The SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1961. At the time of her construction in 1960 she was the longest passenger ship ever built. Her length of 316 meters remained unchallenged until the construction of the 345 meter RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2005. The France was later renamed SS Norway and undertook mostly cruises for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).
The SS France was the French Line flagship from 1961 to 1974, combining regular transatlantic crossings - six days and nights - with winter cruises, as well as two world circumnavigations. As the SS Norway she was the flagship of the Norwegian Cruise Line from 1980 to approximately 1999.
Some, like ship historian John Maxtone-Graham, believe that the France was purpose built to serve as both a liner and a cruise ship, stating: "Once again, the company had cruise conversion in mind... for cruises, all baffle doors segregating staircases from taboo decks were opened to permit free circulation throughout the vessel." However, others, such as ship historian William Miller, have asserted that the France was the "last purposely designed year-round transatlantic supership."
The ship was constructed to replace the line's other aging ships like the SS Ile de France and SS Liberté, which by the 1950s were considered old and outdated. Without these vessels, however, the French Line had no ability to compete against their rivals, most notably Cunard Line, which also had plans for constructing a new modern liner.
It was rumoured that this ship would be a 75,000 ton replacement for their ships RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth. (This ship would eventually be the 68,000 ton RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.) Further, the United States Lines had put into service in 1952 the SS United States, which had broken all speed records on her maiden voyage, with an average speed of 35.59 knots (65.91 km/h).
Hull G19 was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, in Saint-Nazaire, France, her keel being laid down on September 7, 1957. She was built in a non-conventional manner: rather than constructing a skeleton which was then covered in steel hull plating, large parts of the ship were prefabricated in other cities (such as Orléans, Le Havre and Lyon). She was built with a unique double bottom that enabled her to carry 8,000 tons of fuel - enough for the trip to New York and back. The hull was fully welded, leading to weight savings, and had two pairs of stabilizing fins.
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