The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada . The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and was dismantled in the 1970s. It was responsible for providing the vast majority of the heroin used in the United States at the time. The operation was headed by Corsicans Antoine Guérini and Paul Carbone (with associate François Spirito ). It also involved Auguste Ricord , Paul Mondoloni and Salvatore Greco .
143-706: Illegal heroin labs were first discovered near Marseille , France , in 1937. These labs were run by Corsican gang leader Paul Carbone . For years, the Corsican underworld had been involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of heroin, primarily to the United States . It was this heroin network that eventually became known as "the French Connection". The Corsican Gang was protected by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and
286-766: A United States Army sergeant $ 96,000 (equivalent to $ 699,265 in 2023) to smuggle 240 pounds (109 kg) of heroin into the United States. He informed his superior who in turn notified the BNDD. As a result of this investigation, five men in New York and two in Paris were arrested with 264 pounds (120 kg) of heroin, which had a street value of $ 50 million. In a 14-month period, starting in February 1972, six major illicit heroin laboratories were seized and dismantled in
429-449: A cultural, high-tech economy. The Marseille region is home to thousands of companies, 90% of which are small and medium enterprises with less than 500 employees. Among the most famous are CMA CGM , container-shipping giant; Compagnie maritime d'expertises (Comex), a leader in sub-sea engineering and hydraulic systems; Airbus Helicopters , an Airbus division; Azur Promotel, an active real estate development company; La Provence ,
572-641: A major center for immigrant communities from former French colonies in Africa, such as French Algeria . Marseille is a major French centre for trade and industry, with excellent transportation infrastructure (roads, sea port and airport). Marseille Provence Airport is the fourth largest in France. In May 2005, the French financial magazine L'Expansion named Marseille the most dynamic of France's large cities, citing figures showing that 7,200 companies had been created in
715-574: A new boiler was not possible but boiler parts were available to make the needed repairs. In Bremerhaven she was used as accommodation for NCL crew training to take their places on the line's new Pride of America . NCL originally planned for Norway to sail empty from Germany to Miami, but a pre-inaugural cruise was added, with only a limited number of passengers allowed to sail. Starting from Oslo , Norway, stopping at Southampton , England, and ending in New York City. A 6-day cruise to Bermuda
858-458: A skeleton which was then covered in steel hull plating, large parts of the ship were prefabricated in other cities (including Orléans , Le Havre and Lyon ). The hull was fully welded, leading to weight savings, and two sets of stabilisers were fitted. She was blessed by the Bishop of Nantes , Monseigneur Villepelet, and launched on 11 May 1960, at 4:15 pm, by Yvonne de Gaulle , wife of
1001-465: A typical year, but intelligence showed that the Corsican traffickers were smuggling in 200 pounds (90 kg) every other week. Rosal alone, in one year, had used his diplomatic status to bring in about 440 pounds (200 kg). The Federal Bureau of Narcotics 's 1960 annual report estimated that from 2,600 to 5,000 pounds (1,200 to 2,300 kg) of heroin were coming into the United States annually from France. The French traffickers continued to exploit
1144-491: A well-maintained rival still operating 5-star luxury cruises and transatlantic crossings for Cunard . In spite of this, the cutbacks continued and problems mounted even as the ship continued to sail with full occupancy. A turbocharger fire erupted on Norway as she entered Barcelona in 1999, which took her out of service for three weeks. During one of the following cruises to Norway she broke down in Bergen with leaks to one of
1287-466: Is a city that has its own unique culture and is proud of its differences from the rest of France. Today it is a regional centre for culture and entertainment with an important opera house , historical and maritime museums, five art galleries and numerous cinemas, clubs, bars and restaurants. Marseille has a large number of theatres, including La Criée, Le Gymnase and the Théâtre Toursky. There
1430-593: Is also an extensive arts centre in La Friche , a former match factory behind the Saint-Charles station. The Alcazar , until the 1960s a well known music hall and variety theatre , has recently been completely remodelled behind its original façade and now houses the central municipal library. Other music venues in Marseille include Le Silo (also a theatre) and GRIM . Marseille has also been important in
1573-511: Is also an important arrival base for millions of people each year, with 2.4 million including 890,100 from cruise ships. With its beaches, history, architecture and culture (24 museums and 42 theatres), Marseille is one of the most visited cities in France, with 4.1 million visitors in 2012. They take place in three main sites, the Palais du Pharo , Palais des Congrès et des Expositions (Parc Chanot) and World Trade Center. In 2012 Marseille hosted
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#17327650833001716-463: Is divided into 16 municipal arrondissements , which are themselves informally divided into 111 neighbourhoods (French: quartiers ). The arrondissements are regrouped in pairs, into 8 sectors, each with a mayor and council (like the arrondissements in Paris and Lyon ). Municipal elections are held every six years and are carried out by sector. There are 303 councilmembers in total, two-thirds sitting in
1859-585: Is fed by the local catch; a daily fish market is still held on the Quai des Belges of the Old Port. The economy of Marseille and its region is still linked to its commercial port, the first French port and the fifth European port by cargo tonnage , which lies north of the Old Port and eastern in Fos-sur-Mer . Some 45,000 jobs are linked to the port activities and it represents €4 billion of added value to
2002-553: Is how Marseille responded in 2005, when ethnic populations living in other French cities' suburbs rioted , but Marseille remained relatively calm. Marseille served as the European Capital of Culture for 2013 along with Košice . It was chosen to give a 'human face' to the European Union to celebrate cultural diversity and to increase understanding between Europeans. One of the intentions of highlighting culture
2145-619: Is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea , near the mouth of the Rhône river. Marseille is the second-most populous city in France, after Paris , with 873,076 inhabitants in 2021 . Marseille with its suburbs and exurbs create the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis , with a population of 1,911,311 at the 2021 census. Founded c. 600 BC by Greek settlers from Phocaea , Marseille
2288-406: Is represented by Massilia Sound System . Marseille has been the setting for many films. Marseille is listed as a major centre of art and history. The city has many museums and galleries and there are many ancient buildings and churches of historical interest. SS France (1960) SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner , constructed by
