>>149819807

The fire was started by comical stupidity too. Basically a welder was doing some last-minute touches and sparks from his cutter landed on a pile of lifejackets that were made from flammable materials. The ship actually had a state-of-the-art fire suppression system but it had been turned off for the renovations. The chief designer was even in New York and showed up to offer his advice and was turned away by the harbor police.

On a side note, Normandie actually served as one of the primary aesthetic inspirations of the Disney Cruise Lines fleet. Sadly they couldn't go all the way and build them with three funnels, which would have made them the first three-funneled passenger ships built since WWII.