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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 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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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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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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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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Thank You 500,000 readers

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HISTORY - RHEINGOLD the German luxury day express train

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Between May 1928 and August 1939 the luxury day express train RHEINGOLD operated between Hoek van Holland and Basel as a FFD Pullman train of DEUTSCHE REICHSBAHN GESELLSCHAFT (DRG) and MITROPA. The name was mystic and elitarian. by Earl of Cruise   RHEINGOLD, the name of the most luxurious train ever of Germany - detail, own photo On May 15th, 1928 the luxury express train RHEINGOLD started for the first time, connecting Hoek von Holland, Netherlands, and Amsterdamn with Basel, Suisse. Name giving was the legendary treasure of the Nibelungen. This special service for most international travelers was an immidiate success. Advertisment for the RHEINGOLD created by Frank Newbould - collection Earl of Cruise For the most travelers in the RHEINGOLD meant the voyage in the luxury train more than being transported in high comfort. From their soft armchairs they could watch the pitoresque Rhine landscape, with wine villages, vine-growing slopes, forteresses and castles, and th...
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Deluxe - KUNGSHOLM V (2020+) of SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE

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There is the idea of a new KUNGSHOLM, initiated by SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE . The bygone KUNGSHOLM IV was a design icon, really hard missed by shiplovers and those who are design afficionados. And those who just love to see the ship, with its beautiful lines in harmony designed by Claes Feder, the KUNGSHOLM IV . by Earl of Cruise When loosing the HAMBURG to the breakers I did start developing a new HAMBURG, but what it would be today. The very same was done by Johnny Sid - he started developing a new KUNGSHOLM and revived the SVENSKA AMERKA LINIEN as SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE. Theo Anderson created for SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE a design what a new, a KUNGSHOLM V , could be. Potential new KUNGSHOLM V , rendering by Theo Anderson - courtsey Theo Anderson / SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE Potential new KUNGSHOLM V , rendering by Theo Anderson - courtsey Theo Anderson / SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE Potential new KUNGSHOLM V , rendering by Theo Anderson - courtsey Theo Anderson / SWEDISH AMERI...
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HISTORY - FRENCH LINE - COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE, a review - Part II Belle Epoque

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The COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE, known since the Belle Epoque as FRENCH LINE in the English speaking world (or TRANSAT or CGT), had its origins in 1861.  by Earl of Cruise E mperor Napoléon III. wanted strengthening the French primacy on the oceans and an adequate mail line for the French mail. The 1855 established COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE MARITIME of the Péreire brothers was the core for the new company. This company´s headquarter was, as any major business in France, situated in Paris, while the homeport of the vessels had been Le Havre for the North Atlantic and Marseille for the route to the Orient and Africa. Houseflag of COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE S.A. - soure: ebay "On   limited space, we put our country on display", a crewmember declared once. And no other line put in more of its national personality into its product than COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE . After the French - Prussian/German war of 1870/71 France had to sig...
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HISTORY - Italian TITANIC - The sinking of ss PRINCIPESSA MAFALDA

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Despite rms TITANIC , ss PRINCIPESSA MAFALDA somehow has disappeared into the mists of time. Except for a small group of followers. This is mostly a reflection of the fact, that it was an Italian ship, carrying a complement that was almost exclusively Latino. The disaster of the MORRO CASTLE was a less significant event, and yet the amount of information and coverage, even today, is exponentially greater. Earl of Cruise by João Martins , editing by Earl of Cruise The Italian "rms TITANIC", ss PRINCIPESSA MAFALDA - Source: Wikipedia D espite the sinking of the ss ANDREADORIA 30 years later being much better known, the greatest tragedy in Italian shipping and largest ever in the Southern Hemisphere in peacetime was the sinking of the ss PRINCIPESSA MAFALDA in 1927.  Builder Cantiere Riva Trigoso, Riva Trigoso No. 42 Launching 22. Oktober 1908 Commissioning 30. März 1909 25. Oktober 1927 su...
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