2431-721: Is the location of Château d'If , made famous by the Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo . The main commercial centre of the city intersects with the Canebière at Rue St Ferréol and the Centre Bourse (one of the city's main shopping malls). The centre of Marseille has several pedestrianised zones, most notably Rue St Ferréol, Cours Julien near the Music Conservatory, the Cours Honoré-d'Estienne-d'Orves off
2574-410: Is the oldest city in France, as well as one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited settlements . It was known to the ancient Greeks as Massalia ( Greek : Μασσαλία , romanized : Massalía ) and to Romans as Massilia . Marseille has been a trading port since ancient times. In particular, it experienced a considerable commercial boom during the colonial period and especially during
2717-538: Is the third-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon. To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis , are the Calanques , a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjord -like inlets. Farther east still are the Sainte-Baume (a 1,147 m (3,763 ft) mountain ridge rising from a forest of deciduous trees),
2860-488: Is to help reposition Marseille internationally, stimulate the economy, and help to build better interconnection between groups. Marseille-Provence 2013 (MP2013) featured more than 900 cultural events held throughout Marseille and the surrounding communities. These cultural events generated more than 11 million visits. The European Capital of Culture was also the occasion to unveil more than 600 million euros in new cultural infrastructure in Marseille and its environs, including
3003-599: The Mona Lisa from Le Havre to New York, where the painting was to embark on an American tour. She sailed the North Atlantic run between Le Havre and New York for thirteen years. But, by the beginning of the 1970s, far faster, and increasingly more comfortable and fuel-efficient commercial jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 , DC-8 , and Boeing 747 had made long-distance transoceanic air travel more popular than
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#17327650833003146-524: The 1998 World Cup and Euro 2016 . It is also home to several higher education institutions in the region, including the University of Aix-Marseille . A resident of Marseille is a Marseillais . The name of Marseille is of unknown ultimate origin, but it is thought it may come from Ancient Ligurian , which was the local language before the arrival of the Greeks. Forms of the name include: Marseille
3289-607: The Bouches-du-Rhône department . Because of its pre-eminence as a Mediterranean port, Marseille has always been one of the main gateways into France. This has attracted many immigrants and made Marseille a cosmopolitan melting pot . By the end of the 18th century about half the population originated from elsewhere in Provence mostly and also from southern France. Economic conditions and political unrest in Europe and
3432-541: The Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire , France, and put into service in February 1962. From the time of her construction in 1960 until the construction of the 345 m (1,132 ft) RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004, the 316 m (1,037 ft) vessel was the longest passenger ship ever built. France was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in 1979, renamed SS Norway , and underwent significant modifications to refit her for cruising . She
3575-525: The MuCEM designed by Rudy Ricciotti . Early on, immigrants came to Marseille locally from the surrounding Provence region. By the 1890s immigrants came from other regions of France as well as Italy. Marseille became one of Europe's busiest ports by 1900. Marseille has served as a major port where immigrants from around the Mediterranean arrive. Marseille continued to be multicultural. Armenians from
3718-459: The Museum of Civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM). As a result, Marseille now has the most museums in France after Paris . The city was named European Capital of Culture in 2013 and European Capital of Sport in 2017. Home of the association football club Olympique de Marseille , one of the most successful and widely supported clubs in France, Marseille has also hosted matches at
3861-643: The Musée national de la Marine in Paris . After this they were returned to Le Havre and presented to the Musée Malraux , and now face the front of the harbor. When France was commissioned in 1956 the French Line asked for a ship which was to be the longest ever built, as well as one of the fastest. But beyond the technicalities, the ship was also to be an ocean-going symbol of France and thus had to be artfully designed. Her 316-meter (1,035 ft) hull
4004-532: The SDECE after World War II in exchange for working to prevent French Communists from bringing the Old Port of Marseille under their control. Historically, the raw material for most of the heroin consumed in the United States came from Indochina , then Turkey . Turkish farmers were licensed to grow opium poppies for sale to legal drug companies, but many sold their excess to the underworld market, where it
4147-601: The Seawise University (former RMS Queen Elizabeth ) by fire in Hong Kong , France became the largest passenger ship in service in the world. As the opening years of the decade progressed, the cruise market expanded, seeing the construction of smaller, purpose-built cruise ships which could pass through the Panama Canal. In the 1973 oil crisis the price of oil went from US$ 3 to $ 12 per barrel. When
4290-604: The United Arab Emirates for repairs and to take on new crew and supplies before continuing to Indian waters. Upon learning of the ship's destination, Gopal Krishna, an environmentalist and an anti-asbestos activist, filed an application before the Supreme Court of India to ensure that the ship, containing asbestos, complied with the Court's 14 October 2003 order which sought prior decontamination of ships in
4433-547: The World Water Forum . Several urban projects have been developed to make Marseille attractive. Thus new parks, museums, public spaces and real estate projects aim to improve the city's quality of life ( Parc du 26e Centenaire , Old Port of Marseille , numerous places in Euroméditerranée ) to attract firms and people. Marseille municipality acts to develop Marseille as a regional nexus for entertainment in
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4576-570: The forecastle , behind the whaleback, the two cargo kingposts were removed and giant davits were installed to hoist two two-deck, 11-knot tenders , built by Holen Mekaniske Verksted in Norway, used to transfer passengers between Norway and island docks where the harbour would not accommodate the ship's 9-meter (35 ft) draft. Based on a World War II landing craft design, these tenders were named Little Norway I and Little Norway II , and were each themselves registered as ships, making Norway
4719-701: The inter-war period ; Sub-Saharan Africans after 1945; Maghrebi Jews in the 1950s and 1960s; the Pieds-Noirs from the former French Algeria in 1962; and then from Comoros . At the 2019 census, 81.4% of the inhabitants of the Marseille metropolitan area were natives of Metropolitan France , 0.6% were born in Overseas France , and 18.0% were born in foreign countries (two-fifth of whom French citizens from birth, in particular Pieds-Noirs from Algeria arrived in Metropolitan France after
