SS NORMANDIE© 1/700 scale REF : BRM-70100

© In association with SS Normandie was an built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Lines Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT). She entered ser- vice in 1935 as the largest and fastest afloat. She is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.

Her novel design and lavish interiors led many to consider her the greatest of ocean liners. During service as the flagship of the CGT, she made 139 westbound transatlantic crossings from her home port of to New York. © During World War II, Normandie was seized by US authorities at New York and renamed USS Lafayette. In 1942, the liner caught fire while being

converted to a . Wikipedia

BLUE RIDGE MODELS

www.blueridgemodel.com

Normandie is © and ® Collection of French Lines RESIN PARTS common parts 1 x1

2 x1

3 x1

4 x1 5 x1 6 x1 11 x1

12 x1 13 x16

7 x1 8 x1 9 x1

14 x2 15 x1

10 x2 16 x4 17 x2 18 x2 19 x4

20 x1 21 x1

26 x2

22 x14 23 x2 24 x1 25 x2

31 x1

30 x3 27 x2 28 x2 29 x2 32 x1

2 RESIN PARTS boats parts DAVITS PARTS x2

A B x6 C x19 D E x1 x2 x2

F x26 G x2 H x2 EARLY PARTS

36 x4 37 x2

33 x1 34 x1 35 x6

late PARTS

38 x1 39 x1 40 x1

41 x1 42 x1 44 x1 43 x4

47 x1 48 x10

45 x1 46 x1

49 x1 50 x12

3 OTHER PARTS photoetch 1st fret photoetch 2nd fret

DECALS

1 4 3 2

5

6

brass masts

1 x2

2 x3 3 x2 4 x1

4 bottom hull early/late

EARLY LATE 24

56

57

42 2

2 35

57

57 Before starting the build of the model, please choose which version, early/1935 or late/post 1936 of the Normandie the of 1936 late/post or early/1935 version, which choose ! please instructions model, the the during of steps build right the the starting follow Before to have will you important, is This mount. to want you Please also choose if you want your model to be shown as the full hull or water line hull. window and doors like elements, Some model. the mounting starting before instructions the all read Please frames, will be easier for painting before gets mounted. 24

5 top hull / step 1 bow

This symbol ₼ indicates when some parts need to be mounted the same way on the other side.

24

₼ 20 21 ₼

17

₼ 16

1

₼ 19

19 19 ₼

₼ ₼ 9 41 B C

₼ M ₼ L

25 25

26 26

11 29 29

28 28

6 top hull / step 2 stern

2 51 3 ₼

45 B 8 ₼ 7 ₼ 18 46 B ₼ 5 ₼ 29 ₼ B ₼ 6 52 4 47

48

28 ₼

30 19 29 ₼

31 30 28 ₼

2

30 27 ₼

32 53 ₼ 55 54 ₼

49

50

27 ₼

7 top hull / step 3 window frames A A A D A K A R A Mount the window frames at same place on the other side. Maybe paint in black before mount the window frames, and paint them in white. R A B B D R A D A D D N 01 A A A ₼ A K K R A A K D R A R A A 01 D R A ₼ R A A K R A A K R A B B A A

8 Structures / step 1 main C G F O C C Q B O F G 34 C C 23 H 23 C 22 22 I 11 12 3 B 16 E 22 E 22 E B Remove for E early version C B 22 P 22 G B Repeat the same mounting for other side. C C 10

9 Structures / step 2 secondaries

13

04 FIRST

13 04 FIRST

16

13 J J

05 C J C SECOND

13 14

13 13

15 15 14

14 06 THIRD

13

10 Structures / step 3 funnels 10

25

42

18

17

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10 39 25 42

32 SMALL

7 FIRST

27 ₼

26

8 SECOND 16

18

9 THIRD

11 Structures / step 4 MASTS

FIRST

1

second 4 1 33

3

33

3 33 35

12

32 LONG

32 MEDIUM

12 Structures / step 5 assembly second structure funnel second main structure First Structure & Funnel will be mounted during Early or Late version mounting. third funnel third structure mast second

