by Ian Sebire

Something is stirring in the heart of Paris. At offices on the banks of the Seine, a team under the stewardship of entrepreneur Didier Spade are realising a long held dream, to build a new France. The name is emotive. The France of 1962 was arguably the definitive ship of state of the post war era, her symbolic significance perhaps exaggerated because of the fractured nation she represented. The pathos of her withdrawal from service and subsequent lay-up remains deeply embedded in the collective psyche and even forty years on there is an aching, a longing, that has never been extinguished.

When Monsieur Spade was asked what characteristics his new project shared with the former France he responded, paradoxically, what they shared was difference. Yet looking deeper at his own family background and publicity for the new ship reveals a clear lineage. What they share is a heartfelt desire to showcase the country’s design, engineering and artistic talents. The intent seems to be to provide, through facilities, cuisine and general ambience a microcosm of France, to encapsulate (albeit rather luxuriously) the essence of the nation in contemporary, maritime form. Like many great schemes this project began with a chance encounter, however synchronicity was already performing its magical dance. it was fate.

Passenger ships are in Spade’s DNA. His grandfather, Baptistin Spade, designed interiors on board the French Lines famed transatlantic liners De Grasse, Ile De France and Liberté , as part of their post war reconstructions. Didier designed and built a series of river boats in the American tradition from 1990 culminating in the elegant clipper bowed steam yacht ‘Clipper Paris’. in March 2008, he sold that company and embarked on a new venture, establishing a facility for harbouring prestige yachts in central Paris, named Port de Grenelle.

By this time the SS France was no more. Her brief, magnificent career under the tricolour ended after just a dozen years in 1974, succumbing to spiralling operational costs and the supremacy of jet aircraft. after five years laid up in a Le Havre backwater she was purchased and converted into the world’s largest cruise ship, steaming sedately through the Caribbean as the SS Norway. Norway was an instant success, the fulcrum of today’s global cruise trade. By the turn of the millennium Norway’s star was already waning. in spite of a disfiguring, if commercially essential refit that added two decks of balcony cabins, she had been superseded by an armada of gleaming white behemoths. Worse still, maintenance of her aging machinery by owners NCL was being compromised to save costs. on 25 May 2003, shortly after berthing at her Miami pier a boiler ruptured, the ensuing explosion killed eight crew members and incapacitated the great ship forever.

Subsequently she was taken to Bremerhaven for repairs, but when these proved uneconomical various proposals were put forward to return her to Normandy, in a static role as a museum, hotel, casino and conference centre. Despite the best intentions of all concerned no plans came to fruition, foundering on the rocks of financial, political and even racial undertones. Ultimately, despite an unlikely alliance of ship enthusiasts and environmentalists and in defiance of a court order the former France, now renamed Blue Lady, was dragged onto the beaches of Alang in north east India and dismembered in the autumn of 2006. a variety of treasures were saved from the carcass and offered for sale at a Parisian auction in February 2009. Most prominent amongst the lots that day was the stem of the liner, Le Nez du France.

The renovation projects had reawakened national interest in the former French flagship, a fascination that for many had never lapsed. The prospect of resurrection was now replaced by thoughts of reincarnation. Jean Pierre Veron, highest bidder for Le Nez du France met Didier Spade and the ’Nez’ was relocated to the Paris Yacht Marina. Symbolically this tangible link to the past became an inspiration for the future.

In 2009 informal gatherings within the relaxed haven of L’Atelier du France galvanised initial ideas. More designers joined, lured by Spade’s persuasive enthusiasm. The man who comes over in interviews is strongly reminiscent of another great shipping entrepreneur, Knut Kloster. Like the Norwegian who purchased the previous France and transformed her into Norway, Spade portrays the same quietly spoken sincerity. Both talk about an almost spiritual affinity to their ships but it is backed up by a steely resolve to see these dreams materialise.

Thanks to the wonders of computer simulation we can now envisage Le Nouveau France in intricate detail. Externally she is certainly different. To a traditionalist she may seem overbearing, nevertheless comparisons with her predecessors are futile. after all, a similar myopic view in the late 1950’s would have resulted in an Edwardian four stacker, like her namesake of 1912, emerging in 1962!

Le Nouveau France is what she should be and what each of her predecessors was, an example of cutting edge maritime architecture and technology. Unlike most cruise ships the white hull features a vertical stem and the bow is almost devoid of any flare. in fact it is quite reminiscent of hull forms in the early 20th century except for the contoured bulbous bow, to optimise water flow below the waterline. The stern is unlike any large passenger ship previously conceived with tiered decks descending almost to sea level and each inward curved flank produces a beautifully sculpted design. This huge hull is surmounted by two large blocks of suites with balconies and associated lounges. Painted red with dark tinted windows providing contrasting black stripes these cheekily replicate post war France’s famed winged funnels, including their own protruding ‘fins’. Dividing these pseudo smokestacks is a central sunken oasis featuring an extensive pool complex surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation. A further pool overlooks the stern and its capacious sun decks.

Inside is a luxurious haven. The brash glitz that characterises ’mass-market’ cruising is absent, the ship will have light, airy, refined and ultra modern décor with a clear Gallic twist. This new France will provide one of the highest space per passenger ratios in the industry. This is not a ship for those seeking climbing walls, water chutes or dodgems at sea. The emphasis is on pampering, including one of the largest spa facilities afloat and in true French style, fine dining will be a key element of the France experience. Unlike so many contemporaries the sea itself will form a significant part of the passenger experience, rather than it being an incidental and largely inconvenient part of the holiday.

To make the concept financially viable and live up to the environmental credentials that Spade has always espoused, Le Nouveau France will operate at a leisurely service speed of between 13 and 15 knots. This is just half the 30 knots with which the previous ‘France’ charged across the Atlantic, leaving a dramatic foaming wake and a sea of debt. Further environmental and energy efficient measures include solar panels to provide auxiliary power, LED lighting throughout and the most modern waste treatment facilities available.

Inevitably the shipyard of choice, already involved in the design phase, is STX Chantiers de St Nazaire. Here on the banks of the Loire estuary in Southern Brittany, iconic predecessors like Normandie, Ile de France’ and three former generations of France took shape. Conscious of the historic link Didier Spade has also declared a preference to register the new ship at Le Havre, the former eastern terminus of the famed French Line flagships. This new ship will, however, operate very different itineraries from the punishing rigours of trans-Atlantic service, sedately following the sun in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Her moderate size will allow exploration of sights and locations that the massive cruise ships cannot visit.

Sceptics are ready to pounce but these are the same doom mongers who considered Kloster a madman when he introduced Norway in the early 1980’s. They point to the delays (original publicity material suggested the ship would enter service in 2015) but their sneering will not distract or dissuade Monsieur Spade. True, securing the financial backing for the project has been protracted but long term commercial success was always more important than sticking to a rigid timetable. The latest goal is to start construction in 2016 and have France in service by 2019. I defy even the most ardent cynic not to feel their heart leap and eyes moisten when this new incarnation of the nation’s maritime heritage bisects the breakwaters of Le Havre and comes home for the first time.