4862-461: The "Ship amongst Ships", NCL severely cut back on her maintenance and upkeep. She experienced several mechanical breakdowns, fires, incidents of illegal waste dumping, and safety violations for which she was detained at port pending repairs. Despite the cutbacks, the ship remained extremely popular among cruise enthusiasts, some of whom questioned the owner's actions in light of the continuing successful operation of Queen Elizabeth 2 , which had become
5005-579: The 18th century (previously several cities in France were involved in cardmaking). Another local tradition is the making of santons , small hand-crafted figurines for the traditional Provençal Christmas creche . Since 1803, starting on the last Sunday of November, there has been a Santon Fair in Marseille; it is currently held in the Cours d'Estienne d'Orves, a large square off the Vieux-Port. Marseille's main cultural attraction was, since its creation at
5148-567: The 19th century, becoming a prosperous industrial and trading city. Nowadays the Old Port still lies at the heart of the city, where the manufacture of Marseille soap began some six centuries ago. Overlooking the port is the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde or "Bonne-mère" for the people of Marseille, a Romano-Byzantine church and the symbol of the city. Inherited from this past, the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMM) and
5291-469: The 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) speed of United States could not be beaten. After the launch, the propellers were installed (the entire process taking over three weeks), the distinctive funnels affixed to the upper decks, the superstructure completed, life boats placed in their davits, and the interiors fitted out. France then undertook her sea trials on 19 November 1961, and averaged an unexpected 35.21 knots (65.21 km/h; 40.52 mph). With
5434-568: The 68,000-ton Queen Elizabeth 2 .) Further, the United States Lines had put into service in 1952 SS United States , which had broken all speed records on her maiden voyage, with an average speed of 35.59 knots (65.91 km/h; 40.96 mph). At first, the idea of two 35,000-ton running mates was considered to replace Ile de France and Liberté . Charles de Gaulle , later President of France , opined that it would be better for French national pride, then flagging due to
5577-646: The Caribbean and dry dock periods, she sailed many cruises to Western Mediterranean, Western Europe coast, Northern Europe, the British Isles and the Norwegian fjords. Her official farewell cruise was a 17-day transatlantic cruise from Miami stopping at New York; Halifax , Nova Scotia ; St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador ; Greenock , Scotland; Le Havre, and ending in Southampton. But a decision
5720-462: The Centre Bourse in the 1st arrondissement; it is linked by the Boulevard d'Athènes to the Canebière. The city has a hot-summer mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ) with cool-mild winters with moderate rainfall, because of the wet westerly winds, and hot, mostly dry summers. December, January, and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of around 12 °C (54 °F) during
5863-511: The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Jean Marie, on 25 July 1956, debate about the form, cost and construction schedule for France went on for a further year. Beyond the luxuries, the French Line had to also face the realities that transatlantic passenger trade was forecast to decline due to increased air travel. Also, ship operating costs were increasing, mostly due to the price of crude oil. Consequently
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6006-671: The First Class Smoking Room was lost in the construction of an outdoor buffet restaurant, and the Patio Provençal on the Sun Deck was filled in with a top-side swimming pool . This last addition created an odd space on Norway , where a tunnel-like space remained around the tank of the pool, into which the original exterior windows and doors of the surrounding cabins, which once looked into the Patio Provençal, still opened, all in their original 1960s colours. On
6149-478: The French Line satisfied, the ship was handed over, and undertook a trial cruise to the Canary Islands with a full complement of passengers and crew. During this short trip she met, at sea, Liberté which was on her way to the shipbreakers. France's maiden voyage to New York took place on 3 February 1962, with many of France's film stars and aristocracy aboard. On 14 December 1962, France carried
6292-491: The French government, at the end of the Trente Glorieuses , realised that keeping France running would necessitate an additional ten million dollars a year, it opted instead to subsidize the then Concorde supersonic aircraft currently in development. Without this government money, the French Line could not operate, and it was announced that France would be withdrawn from service on 25 October 1974. In response
6435-401: The French underground was increasing not only its participation in the illegal trade of opium, but also its expertise and efficiency in heroin trafficking. On March 17, 1947, 28 pounds (13 kg) of heroin were found on the French liner St. Tropez . On January 7, 1949, more than 50 pounds (22.75 kg) of opium and heroin were seized on the French ship Batista . After Paul Carbone's death,
6578-626: The Fête du Panier in June. On 21 June, there are dozens of free concerts in the city as part of France's Fête de la Musique , featuring music from all over the world. Being free events, many Marseille residents attend. Marseille hosts a Gay Pride event in early July. In 2013, Marseille hosted Europride , an international LGBT event, 10 July–20. At the beginning of July, there is the International Documentary Festival. At
6721-662: The Guérini clan was the ruling dynasty of the Unione Corse and had systematically organized the smuggling of opium from Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries . The Guérini clan was led by Marseille mob boss Antoine Guérini and his brothers, Barthelemy, Francois and Pascal. In October 1957, a meeting between Sicilian Mafia and American Mafia members was held at the Grand Hotel et des Palmes in Palermo to discuss
6864-720: The Indian coast in mid-July. This also cleared the way for her scrapping at Alang , in Gujarat , pending an inspection of the on-board asbestos by experts from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). After GPCB chairman, K.Z. Bhanujan, said the Board had constituted an experts' committee for inspection, Blue Lady was docked in Pipavav , Amreli district . On 2 August 2006, after a five-day inspection,
7007-555: The Mediterranean. Nearby, people sell fresh fish and men from Tunisia drink tea. Although most Armenians arrived after the Armenian Genocide , Armenians had a long presence even before the 20th and late 19th centuries. Armenians, having an extensive trade network worldwide, massively traded with Marseille and its port. Most notably, during the 16th century, and after the Armenians gained a monopoly over Iranian silk, which
7150-530: The NYPD property/evidence storage room, where hundreds of kilograms of heroin lay seized from the now-infamous French Connection bust, and from which the men would help themselves and replace missing heroin with flour and corn starch to avoid detection. The substitution was discovered only when officers noticed insects eating all the bags of "heroin". By that point an estimated street value of approximately $ 70 million worth of heroin had already been taken. The racket
