In my own private France / Norway collection, I have many wonderful items which to me has great value. They may not be worth much on e-bay but to me, they have given me great pleasure over the years as I grew more and more fond of the ship.

I will try to share some images of a few things that I have in my possession and which I treasure a lot, especially now as the ship is gone. If there are any other supporters of CaptainsVoyage which would like to share images of their collection, we would all like to hear from you also.

Glass ashtray purchased in the on board gift shop in the summer of 1987.

Tall drink glass with SS Norway profile etched in blue. Used in the on board bars in the 1980’s and at times, also for sale in the ship;s gift shop.

Probably among some of the most priced possessions, is this plastic kit of the SS France. I actually have two of them, one has been put together (see below) and one that I still have in new condition. They were made by Airfix, and only a very few of them actually exist to this day.

Another rare item I have in my own private collection, are these two pieces of lignum vitae wood, which used to support the propeller shaft of the ship. During 1996, several pallets of these blocks were replaced and removed from the ship. It was from these piles I saved myself a few samples before they were sent away as waste. From the side shot, you can easily see the shape of the blocks, formed by many years of wear and tear of a spinning propeller.

A plate purchased in the ship’s Gift Shop before the 1990-

conversion, and an old Norwegian Caribbean Lines bartab.

Photos used with permission from Bygdeposten (as per phone conversation dated 24th of January 2011) from this article dated May 1st 2009.

SS Norway SS France Souvenir Album. A French soft cover album with many images from the ship’s homecoming to France, French text; MDV Publishing.

This album was a gift added to my private collection from member TDM99 of CaptainsVoyage Forum.

Norwegian contemporary artist Morten Viskum purchased this set of letters at Blomqvist Auction in Oslo (this was possibly in 2007). The other set of letters were sold at an auction in London (UK).

Morten Viskum used the letters he purchased, in a display at Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium that was featured for 5 months during the 2009-season.

After this, the letters were displayed at an art-exhibition in Sweden before they returned back to Norway to be displayed at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum.

At the time of writing this, it is not known when and where the letters might be on display next time. For those most affectionate of us, these letters can be seen in Viskum’s art-book.

The Chapel glass murals from SS France

Long after the last steel that once formed the great liner were cut and hauled ashore at Alang, the Norwegian Seaman’s Church in Miami, Florida, opened it’s doors. The center was officially opened by HRH Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway this day, and featured one of the glass murals that once hung in the chapel of SS France. The glass murals had up until the 1990 drydock been in it’s place on board: in the chapel of SS France, a room that was used as entertainers dressing room on the SS Norway. Following the 1990 drydock the glass mural had been safely in storage at Miami.

Visit the website of Norwegian Maritime Church in Miami >here<, while a direct link to the photo of the murals can be found >here<.

Screendump of picture at Norwegian Seaman’s Church of Miami website.