TheCosta Concordiadisaster is not the first time a large cruise liner has come to rest on its side. To some who are well-versed in maritime news and shipwrecks, the images of the cruise shipCosta Concordialying on her side off the Italian coast might look familiar. In 1942, a top-of-the-line cruise ship, theNormandie, was undergoing conversion to become a troop transport ship in New York Harbor when she caught fire and capsized, coming to rest on her side, much likeCosta Concordia.
Harvey Ardman’sNormandie: Her Life and Times, from the Library’s stacks, provides a very detailed history of this legendary ship. Construction began on theNormandiein early 1931. At the time she would be the largest ship ever built: 1,029 ft. long with a maximum breadth of 119 ft., weighing in at a staggering 27,675 tons. Compare this toCosta Concordia‘s 952 ft. long and 116 ft. wide.Normandiewas launched in October 1932, then spent three years being outfitted for her maiden voyage in 1935.
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