7293-546: The Old Port and the area around the Hôtel de Ville. To the south east of central Marseille in the 6th arrondissement are the Prefecture and the monumental fountain of Place Castellane, an important bus and metro interchange. To the south west are the hills of the 7th and 8th arrondissements , dominated by the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde . Marseille's main railway station— Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles —is north of
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#17327650833007436-466: The Ottoman Empire began arriving in 1913. In the 1930s, Italians settled in Marseille. After World War II, a wave of Jewish immigrants from North Africa arrived. In 1962, a number of French colonies gained their independence, and the French citizens from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia arrived in Marseille. The city had an economic downturn and lost many jobs. Those who could afford to move left and
7579-601: The Port de la Joliette (now part of Marseille-Fos Port ) during the Second Empire and now contains restaurants, offices, bars and hotels and functions mostly as a private marina. The majority of the port and docks , which experienced decline in the 1970s after the oil crisis , have been recently redeveloped with funds from the European Union . Fishing remains important in Marseille and the food economy of Marseille
7722-403: The Roman Siege of Massilia in 49 BC, during Caesar's Civil War , in which Massalia sided with the exiled faction at war with Julius Caesar . Afterward, the Gallo-Roman culture was initiated. The city maintained its position as a premier maritime trading hub even after its capture by the Visigoths in the fifth century AD, although the city went into decline following the sack of AD 739 by
7865-466: The Sahara. Snowfalls are infrequent; over 50% of years do not experience a single snowfall. The hottest temperature was 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) on 26 July 1983 during a great heat wave, the lowest temperature was −16.8 °C (1.8 °F) on 13 February 1929 during a strong cold wave. Marseille was founded as the Greek colony of Massalia c. 600 BC , and was populated by Greek settlers from Phocaea (modern Foça , Turkey). It became
8008-414: The Soviet Union to use her as a hotel ship in the Black Sea , and a proposal from China to turn her into a floating industrial trade fair. In the end, the ship was sold in 1979 to Knut Kloster, the owner of Norwegian Caribbean Line for $ 18 million for conversion into the world's largest cruise ship. Hundreds of weddings had been celebrated on France over her transatlantic career; just before she
8151-466: The aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the ship's owners decided to place her back into service, operating bargain-basement cruises from Miami , after a brief cosmetic refit that failed to address her mounting mechanical and infrastructure problems. On 25 May 2003, after docking in Miami at 5:00 a.m., Norway was seriously damaged by a boiler explosion at 6:37 a.m. that killed eight crew members and injured seventeen as superheated steam flooded
8294-419: The arrest of Jehan were left open. For years thereafter, Jehan was reported to be seen arranging and operating drug activities at will throughout Europe. According to William Friedkin , director of the 1971 film The French Connection , Jehan had been a member of the French Resistance to Nazi Occupation during World War II and, because of that, French law enforcement officials refused to arrest him. Friedkin
8437-493: The arts. It has been the birthplace and home of many French writers and poets, including Victor Gélu [ fr ] , Valère Bernard , Pierre Bertas , Edmond Rostand and André Roussin . The small port of l'Estaque on the far end of the Bay of Marseille became a favourite haunt for artists, including Auguste Renoir , Paul Cézanne (who frequently visited from his home in Aix ), Georges Braque and Raoul Dufy . Rich and poor neighborhoods exist side by side. Although
8580-418: The average sunshine in the country is around 1,950 hours. It is also the driest major city with only 532.3 mm (21 in) of precipitation annually, mainly due to the mistral , a cold, dry wind originating in the Rhône Valley that occurs mostly in winter and spring and which generally brings clear skies and sunny weather to the region. Less frequent is the sirocco , a hot, sand-bearing wind, coming from
8723-570: The boiler room and blasted into crew quarters above through ruptured decking. No passengers were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that "the probable cause of the boiler rupture on the Norway was the deficient boiler operation, maintenance, and inspection practices". On 27 June 2003, NCL/Star decided to relocate Norway , and she departed Miami under tow, although at first NCL/Star refused to announce her destination. She headed towards Europe and eventually arrived in Bremerhaven on 23 September 2003. NCL announced that constructing
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#17327650833008866-447: The bow and the stern of the ship had been removed, with little of the ship's famous profile still recognizable. By September 2008, most of what remained above the waterline had been cut away, and the ship's demolition was essentially completed by late 2008. In 2009 the tip of the bow of Blue Lady was returned to the country of her birth as one of a catalogue of auction pieces removed from the ship before scrapping commenced. The auction
9009-421: The capacity to 2 million TEU. Marseille is connected with the Rhône via a canal and thus has access to the extensive waterway network of France. Petroleum is shipped northward to the Paris basin by pipeline. The city also serves as France's leading centre of oil refining. In recent years, the city has also experienced a large growth in service sector employment and a switch from light manufacturing to
9152-426: The city at Marignane on the Étang de Berre . The city's main thoroughfare (the wide boulevard called the Canebière ) stretches eastward from the Old Port to the Réformés quarter. Two large forts flank the entrance to the Old Port—Fort Saint-Nicolas on the south side and Fort Saint-Jean on the north. Farther out in the Bay of Marseille is the Frioul archipelago which comprises four islands, one of which, If,
9295-430: The city is not without crime, Marseille has a larger degree of multicultural tolerance. Urban geographers say the city's geography, being surrounded by mountains, helps explain why Marseille does not have the same problems as Paris. In Paris, ethnic areas are segregated and concentrated in the periphery of the city. Residents of Marseille are of diverse origins, yet appear to share a similar particular identity. An example
9438-404: The city of Toulon and the French Riviera . To the north of Marseille, beyond the low Garlaban and Etoile mountain ranges , is the 1,011 m (3,317 ft) Mont Sainte Victoire . To the west of Marseille is the former artists' colony of l'Estaque ; farther west are the Côte Bleue , the Gulf of Lion and the Camargue region in the Rhône delta . The airport lies to the north west of
9581-413: The city since 2000. As of 2019 , the Marseille metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to US$ 81.4 billion , or US$ 43,430 per capita (purchasing power parity). Historically, the economy of Marseille was dominated by its role as a port of the French Empire, linking the North African colonies of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia with Metropolitan France . The Old Port was replaced as the main port for trade by
