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Showing posts from September, 2017

Thank You 500,000 readers

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Review - Le BLEU DE FRANCE la France en Mer

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La France en Mer, á bord de BLEU DE FRANCE - a swan song. I have made a wonderful cruise in spring 2009 on board BLEU DE FRANCE, which started her life as HAPAG-LLOYD´s EUROPA in 1981.  by Earl of Cruise BLEU DE FRANCE in Barcelona - own photography © Earl of Cruise Deep rain clouds hang over Marseille. The radiant white city, the gateway of France to the south, shows itself grey. The roads, trotoires and buildings still are wet from the last rainshower. Our car turns into the entrance of the Gare Maritime in the new port. And there she is, the BLEU DE FRANCE. Darkblue hull, white, wet glistening superstructure. The ship seemed to be covered with a layer of laquer. We are unloading the luggage at the check-in and have the boarding, we're early. A steward leads our small group of travellers to the final formalities at the reception in the cabins. that friendly "Bon voyage" from the reception is still echoing in the ears, and the steward opens the door to our Ri...
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Politics - Reports signal STX FRANCE - FINCANTIERI deal done

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STX FRANCE and FINCANTIERI finally merge. The deal is done.  After taking controll by the state of France, the nationalization, never meant to be permnanent, created a new deal to secure STX FRANCE, former Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire . by Earl of Cruise, based on CRUISEINDUSTRY NEWS, MER ET MARINE report and REUTERS Keel laying ceremony for CELEBRITY EDGE - courtesy STX FRANCE Media reports coming out of France claim a long-awaited deal to give FINCANTIERI control of STX FRANCE is essentially done. After the nationalization of STX FRANCE by President Macron. The takeover deal with FINCANTIERI was already settled under the presidency of late President Fran çois Hollande . According to this, French investors should hold 45 per cent of the shares in STX FRANCE, 48 per cent would go to FINCANTIERI and a further 7 per cent to Fondazione CR Trieste . The new French President Emmanuel Macron, however, broke with the agreement negotiated in July . The strugg...
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Trends - CUNARD to launch the biggest cruise ship in its history

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CUNARD , will launch in 2022 the biggest cruise ship in its 177 years history. The yet unnamed vessel will accomodate 3,000 passengers ... CUNARD is one of the world’s most recognised shipping and cruise brand, and one of the oldest steamship companies in the worls. ÖSTERREICHISCHER LLYOD/LLOYD AUSTRIACO , founded in 1833, today ITALIA MARTTIMA, former LLOYD TRIESTINO, when becoming Italian, is a bit older - by seven years. The company had a twisted history and ended as container shipping company and is now part of the EVERGREEN GROUP , in its MARINE department. by Earl of Cruise The CUNARD fleet as it will be in 2022 - courtesy THE TELEGRAPH A few days ago CUNARD announced it will build a new ship to be launched in 2022. A 3,000 passenger ship, the fourth and largest in the actual CUNARD fleet by total capacity. The yet unnamed cruise ship will join the QUEEN MARY 2 (QM2), QUEEN VICTORIA and QUEEN ELIZABETH . The QUEEN VICTORIA and QUEEN ELIZABETH are VISTA Class crui...
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HISTORY - Traveling with airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG was the most luxurious airtravel

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The real airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG enabled the most luxurious airtravel for decades. Imagine, gliding through the air while the landscape or the sea below can be seen ... LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. On May 6, 1937, the story of civilian airship ended in a tragedy. In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the largest flying object and has been with the similar sized LZ 130 GRAF ZEPPELIN II the most luxurious of all time. How this came about can be reconstructed logically, a series of fatal physics concatenations . The airship LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. It was in its time the fastest and most exclusive traveling object between Europe and America. The challenges of the construction of the giant of the heaven were immense. by Earl of Cruise LZ 129 HINDENBURG, 1936, in Lakehurst - digital copy of a coloured cover photo, originally by Bill Schneider, published in Dan Grossman´s book ` ZEPPELIN HINDENBURG: AN ILLUSTRATED HI...
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HISTORY - The Monster-ships that changed how we Travel at Sea

