The Stunning French Flagship 'France'
by Published on 18th January 2016 11:48 AM
The late film star Diana Lynn once said, "I adored the France".
She was modern grandeur, a temple [of cooking & service] gone to sea and was the last remnant of luxury ocean travel on the Atlantic.
In late afternoon, you'd see the personal maids fetching jewels from the purser's holding, and then worn, creating a sort of Christmas tree of gems, well into the night."
FRANCE February 1974 DJBL.jpg
February of 1974
The mighty France moored at Circular Quay.
The 66,000-ton ship was on an Around the World Cruise at the time.
ocean liner
In December 1961, at the instigation of Jacqueline Kennedy, then First Lady of the United States, the Mona Lisa, securely fastened in a temperature-controlled, custom-built container, boarded the France at Le Havre and set sail for New York —a crossing that was supposed to remain secret. At first, passengers aboard the French flagship heard that a top-secret nuclear device was aboard. However, when word got out that the painting was onboard, passengers threw Mona Lisa-themed parties and the ship’s chefs created culinary concoctions in her honor. One couple actually "invited" the Mona Lisa to their party. Several French security officers attended instead.
When the ship docked in New York, the Mona Lisa was loaded into an armored vehicle and traveled to Washington, D.C. with an armed guard. Surrounded by siren-sounding, light-flashing police cars and motorcycles, the painting traveled south in record speed and, in pre-planning, did not encounter a single red traffic light along the four-hour route.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 13th March 2016 at 08:05 PM.
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