9724-399: The city, whereas the National Front has received significant support. At the last municipal election in 2014, Marseille was divided between the northern arrondissements dominated by the left (PS) and far-right (FN) and the southern part of town dominated by the conservative (UMP). Marseille is also divided in twelve cantons , each of them sending two members to the Departmental Council of
9867-433: The city. Due to these policies and the multiculturalism of the city of Marseille, Armenians became very wealthy, and the legacy of the Armenians in the city still lives on. The most commonly used tarot deck takes its name from the city; it has been called the Tarot de Marseille since the 1930s—a name coined for commercial use by the French cardmaker and cartomancer Paul Marteau, owner of B–P Grimaud. Previously this deck
10010-411: The conversion of France into a cruise ship, many alterations were made to her exterior decks. Most notably, vast areas of deck space were opened up, and extended at the stern. A large lido deck was created at the very aft, built so wide, to accommodate as many sunbathing passengers as possible, that it cantilevered over the hull below, which narrowed in towards the stern at that point. The terrace off
10153-410: The country of export before they could be allowed entry into Indian waters. On 17 May 2006, Kalraj Mishra expressed his concern to the Indian Parliament over possible hazards Blue Lady presented, and requested that the government put a halt to the ship's entry. As the Indian Supreme Court had lifted any ban on the ship's entry, Blue Lady had come from Fujairah , UAE, and was anchored 100 km off
10296-546: The crew decided to take matters into their own hands: an eastbound crossing on 6 September 1974, her 202nd crossing, was delayed several hours while the crew met to decide on strike action. Rather than strike immediately in New York, it was decided to strike six days later outside Le Havre. The ship was commandeered by a group of French trade unionists who anchored France in the entrance to the port, blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic. The 1,200 passengers aboard had to be ferried to shore on tenders, while approximately 800 of
10439-519: The crew remained aboard. The strikers demanded that the ship be allowed to continue to serve, along with a 35% wage increase for themselves. Their mission failed, and the night of the takeover proved to be the ship's last day of service for the CGT. It took over a month for the stand-off to end, and by 7 December 1974, the ship was moored at a distant quay in Le Havre, known colloquially as quai de l'oubli –
10582-569: The day and 4 °C (39 °F) at night. July and August are the hottest months, averaging temperatures of around 28–30 °C (82–86 °F) during the day and 19 °C (66 °F) at night in the Marignane airport [35 km (22 mi) from Marseille] but in the city near the sea the average high temperature is 27 °C (81 °F) in July. Marseille receives the most sunlight of any French city, 2,897.6 hours per year on average, while
10725-555: The demand for their illegal product, and by 1969, they were supplying the United States with 80 percent of its heroin. On April 26, 1968, a record setting seizure was made, 246 lb (111.6 kg) of heroin smuggled to New York concealed in a Citroën DS on the SS France (1960) ocean liner. The total amount smuggled during the many transatlantic voyages of just this one car was 1,606 lb (728.5 kg) according to arrested smuggler Jacques Bousquet. In an effort to limit
10868-477: The end of September, the electronic music festival Marsatac takes place. In October, the Fiesta des Suds offers many concerts of world music. Marseille is also well known in France for its hip hop music . Bands like IAM originated from Marseille. Other known groups include Fonky Family , Psy 4 de la Rime (including rappers Soprano and Alonzo ), and Keny Arkana . In a slightly different way, ragga music
11011-539: The end of the 18th century and until the late 1970s, the Opéra . Located near the Old Port and the Canebière, at the very heart of the city, its architectural style was comparable to the classical trend found in other opera houses built at the same time in Lyon and Bordeaux . In 1919, a fire almost completely destroyed the house, leaving only the stone colonnade and peristyle from the original façade. The classical façade
11154-848: The experts declared the ship safe for beaching and dismantling in Alang. This prompted a fury of controversy over the legality of such an act, including a press release from the NGO Platform on Shipbreaking that critiqued the technical report, alleging that the Technical Committee was under undue pressure to allow the ship to be beached, and had failed to follow the Basel Convention and the Supreme Court of India's order that ships must be decontaminated of hazardous substances such as PCBs and asbestos, and, in any case, must be fully inventoried and formally notified prior to arrival in
11297-653: The forces of Charles Martel against the Umayyad Arabs . It became part of the County of Provence during the tenth century, although its renewed prosperity was curtailed by the Black Death of the 14th century and a sack of the city by the Crown of Aragon in 1423. The city's fortunes rebounded with the ambitious building projects of René of Anjou , Count of Provence, who strengthened the city's fortifications during
11440-403: The importing country. No such notification had been made by either Malaysia (last country of departure) nor Germany (country where the ship became waste). The Platform on Shipbreaking also announced that it was prepared to launch a global campaign against Star Cruises and their subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Lines for corporate negligence in this case. Photos from Alang revealed that Blue Lady
11583-738: The independence of Algeria in 1962). A quarter of the immigrants living in the Marseille metropolitan area were born in Europe (half of them in Italy, Portugal, and Spain), 46% were born in the Maghreb (almost two-third of them in Algeria), 14% in the rest of Africa (almost half of them in the Indian Ocean islands of Comoros , Madagascar , and Mauritius , not counting those born in Réunion and Mayotte who are not legally immigrants), and 15.0% in
11726-602: The international illegal heroin trade in the French Connection. The first major French Connection seizure in the 1960s began in June, when an informant told a drug agent in Lebanon that Mauricio Rosal, the Guatemalan Ambassador to Belgium , the Netherlands and Luxembourg , was smuggling morphine base from Beirut to Marseille. Narcotics agents had been seizing about 200 pounds (90 kg) of heroin in
11869-662: The local daily newspaper ; RTM, Marseille's public transport company; and Société Nationale Maritime Corse Méditerranée (SNCM), a major provider of passenger, vehicle and freight transportation in the Western Mediterranean. The urban operation Euroméditerranée has developed a large offer of offices and thus Marseille hosts one of the main business district in France. Marseille is the home of three main technopoles : Château-Gombert (technological innovations), Luminy (biotechnology) and La Belle de Mai (17,000 sq.m. of offices dedicated to multimedia activities). The port
12012-463: The major roundups began on January 4, 1972, when agents from the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) and French authorities seized 110 pounds (50 kg) of heroin at the Paris airport. Subsequently, traffickers Jean-Baptiste Croce and Joseph Mari were arrested in Marseille. One such French seizure from the French Connection in 1973 netted 210 pounds (95 kg) of heroin worth $ 38 million. In February 1972, French traffickers offered
