The bow piece is located at the city’s cruise terminal and was unveiled at a special event which took place Wednesday attended by the city mayor Luc Lemonnier and MSC Cruises’ Patrick J. Pourbaix, md of France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
‘The vessel France is deeply rooted in the collective memory of the French people and even more so in that of the people of Le Havre,’ said Lemmonier.
A symbol of Le Havre's past and future
‘To have in our city a vestige of this mythical liner, a piece of our heritage, is highly symbolic: Le Havre thus renews with its glorious and painful past but looks to the future with confidence because it has the ambition to welcome again the most beautiful ships of the world,’ he added.
MSC’s Pourbaix commented: ‘we are happy to be associated with the city of Le Havre for this event whose symbolism is strong.’ MSC arranged for the transportation of the symbolic part of the ship to Le Havre.
‘France, a legendary liner embodying luxury and prestige, was built in Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire. It is this same know-how that illustrates the excellence of French naval industry to which MSC Cruises is particularly attached,’ he continued.
‘I look forward to sharing this special moment with the city of Le Havre, with whom we have already celebrated last year on its 500th anniversary, a milestone in our development and the naming of MSC Meraviglia, the first of 13 next generation vessels we expect by 2026,’ Pourbaix remarked.
The liner France, flagship of Compagnie Générale Transatlantique from 1962 to 1977, and a symbol of luxury and French art de vivre, has forever marked French maritime history.
Le Havre is strongly impregnated by the memory of the ship, symbol of many transatlantic crossings but also the decline of the maritime link Le Havre-New York, competing with civil aviation.
The vessel was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line in 1979 and renamed Norway and was sold for scrapping in 2006.
In May 2017, the city of Le Havre brought the tip of France’s bow for €171,600.
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