Introduction to Normandy

S.S. Normandie, the epoch-making and most luxurious giant cruise ship in history, still gives people a dreamy feeling of wondering whether it really existed. It has a tonnage of 83,423 tons, streamlined bulbous bow, electric propulsion, air conditioning for the whole ship, a chef from Creon Hotel in Paris, an indoor swimming pool with warm water circulation, an opera house with modern audio equipment, a marble-walled church, and artistic decoration for the whole ship ... It is known as "the most luxurious and beautiful cruise ship that shocked the world" and "enjoys an immortal reputation in the history of passenger ships in the world".

On May 29th,1935,50,000 people watched the ceremony of Normandy's first voyage to new york at Le Havel Pier. The band played La Marseillaise and The Stars and Stripes. Countless ribbons and confetti are flying all over the sky. Amid people's cheers, the Normandy set sail. During the maiden voyage of Normandy, the average speed reached 29.76 knots on the first day. According to the statistics after arriving at new york Port, the average speed reached 29.98 knots. A new transatlantic record was born. As we slowly drove into the French mail dock on 50th Street in new york, a 30-foot-long blue ribbon was raised (one foot stands for one hour), announcing the arrival of France's bid for the Blue Ribbon Award. Six days later, Normandy arrived in Southampton, England in a record of 4 days, 3 hours and 28 minutes, breaking the eastbound speed record set by the German ship Bremen in 1929 at a speed of 30.365438 knots. The brand-new and luxurious Normandy soon won praise in the mail ship industry. At this time, the "534" hull of Yayi Company is stepping up construction and was launched in September 1935. The British proudly announced that the 8 1000-ton Queen Mary became the largest mail ship in the world. The French are naturally unwilling to lag behind. In the same year, CGT transformed Normandy, and its tonnage increased to 83,423 tons, almost 2,000 tons more than that of the Queen Mary. Canard decided to take back the blue ribbon for Britain in Speed, although Queen Mary's bow was not as beautiful as Normandy's. The Queen Mary won the westbound blue ribbon in August with a record of 30. 14 knots. After that, the battle of the blue ribbon was launched in these two luxury giant ships. The westbound speed was refreshed to 30.58 knots by Normandy and the eastbound speed was refreshed to 3 1.20 knots. However, in this peaceful competition, Normandy lost to the cautious British. Luxury and fashionable interior facilities and decorations scare away many conservative passengers. Ordinary passengers also consciously stay away, because they think this is the ship of stars and relatives. Tired of fame, Normandy rarely carried more than 60% passengers. Not satisfied with its relatively popular role, the Queen Mary launched a new sprint at 1938, with the westbound speed refreshed to 30.99 knots and the eastbound speed refreshed to 3 1.69 knots. The French decided to find another way. In view of the pitiful number of passengers travelling to and from the North Atlantic on the Normandy, the Normandy, as the first fashion, began a so-called "cruise"-cruising the scenic spots around the world. 1in the winter of 938, Normandy sailed for Rio de Janeiro with tourists attending the Brazilian carnival, becoming the largest ship ever to cross the equator.