12155-530: The maritime economy are major poles of regional and national activity and Marseille remains the first French port, the second Mediterranean port and the fifth European port. Since its origins, Marseille's openness to the Mediterranean Sea has made it a cosmopolitan city marked by cultural and economic exchanges with Southern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. In Europe, the city has
12298-715: The mid-15th century. During the 16th century, the city hosted a naval fleet with the combined forces of the Franco-Ottoman alliance , which threatened the ports and navies of the Genoese Republic . Marseille lost a significant portion of its population during the Great Plague of Marseille in 1720, but the population had recovered by mid-century. In 1792, the city became a focal point of the French Revolution , and though France's national anthem
12441-539: The morphine base to Marseille from the Far East or the Near East . The French underground would then ship large quantities of heroin from Marseille to New York City . The first significant post-World War II seizure was made in New York on February 5, 1947, when seven pounds (3 kg) of heroin were seized from a Corsican sailor disembarking from a vessel that had just arrived from France. It soon became clear that
12584-504: The most proximate source of supply to the Corsican cartel, US officials went to Turkey to negotiate the phasing out of opium production. Initially, the Turkish government agreed to limit their opium production starting with the 1968 crop. At the end of the 1960s, after Robert Blemant's assassination by Antoine Guérini, a gang war started in Marseille, caused by competition over casino revenues. Blemant's associate Marcel Francisci continued
12727-540: The new decks spoiled her original clean, classic lines, the new private veranda cabins on the added decks were instrumental in keeping Norway financially viable during the later years of her operation; they became a common feature throughout the cruise industry. She received additional refits in 1993 and 1996 in order to comply with new SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea ) regulations. Competition eventually overtook Norway , even by newly built ships in NCL's lineup itself. No longer
12870-407: The new ship would be larger than Ile , but smaller and cheaper to operate than Normandie . She would also only be a two-class liner, which would, like the recently built SS Rotterdam , be able to be converted from a segregated, class-restricted crossing mode to a unified, classless cruising mode, thereby allowing the ship to be more versatile in its operations. Despite these requirements, she
13013-630: The notion of the ship being a destination in itself credible. Her size, passenger capacity, and amenities revolutionized the cruise industry and started a building frenzy as competitors began to order larger ships. As cruise competition attempted to take some of Norway's brisk business, Norway herself was upgraded several times in order to maintain her position as the "grande dame" of the Caribbean . In September and October 1990, two decks were added atop her superstructure , adding 135 new suites and luxury cabins. While many ship aficionados consider that
13156-411: The ocean liners, putting financial stress on European ship lines like the CGT that had derived much of their revenue from the trans-Atlantic market. Owing to this shift in trans-Atlantic travel trends, France was forced to take increasing advantage of subsidies from the French government. Using the ship's versatile design to its full potential, the CGT began to send France on cruises in winter, which
13299-476: The part of the scrappers. It was stated that as of early September 2006 the ship's owner had signed contracts with various buyers, including auctioneers and a French museum, to sell the artworks. Other fittings were to be sold by the ton. Gopal Krishna again moved an application seeking compliance with the Basel Convention, and three days later the Indian Supreme Court decided that the scrapping
13442-435: The pier of oblivion. By that time France had completed 377 crossings and 93 cruises (including two world cruises), carried a total of 588,024 passengers on trans-Atlantic crossings, and 113,862 passengers on cruises, and had sailed a total of 1,860,000 nautical miles. The mothballing of France was met with dismay by much of the French population, resulting in a song by Michel Sardou , titled "Le France". The chorus of
13585-512: The poorest remained. For a while, the mafia appeared to run the city, and for a period of time the communist party was prominent. Multi-cultural Marseille can be observed by a visitor at the market at Noailles, also called Marché des Capucins, in old town near the Old Port. There, Lebanese bakeries, an African spice market, Chinese and Vietnamese groceries, fresh vegetables and fruit, shops selling couscous, shops selling Caribbean food are side by side with stalls selling shoes and clothing from around
13728-588: The preeminent Greek polis in the Hellenized region of southern Gaul . The city-state sided with the Roman Republic against Carthage during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), retaining its independence and commercial empire throughout the western Mediterranean even as Rome expanded its empire into Western Europe and North Africa . However, the city lost its independence following
13871-559: The presence of King Olav V , hoisted the United Nations flag as a sign of the ship's international crew. She began her maiden voyage to Miami that same year, amidst speculation about her future in the cruise industry. France had been built as an ocean liner: for speed; long, narrow, with a deep draft, as well as an array of cabin shapes and sizes designed in a compact manner more suitable for fast intercontinental travel than relaxed cruising. But Norway proved popular, and made
14014-482: The president, and was named France , in honour both of the country and of the two previous CGT ships to bear the name. By 4:22 pm France was afloat and under command of tugs. President De Gaulle was in attendance at the launch, and gave a speech, announcing that France had been given a new Normandie , able to compete with Cunard's Queens , and the Blue Riband was within their reach. In reality, however,
14157-430: The propeller seals delaying sailing until repaired. Destined for retirement, Norway sailed out of Manhattan 's west side piers for the last time on 5 September 2001, on yet another transatlantic crossing to Greenock , Scotland, and then on to her home port of Le Havre. Her passengers learnt of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington six days later, while in mid-ocean. As the cruise industry reeled from
14300-451: The regional economy. 100 million tons of freight pass annually through the port, 60% of which is petroleum, making it number one in France and the Mediterranean and number three in Europe. However, in the early 2000s, the growth in container traffic was being stifled by the constant strikes and social upheaval. The port is among the 20th firsts in Europe for container traffic with 1,062,408 TEU and new infrastructure has already raised