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Our present days sea travel, with its `luxuries´ started with the Monster-ships after the turn from 19th to 20th century, and technical progress and innovations made us think "unbeatable" at sea ... This hybris and belive in the technological progress was destroyed when the TITANIC sank after its encounter off Newfoundland with an iceberg. The beauty salons, fitness rooms, swimming pools, firsts on German liners, and even wireless communications of today’s huge cruise ships all got their start with the `floating palaces´ of a century and a bit ago.   by Earl of Cruise ss GREAT WESTERN, of GREAT WESTERN STEAMSHIP COMPANY, constructed by genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Sourece: Engineers Walk ss GREAT BRITAIN of GREAT WESTERN STEAMSHIP COMPANY, constructed by genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Sourece: ART UK In the first half of 19th century steam started powering ships. No longer tedious and unpredictable voyages at sea. And with the groundbreaking game chan...
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HISTORY - The CUNARD - WHITE STAR Liner rms QUEEN ELIZABETH (1938-1972)

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Over years, in my early youth, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was shaping my mind for the perfect ocean liner, despite having made my first experiences with a liner onboard the HANSEATIC (1), ex EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, ex EMPRESS OF JAPAN. When leaning at the rail of HANSEATIC entering the port, my eyes where every where and I wished to by a camera, I took all in. And when seeing the QUEEN ELIZABETH with my own eyes, the nice behaving young boy turned into a tomboy, that my grandmére was no longer able to tame ... I did draw quite a lot of looks, back then. I found, while on research, this article and thought it interesting publishing in my blog: written and published by John Sheperd at liverpoolships.org editing and comments by Earl of Cruise I ( John Shepard ) joined the CUNARD LINE in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five...
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ss NORMANDIE 1935 - 1942 IX

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s s / te NORMANDIE starting from cold Owners: COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE BUILDERS: PENH Ö ET, St. Nazaire, France   by Stephen Carey © , editing by Earl of Cruise   This document is almost exclusively about the engineering aspects of NORMANDIE , mainly on how to start her up from cold. If you are looking for photos of the passenger spaces, there is a plethora of them on the web, in Facebook groups - Admirers of the ss Normandie , ss Normandie photographic file , The French Ocean Liners / Les Paquebots Fran ç ais , ss Normandie , GREAT LINERS OF THE PAST & PRESENT , and others, Pinterest and in articles about NORMANDIE here in the blog, please see at the end of the article. Using "ss" for NORMANDIE is quite incorrect, as NORMANDIE was a Turbo Electric vessel and not a steamship, therefore NORMANDIE should be adressed as "te".   by Earl of Cruise te / ss NORMANDIE berthed in Le Havre, Gare Maritime May 29th, 1935 - colouring courtesy ...
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Ocean Liners in Movies or Films at Sea (updated Nov 2017)

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For liners and the shipping companies movies and films had been a top marketing tool Movies or Films and liners at sea, had been intriguing me since I have read about in my youth in LUXUSLINER - BILDER EINER GROSSEN ZEIT by Lee Server ( THE GOLDEN AGE OF OCEAN LINERS ). But earlier, mot only since my first crossing, I was keen watching movies with liners in it, and disapointed, which was an understatement, when I realized the films have been made in a set ashore in some movie "factory". That was after my first crossing.   by Earl of Cruise an essay in progress `Sabrina´, Humphrey Bogart in the office, while LIBERTÉ is sailing out of New York harbor - screenshot Ocean liners, especially those of the luxury category, had been the location of dramas, love stories, thrillers, suspense and catastrophies sinde film was born, or nearly. In this list, the most descriptions are taken from Wikipedia, as I guess no one can expect having seen all these films ... otherwise I w...
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HISTORY - ts / ss BREMEN and ts / ss EUROPA

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Germany’s two luxury liners, BREMEN and EUROPA , have not only played an important part in their country’s mercantile revival, but have added also an immortal chapter to the history of transatlantic travel. Copy from Shipping Wonders of the World   From part 6 , published 17 March 1936 editing by Earl of Cruise ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: Shipping Wonders of the World/Bundespresse Archiv The PRIDE OF A NATION - the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD quadruple-screw turbine express liner BREMEN . The keel of this ship was laid in June 1927. Her launch took place in August, 1928. In less than a year later, the Bremen made her first voyage to America, when she crossed the Atlantic from Cherbourg to New York in four days seventeen hours forty-two minutes, thus setting up a new record and gaining the coveted “Blue Riband”. During the passage the Bremen attained an average speed of 27.83 knots. ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: W ikipedia For the pop...
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Germany and HAPAG - A Journey through History

