Fire and Capsize

Her refurbishment proved to be a disaster. On 9 February 1942, a fire started in the Grand Saloon when workmen were removing the last of the metal stanchions which had supported the “glass fountains of light.”

A spark from a cutter’s blow torch unfortunately landed on a highly flammable kapok-filled lifejacket and soon the fire spread with a vengeance.

3000 workers on board carrying out the transformation had to be evacuated before any action to put out the fire could begin.

The following pictures illustrate the intensity of the fire:

Since the Normandie was being stripped to become the troopship, Lafayette, most of her safety features (telephones, fire alarms, water pumps etc.) had been disassembled. The ship was defenceless.

The New York Fire Department was not called until twelve minutes after the fire had started. The highly flammable bales caught fire instantly.

The fire brigade, unwittingly, exacerbated the problem facing the Normandie.

Fireboats and firemen were filling the ship with so much water that a severe portside list developed; water poured in through the cargo doors that were still open.

During the night, the Normandie turned onto her side, illustrated by the photographs below. She would remain in this position for the next eighteen months until the US government carried out six investigations to determine who was to blame for the accident.

Five photographs showing the Normandie on her side.

The US Navy thought that a salvage operation was justifiable and if successful would recover a 1000 feet troopship after repairs.

Unfortunately, after a $4.74 million salvage operation, it became clear that the hull had suffered extensive damage and was beyond economic repair.

The Normandie was sold for scrap and the fixtures and fittings stored in the warehouse were auctioned off. Yet another life of a great liner had been lost unnecessarily due to human error.