14443-950: The rest of the world (not counting those born in the French overseas departments of the Americas and in the French territories of the South Pacific, who are not legally immigrants). In 2002, about one third of the population of Marseille can trace their roots back to Italy. Marseille also has the second-largest Corsican and Armenian populations of France. Other significant communities include Maghrebis , Turks , Comorians , Chinese, and Vietnamese . The largest immigrant communities (including descendants) in 2002 were Italians (290,000 Italians, or 33%), then Muslims - mainly Maghrebis (200,000 Muslims, or 23%), then Corsicans (100,000 Corsicans, or 11.5%), then Armenians (80,000 Armenians, or 9%). In 1999, in several arrondissements, about 40% of
14586-453: The rest of the world brought several other waves of immigrants during the 20th century: Greeks and Italians started arriving at the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, up to 40% of the city's population was of Italian origin; Russians in 1917; Armenians in 1915 and 1923; Vietnamese in the 1920s, 1954 and after 1975; Corsicans during the 1920s and 1930s; Spanish after 1936; Maghrebis (both Arab and Berber ) in
14729-434: The same year, it was confirmed that the tip of Blue Lady's bow had been cut, a ceremonial move done to most ships that end up in Alang just before their full-scale breaking. It was confirmed on 20 January that Blue Lady had commenced scrapping. Scrapping began on the forward part of the sun deck. The suites added during the 1990 refit were gone by March, briefly returning the ship to her pre-1990 profile. By 12 July 2008
14872-404: The sector councils and one third in the city council. The 9th arrondissement of Marseille is the largest in terms of area because it comprises parts of Calanques National Park . With a population of 89,316 (2007), the 13th arrondissement of Marseille is the most populous one. From 1950 to the mid-1990s, Marseille was a Socialist (PS) and Communist (PCF) stronghold. Gaston Defferre (PS)
15015-426: The ship to a scrap yard, the ship was to be towed to India for demolition. In light of protests from Greenpeace , potentially lengthy legal battles due to environmental concerns over the ship's breakup, and amidst charges of fraudulent declarations made by the company to obtain permission to leave Bremerhaven, her owners cancelled the sale contract, refunded the purchase price, and left the ship where she was. Norway
15158-576: The ship's slipstream , where they would be caught by the wind and carried away from the passenger decks below. In addition, each stack had a device that filtered solids from the outlet, returned it into the depths of the ship and then disposed of it into the ocean. Despite the modern appearance of France , she was painted in the traditional CGT colours, used since the 19th century, of a black hull with red boot-topping and white superstructure, and funnels in red with black cap-bands. The ship's exterior remained unchanged during her thirteen years of service. In
15301-415: The ship, or to sell it. In 1977 Saudi Arabian millionaire Akram Ojjeh expressed an interest in purchasing the vessel for use as a floating museum for antique French furniture and artworks, as well as a casino and hotel off the coast of the south-east United States. Though he purchased the ship for $ 24 million, this proposal was never realised, and others were rumoured to have floated, including bids from
15444-442: The song being "Never call me "France" again / France has let me down" ("Ne m'appelez plus jamais "France"/ La France elle m'a laissé tomber"). The French Communist Party and the trade unions of Le Havre approved the song, which also became an anthem for the defender of the ship. The ship sat in the same spot for approximately four years, with the interiors, including all furniture, still completely intact. There were no plans to scrap
15587-400: The south of France with high concentration of museums, cinemas, theatres, clubs, bars, restaurants, fashion shops, hotels, and art galleries . Unemployment in the economy fell from 20% in 1995 to 14% in 2004. However, Marseille unemployment rate remains higher than the national average. In some parts of Marseille, youth unemployment is reported to be as high as 40%. The city of Marseille
15730-565: The suburbs of Marseille by French national narcotics police in collaboration with agents from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration . On February 29, 1972, French authorities seized the shrimp boat, Caprice des Temps , as it put to sea near Marseille heading towards Miami . It was carrying 915 pounds (415 kg) of heroin. Drug arrests in France skyrocketed from 57 in 1970 to 3,016 in 1972. Also broken up as part of this investigation
15873-540: The superstructure a full-length outdoor promenade deck was designed into both sides of the Pont Canots. Unlike on many other ships, this deck did not wrap completely around the ship, being blocked at the forward end by cabins built in behind the bridgescreen. One of France ' s most distinguishable features were her funnels, designed not only to be eye-catching but functional as well. They were constructed with wings on each side to carry exhaust fumes outwards into
16016-469: The then ongoing Algerian War of Independence , to construct one grand ocean liner, in the tradition of SS Normandie , as an ocean-going showcase for France. The idea of such a publicly funded liner was controversial, leading to raucous debates in the French parliament. The dealing lasted three and a half years, and though the letter commissioning the construction was finally signed by the Chairman of
16159-615: The third largest Jewish community after London and Paris . In the 1990s, the Euroméditerranée project for economic development and urban renewal was launched. New infrastructure projects and renovations were carried out in the 2000s and 2010s: the tramway , the renovation of the Hôtel-Dieu into a luxury hotel, the expansion of the Velodrome Stadium , the CMA CGM Tower , as well as other quayside museums such as
16302-461: The war over the next years. Former New York City Police Department Narcotics Bureau detective Sonny Grosso has stated that the kingpin of the French Connection heroin ring during the 1950s into the 1960s was Corsican Jean Jehan. Although Jehan is reported to have arranged the famous 1962 deal gone wrong of 64 pounds of "pure" heroin, he was never arrested for his involvement in international heroin smuggling. According to Grosso, all warrants for
16445-435: The young people under 18 were of Maghrebi origin (at least one immigrant parent). Since 2013 a significant number of Central- and Eastern European immigrants have settled in Marseille, attracted by better job opportunities and the good climate of this Mediterranean city. The main nationalities of the immigrants are Romanian and Polish. According to data from 2010, major religious communities in Marseille include: Marseille
16588-417: Was added. By 1985 St. Maarten , Netherlands Antilles was added. In 1987 her new itinerary was introduced: a 7-day cruise from Miami stopping at St. Maarten, St. John , USVI; St. Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay. Her Western Caribbean cruises later introduced were 7-days stopping at Cozumel , Mexico; Grand Cayman , Cayman Islands ; Roatan and NCL's private island Great Stirrup Cay. Between regular cruising in
16731-511: Was available protected behind thick glass wind-screens, useful on the North Atlantic, but frustrating when blocking cooling breezes in the tropics. Nonetheless, France's cruises were popular, and her first world cruise took place in 1972. Too large to traverse the Panama and Suez Canals , she was forced to sail around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope . That same year, with the destruction of