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HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHEPACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT - HAPAG or HAMBURG AMERICA LINE is reflecting, as Germany, the LLOYD of Bremen, two times of rsing and two times of devasting downfall and a third rise. BORUSSIA , 1856, First Day Cover 1956 of Deutsche Bundespost - own collection Once Germany´s biggest shipping line HAPAG / HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHE PACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT-LLOYD, merged with it former old Hanseatic rival NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD in 1970, to now HAPAG-LLOYD, had its peaks and downs, but rose each time on its own to new hights, without any state subsidies. As German mail subsidiaries did never cover the costs for purchasing or mainting the vessels ordered for the specific German mail lines.   by Earl of Cruise In this article I used most German Wikipedia links, as they proved to be mostly of better research quality, and surprisinf to me, some English lines and liners have only German written articles, for the others, English Wiki links are to ...
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HISTORY - rms MAJESTIC - Hand in Hand with rms TITANIC

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TITANIC and MAJESTIC (1890), both Royal Mail Ships, hand in hand? How so? The review of João Martins will show. by João Martins , editing by Earl of Cruise And WHITE STAR LINE was more than only a shipping line which employed rms TITANIC. WHITE STAR was company with a great heritage and introduced many innovations which became standards. Founded by Thomas Henry Ismay , originally from Maryport, and shareholders amoung whom had been HARLAND&WOLFF . Later the Irish shipbuilder, located in Belfast, built all ships for WHITE STAR. rms MAJESTIC as built by HARLAND&WOLFF - Sour ce: Wikipedia ( original seize ) T he rms MAJESTIC was a 9,965 GRT British ocean liner built by HARLAND & WOLFF for WHITE STAR LINE and completed in 1890. Her career was profoundly intertwined with rms TITANIC. In the late 1880s competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the major shipping lines. At the time the prize belonged to CUNA RD...
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HISTORY - Traveling with airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG was the most luxurious airtravel

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The real airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG enabled the most luxurious airtravel for decades. Imagine, gliding through the air while the landscape or the sea below can be seen ... LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. On May 6, 1937, the story of civilian airship ended in a tragedy. In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the largest flying object and has been with the similar sized LZ 130 GRAF ZEPPELIN II the most luxurious of all time. How this came about can be reconstructed logically, a series of fatal physics concatenations . The airship LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. It was in its time the fastest and most exclusive traveling object between Europe and America. The challenges of the construction of the giant of the heaven were immense. by Earl of Cruise LZ 129 HINDENBURG, 1936, in Lakehurst - digital copy of a coloured cover photo, originally by Bill Schneider, published in Dan Grossman´s book ` ZEPPELIN HINDENBURG: AN ILLUSTRATED HI...
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ss NORMANDIE 1935-1942 XII - The Most Beautiful Ocean Liner Ever Built

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For many, or should I say for "a great many" Ocean Liner Lovers, NORMANDIE is the most beautiful liner ever built. Me, I am among those aficionados.   NORMANDIE was technically decades ahead of time. The vessel got implemented technologies that would have been copied by others, who then claimed to be the first to have. Alternative facts are not a modern days invention of a certain chrétien and his backward oriented entourage ... NORMANDIE´s interior was the peak of ART DECO in France, and was, still is, the peak of chic. Never again any liner, or passenger vessel, except NIEUW AMSTERDAM had been designed exterior and interior that strict in the "guide lines" of the ART DECO (Link in German) movement - as ART DECO is "only" a movement and not a school like BAUHAUS . Therefore the style was in a permanent "move" and development. NORMANDIE, the perfect ocean liner, Le Vaisseau de Lumière, Le Deesse de la Mer - courtsey coloured by Dary...
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Heritage - Voyage of the Damned on St.LOUIS

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St.LOUIS sailed in May 1939 with Jewish refugees to Cuba, a voyage known today as the VOAYAGE of the DAMNED. On May 13, 1939, the German liner St.LOUIS sailed from Hamburg, Germany, for Havana, Cuba. On the voyage were 937 passengers. Almost all were Jews fleeing from the Third Reich. Most were German citizens, some were from eastern Europe, and a few were officially "stateless". Basicly the journey was a fraud, set up by sinister Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels and his staff, to showcase nobody is interested in wanting Jews among them ... and till a seeming bitter end the free countries played in the Nazis directed game as they wished ... by Earl of Cruise based on Holocaust Ecyclopedia´s article St.LOUIS, sister ship of MILWAUKEE, were motorships of HAMBURG AMERIKA LINIE which served on different lines for HAPAG, as well on cruises - collection Earl of Cruise The majority of the Jewish passengers had applied for Cuba tourist visas and US immigration vi...
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