entire crew was alert and on edge as ships and higher level flooding , in this case the O3 level, are a deadly mix. I also wanted to mention that as of, two years ago, the Celebrity Summit had a large space dedicated as a museum to the Normandie. No one could tell us why but it was wonderful!

Such a sad ending . Such a stylish ship. My parents took us kids from Sydney to England on the ship Aurelia and we came back on the Flavia in 1963/64. Even as a child I can remember most of that trip. These ships were not like the Normandie but my parents said it was worth every cent.

Very good info ,thank you.

Wonderful explanation. Thank you.

Again. Awesome work, research and video. You are what the History Channel should be.

I have only been watching your channel for 2 weeks and I can say that it is one of the best out there.

So glad I found you. Cheers.

In 1956 we were posted to S.H.A.P.E. Headquarters in Paris by the R.C.A.F. and made the trip on the Cunard liner Cythia. Heady stuff for a 10-year old boy! I was even sure I had spotted a periscope one gray day. We came back in '60 on a liner as well when I was a seasoned teenager of 14. The voyages were memorable and to this day I remember our first sight of Canada as we approached the entrance to the St. Lawrence. A year later we were living on a Pine Tree Line radar base north of Toronto called Edgar. Big jump from Versailles and St.Germain-en-Laye in Paris, France to Orillia, Ontario. Such is the life of a military family. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

Today the Hales Trophy for fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger ship is in the head office of a shipyard in Hobart, Tasmania of all places. Incat builds the worlds fastest ferries that go over 100 kmh, but their biggest ship is only 13,000 GT, so nowhere as big as the old liners. Their time was over when the De Havilland Comet and Boeing 707 took to the air.

In the 80's and 90's I sailed 3x on Norwegian Cruise Line's SS Norway, which was formerly the ocean liner SS France. In converting her to a cruise ship, NCL had removed two of her screws and redone her interior, but there were still echoes of her ocean liner glory in many of the public spaces, and in hidden corners. For instance, NCL had installed a midships swimming pool above where an upper class atrium had been. If you knew where to go, you could walk beneath the rim of the pool and see the old wrought iron decorations and windows that had once looked out on that courtyard. Alas, like Normandie, she met a sad end, when a boiler explosion while docked killed several crew in the early 2000's, and left the ship financially unsustainable. She was scrapped several years later. At 70,000+ tons, she was the largest ship sailing the Caribbean in the 80's and even carried a pair of WWII landing craft to use as her own tenders, because--as History Guy said--most ocean liners had a draft too deep navigate many ports.

Looking at the SS United States on the Ben Franklin bridge as he mentioned it!