History |
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RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE
M/S LA MARSEILLAISE 1949 |
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World
War II had been devastating for the world. The shipping lines had lost
countless tonnage to mines, torpedoes or bombs. Illustrious ships as
Canadian
Pacific’s Empress of Britain,
Norddeutscher Lloyd’s
At
the same time as
Design and Construction (1939 - 1949): The
same year as the war erupted, they had started construction on a ship
which
would become roughly 15,000 to 20,000 gross tons large, in the
Constructions
Navales shipyard in La Ciotat. The ship had been ordered in 1938 and
laid down
on the 15th June 1939. Work was suspended at the outbreak of
war and
when it was resumed after the French Armistice, the keel had to be
relaid on
the 2nd December 1939 due to distortion of the original keel
plates.
But as the war slowed work down, the ship was not launched until 1944,
during
burning war four days after the Allied invasion of
The
hull of the unfinished Maréchal
Pétain was later towed to Port Bouc, where it was supposed to stay
until
the war had ended. However, in August of 1944, the Germans who were in
full
retreat from
Fortunately,
the Maréchal Pétain had
not been badly damaged, and Messageries Maritimes raised and towed the
ship to
Touloun in 1946, and later to the builders at La Ciotat. During this
time, the
ship had been renamed La Marseillaise.
Construction started out slowly, and the ship was not completed until
1949
after two years of lay up. At 17,000 gross tons, La
Marseillaise was not a very impressive ship, compared with the
great transatlantic liners, but she was still the largest French ship
to enter
service since 1939.
The
exterior of the ship was quite new. She only had one funnel, and
sported a
new kind of rounded bow. The interior was influenced by the ship’s
service
areas. As La Marseillaise was planned
to go on the route to
The ship’s engines gave the ship a service
speed of 20 knots. Just like the two
White Star liners Britannic and Georgic,
La Marseillaise was a motor ship. She was driven
by Sulzer Diesels,
which powered three screws. The ship developed 31,500 BHP and could
reach 22
knots at full power. Sea trials were conducted on the 15th
March
1949 and she achieved a top speed of 23 knots. She was handed over to
Messageries Maritimes on the 30th June 1949. She was the
largest and
most luxurious ship ever owned by MM. Messageries Maritimes era (1949 - 1957): Dating from 1862, Messageries Maritimes’
“Orient &
Indo China” route was its premier route, serving as it did the Jewel in
The La Marseillaise was symbolic of MM’s
recovery
after the Second World War and was the company’s new flagship. Her
maiden
voyage on August 18, 1949 was indeed somewhat of a success. Completed
in July
1949, her first maiden voyage was Although in service for only 6 years after
11 years
under construction, La Marseillaise rivalled the Normandie and Pasteur
as
magnificent exemplars of the French paqueboat at its zenith. She was
the
largest liner yet built for MM and the fastest due to her triple-screw
Sulzer
diesels and a very fine hull form. Unlike her unorthodox square
funnelled
predecessors, she was truly yachtlike with an all-white livery and a
heavily
flaired bow with her Normandie like “turtleback” over the mooring deck.
She
was remarkably spacious inside with a lighter
décor than the older ships. There was a walnut panelled smoking room,
veranda
café forward with large windows looking over the bows, the first
permanent
outdoor pool in a MM liner, a domed dining saloon with grand staircase
and 20
de luxe cabins with private verandas.
As
Arosa Line era (1957 - 1958): However
as she was only eight years old she was sold for further service in
1957 to the
Arosa Line, based in Panama. They renamed the ship Arosa
Sky, and changed the passenger accommodation from the old
three-class system to the newer one with only two classes. Before the
refit, La Marseillaise had accommodation for
344 first class passengers, 74 second class passengers and 318 third
class
passengers, but as the Arosa Sky, she
was only able to take 202 first class, but a whole 1,030 in the new
tourist
class. On May 10th,
1957 the Arosa Sky set out on her
premier voyage between
However,
business did not go too well for the Arosa Line. Already in 1958, they
had to sell their flagship Arosa Sky
as they were facing bankruptcy.
Costa Line (1958 - 1961): As
a result the Arosa Sky was sold to the famous Costa Line. The old La Marseillaise went through yet another
ceremony of renaming, and this time she emerged as the Bianca
C, named after the company manager's daughter. The Costa
Line spent much money on refitting the ship so that she would live up
to the
present standards of the oceans. The passenger accommodation was
modernised,
and in 1959 the Bianca C entered
service with a slightly increased gross tonnage of 18,427. She was put
on the
Naples-Genoa-La Guaira service. The Bianca
C served with distinction in the Costa Line for another two years. Sadly
her career was to end abruptly on the morning of Sunday 22nd October,
1961. While anchored off
The
Bianca C burned for several days
– her paint started to bubble in the heat and the almost glowing hull
caused
the surrounding water to boil. The visiting British frigate
Today, St. George is a very popular
tourist island, and the wreck of the Bianca C is a
great part of the
promotion. She is the largest shipwreck in the
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(c) Cruise Ship History Collection 2018 including www.thecunarders.co.uk A Edward Elliott