13 early version / step 1 structures

bow 21 structure

14 30 22

31 20 22

33

22

B H ₼ ₼

63 stern structure 63 66 34

63 35

35

35

63

63

64 66

63

14 early version / step 2 bow assembly

First First funnel mast

First bow structure structure ₼ 44 43 ₼ early version / step 3 middle assembly

61 ₼ ₼ 43 ₼ 61

₼ 67 22 ₼ 58 ₼

₼ 59

59 ₼

37 ₼

15 early version / step 2 stern assembly

62 65 stern structure 60

65

late version / step 1 structures

21 14

38 20 bow 30 structure 22 31

22

49

₼ B

H ₼

16 late version / step 1 structures

39 stern 70 structure

50

77

47

80

Q

₼ 81

G Q

G

17 late version / step 2 bow assembly

First First funnel mast

77

77 44

bow structure First structure

₼ 44 43 ₼

18 42 ₼ 82 83

85 59 76 50 late version/step 3 63 ₼ 43 ₼ middle assembly ₼ 68 58 ₼ 75 ₼

50 22 41 ₼ ₼ 78 ₼ 19 late version / step 4 stern assembly

stern structure

2

2

79 45

40

74

₼ 73 69

₼ 72 69

84

46

79

48 ₼

20 boats assembly 36 37 E H H D G G C F F B A

21 rigging diagram

22 23 painting liner VERSION

anti fouling red copper (propellers)

red wood

black planks

white fabric (boats)

dark grey upper bow

bow stern

early LATE

24 early LATE

early LATE

early LATE

25 early

3 1

26 2

LATE

5 5

6

4 4

5

3 2

27 USS LAFAYETTE AP-53

On 20 December 1941, the Auxiliary Vessels Board officially recorded President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s approval of Normandie’s transfer to the US Navy. Plans called for the vessel to be turned into a troopship («convoy unit loaded transport»). The Navy renamed her USS Lafayette, in honor both of Marquis de la Fayette, the French general who fought on the Colonies’ behalf in the , and the alliance with France that made American independence possible.

Earlier proposals included turning the vessel into an , but this was dropped in favor of imme- diate troop transport. The ship remained moored at Manhattan’s Pier 88 for the conversion. A contract for her conversion to a troop transport was awarded to Robins Dry Dock and Repair Co., a subsidiary of Todd Shipyards, on 27 December 1941. On that date, Capt. Clayton M. Simmers, the 3rd Naval District Materiel Officer, reported to the Bureau of Ships (BuShips) his estimate that the conversion work could be completed by 31 January 1942, and planning for the work proceeded on that basis.

Capt. Robert G. Coman reported as Lafayette’s prospective commanding officer on 31 January 1942, over- seeing a skeleton engineering force numbering 458 men. The complicated nature and enormous size of the conversion effort prevented Coman’s crew from adhering to the original schedule; crew familiarization with the vessel was an issue, and additional crew members were arriving to assist the effort. On 6 , a request for a two-week delay for the first sailing of Lafayette, originally scheduled for 14 February, was submitted to the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations. On that day, a schedule extension was granted due to a design plan change: elements of the superstructure were to be removed to improve stability, in work that was expected to take another 60 to 90 days. However, on 7 February, orders came from Washington that the reduction of the top-hamper had been abandoned and Lafayette was to sail on 14 February as planned. This abrupt reversal necessitated a frantic resumption of conversion work, and Capts Coman and Simmers scheduled 9 February meetings in New York and Washington to lobby for further clarification of conversion plans; ultimately, these meetings would never take place. Wikipedia

28 RESIN PARTS

1 x2

2 x6

3 x24 4 x100

Please note the Lafayette AP-53 elements & paintings are not 100% accurate due to the lack of information. Elements & Paintings are based on photos of the ship when she burned, some elements could be wrong.

29 MOUNTING & painting

anti fouling red NAVY GREEN

black HAZE GREEN

DECK BLUE LIGHT GREEN

HAZE GRAY copper (propellers)

PALE GREY planks

fabric (boats)

30 1 ₼ 2

₼ 3

₼ 3

₼ 4 x50 ₼ 3

₼ 3

₼ 3

₼ 3

₼ 2 1

31 32

Normandie is © and ® Collection of French Lines