Norwegian America Line
 | |
| Industry | Cargo and passenger shipping |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Headquarters | Oslo |
Key people | Gustav Henriksen |
| Subsidiaries | Norwegian East Africa Line |
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The Norwegian America Line (Norwegian: Den Norske Amerikalinje), was a cruise ship line, originally an operator of passenger and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and later included a route to East Africa as well. Primarily due to competition from air travel, transatlantic passenger voyages were slowly discontinued during the years.
After the Great War, the company was one of Norway’s largest shipping lines, owning a fleet that included 19 vessels, several of which were for commercial cargo transport. After the Second World War heavy ships losses were overcome by the building of new vessels, however the reduction in the passengers’ traffic by sea shifted the company’s focus mainly to the cargo business, including container and bulk shipping from the 1970s.
In 1980 the last two cruise ships were handed over into a new joint venture company (Norwegian American Cruises) with Leif Höegh & Co, and finally sold to Cunard Line in 1984.
During the 1990s NAL main business were the Roll-on/roll-off operations and sea carriage of cars, through the NOSAC brand (Norwegian Specialised Autocarcarriers), with a fleet of nearly 20 vessels, then acquired by Wilh. Wilhelmsen in 1995.[1]
Ships
Passenger ships
 |
| Ship | Built | In service for NAL | Type | Tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Kristianiafjord | 1913 | 1913–17 | ocean liner | 10,699 GRT | Sunk 1917. |
| SS Bergensfjord | 1913 | 1913–40 | ocean liner | 10,666 GRT | Taken over by British authorities and converted to a troopship, 1940. |
| SS Stavangerfjord | 1917 | 1917–40 1945–64 |
ocean liner | 12,977 GRT | Taken over by German authorities as a troopship in 1940, returned to NAL in 1945. Scrapped 1964. |
| MS Oslofjord (1938) | 1938 | 1938–40 | ocean liner | 18,673 GRT | Sunk after hitting a mine on the River Tyne, 1940. |
| MS Oslofjord (1949) | 1949 | 1949–67 | ocean liner | 16,844 GRT | Chartered to Greek Line 1967. Caught fire and sank 1970. |
| SS Bergensfjord | 1956 | 1956–71 | ocean liner | 18,739 GRT | Sold to French Line as De Grasse, 1971. |
| MS Skiensfjord | 1958 | 1958–77 | frieghter, few passengers | 3,787 GRT | Sold to Southalnd Maritime Inc. v/Diamantides Maritime Co. Ltd, Pireus, Greece 1977 and renamned Diamant. Sold to Jebel Ali National Marine, Dubai, UAE 1980 and renamed Jebel Ali 2. Sold to Mohammed Khalifa Bin Salama Al-Hamaly, Dubai, UAE 1983 and renamed Salamah 5. Renamed Al Qasim 1987 & scrapped that year.[4] |
| MS Sagafjord | 1965 | 1965–83 | ocean liner / cruise ship | 24,002 GRT | Sold to Cunard Line 1983. Sold to Saga Cruises 1997 and renamed Saga Rose. Scrapped 2009. |
| MS Vistafjord | 1973 | 1973–83 | cruise ship | 24,292 GRT | Sold to Cunard Line 1983. Since 2004 Saga Ruby for Saga. |
Other ships
|
| Ship | Built | In service for NAL | Type | Tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Trondhjemsfjord | 1911 | 1914–15 | ocean liner | 4,248 GRT | Sunk 28 July 1915 by torpedo. |
| SS Norefjord | 1919 | 1921–49 | cargo ship | 3,082 GRT | Ran aground, captured and beached by rebels, shelled by the Indonesian Navy and burnt out 1958. Scrapped 1966. |
| SS Foldenfjord | 1921 | 1921–28 | tanker ship | 7,038 GRT | Sunk by Japanese submarine I-25 on October 5, 1942. |
| SS Mari SS Oslofjord |
1923 | 1923 1923–30 |
215 GRT |
Managing directors
- 1911–39 Gustav Henriksen
- 1939–48 Andreas Johnsen
- 1948–73 Hans Christian Henriksen
Chairmen of the Board
- 1929–39 Sigval Bergesen
- 1940–48 Thor Thoresen
- 1948–?? Leif Høegh
Boutique hotel
The former headquarters of the shipping company (1919 – 1983) with ticket office and administration is still an iconic building in central Oslo. It was rebuilt inside and opened in March 2019 as a boutique hotel. The hotel took the name Amerikalinjen.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "The Allen Collection|Norway America Line". www.benjidog.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
- ^ Asklander, Micke. "Norska Amerikalinje A/S". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ^ "Norwegian-America Line". The Ships List. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ^ "M/S Skiensfjord - Sjøhistorie.no". www.sjohistorie.no. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
- ^ "Amerikalinjen - Latest boutique hotel in Oslo, Norway". Amerikalinjen. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
External links