16874-686: Was born in Strasbourg , it was first sung in Paris by volunteers from Marseille, hence the name the crowd gave it: La Marseillaise . The Industrial Revolution and establishment of the Second French colonial empire during the 19th century allowed for the further expansion of the city, although it was occupied by the German Wehrmacht in November 1942 and subsequently heavily damaged during World War II . The city has since become
17017-513: Was brought to light and arrests were made. Certain plotters received jail sentences, including Papa, who was later murdered in federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia . Ultimately, the Guérini clan was exterminated during internecine wars within the French underworld. In 1971, Marcel Francisci was accused by the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics of being involved in the trafficking of heroin between Marseilles and New York City. On 16 January 1982, Marcel Francisci
17160-535: Was called Tarot italien (Italian Tarot) and even earlier it was simply called Tarot. Before being de Marseille , it was used to play the local variant of tarocchi before it became used in cartomancy at the end of the 18th century, following the trend set by Antoine Court de Gébelin . The name Tarot de Marseille (Marteau used the name ancien Tarot de Marseille ) was used by contrast to other types of Tarots such as Tarot de Besançon ; those names were simply associated with cities where there were many cardmakers in
17303-551: Was consecutively reelected six times as Mayor of Marseille from 1953 until his death in 1986. He was succeeded by Robert Vigouroux of the European Democratic and Social Rally (RDSE). Jean-Claude Gaudin of the conservative UMP was elected Mayor of Marseille in 1995. Gaudin was reelected in 2001, 2008 and 2014. In recent years, the Communist Party has lost most of its strength in the northern boroughs of
17446-546: Was constructed to replace the line's other ageing ships including SS Ile de France and SS Liberté , which were outdated by the 1950s. Without these vessels the French Line could not compete against their rivals, most notably the Cunard Line , which also had plans for constructing a new modern liner. It was rumoured that this ship would be a 75,000-ton replacement for their ships RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth . (This ship would eventually be
17589-400: Was designed with a traditional tumble-home, but with a flared stem line at the bow, which ended in a bulbous bow beneath the waterline, evoking similar lines on Normandie . Also similar to Normandie , France was equipped with a whaleback on her bow. Deckhouses on France's superstructure were built of aluminium, to reduce the ship's weight and thereby conserve fuel in operation. Within
17732-465: Was granted to them by Shah Abbas of Iran, the trade flow of Armenians of Marseille increased tremendously. Merchants of Armenian origin received trade privileges in France by Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (1585–1642) and later on Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683) Marseille a free port in 1669. One notable Armenian-Iranian merchant gained a patent from Louis XIV (1638–1715) over Iranian silk. Armenians also became successful money-lenders and bankers in
17875-419: Was held on 8 and 9 February. Initially put on public display at Paris Yacht Marina, Port de Grenelle, Paris 15e, in 2018 the tip was acquired by the city of Le Havre and put on display near the fishing port. In January 2010 one of the two sets of neon letters which sat atop the superstructure of France before her conversion was restored and put on display. The letters, which spell "France", were displayed at
18018-481: Was later renamed SS Blue Lady preparatory to scrapping, sold to be scrapped in 2005, with scrapping completed in late 2008. France was the French Line flagship from 1961 to 1974, combining regular five days/nights transatlantic crossings with occasional winter cruises, as well as two world circumnavigations. During her last years as a liner, to save fuel costs, crossings took six days/nights. Some, like ship historian John Maxtone-Graham , believe that France
18161-505: Was made to keep Norway sailing bargain-priced Caribbean cruises out of Miami. This continued until her withdrawal in May 2003. NCL Chief Executive Colin Veitch announced on 23 March 2004 " Norway will never sail again". The ship's ownership was transferred to NCL's parent company, Star Cruises . Due to large amounts of asbestos aboard the ship. mostly in machine and bulkhead areas, Norway
18304-430: Was manufactured into heroin and transported to the United States. The morphine paste was refined in Corsican laboratories in Marseille, one of the busiest ports in the western Mediterranean Sea , known for shipping all types of illegal goods. The Marseille heroin was considered high quality. The convenience of the port at Marseille and the frequent arrival of ships from opium-producing countries made it easy to smuggle
18447-712: Was not allowed to leave Germany for any scrapyards due to the Basel Convention . After assuring the German authorities that Norway would go to Asia for repairs and further operation in Australia, she was allowed to leave port under tow. Norway left Bremerhaven under tow on 23 May 2005, and reached Port Klang , Malaysia on 10 August 2005. In fact, the ship was sold to an American naval demolition dealer for scrap value in December 2005. After eventually reselling
18590-502: Was off-season for the Atlantic trade. One design flaw was revealed when the ship reached warmer waters: her two swimming pools , one each for first and tourist class, were both indoors; the first class pool deep within the ship's hull, and the tourist class pool on an upper deck, but covered with an immovable glass dome. The latter, perhaps, was the more aggravating in hot weather. She also had limited outdoor deck space, with much of what
18733-566: Was planned but cancelled at the last minute in favor of fixing some problems. She set sail on her first inaugural cruise from Miami , Florida , on 1 June 1980, a 7-day cruise with only two stops, one in Little San Salvador then followed by a stop in St. Thomas , USVI . The other days of the cruise were sea days as Norway was the destination itself. This remained her main itinerary from 1980 to 1982 until NCL announced Nassau , Bahamas
18876-429: Was purposely built to serve as both a liner and a cruise ship, stating: "Once again, the company had cruise conversion in mind... for cruises, all baffle doors segregating staircases from taboo decks were opened to permit free circulation throughout the vessel." However, others, such as ship historian William Miller, have asserted that France was the "last purposely designed year-round transatlantic supership." France
19019-423: Was reduced to two screws. And in a bid for economy she was given a complete set of bow/stern thrusters to give her the flexibility she needed to bring her into harbour and to dock without resorting to the expensive tugboat operations that were standard procedure in the heyday of the transatlantic express liners. When her refit was completed, and on her maiden call to Oslo, Senior Steward Wesley Samuels of Jamaica , in
19162-403: Was remodeled to be employed exclusively in luxury cruise service. Her hull form, bow design, and accommodation layout had been designed specifically for the rigors of crossing the North Atlantic, year-round. In her remodeling for cruise service, she was given more passenger capacity, and larger and more numerous public spaces for cruise-type recreations. Mechanically, the four screw propulsion plant
19305-611: Was renamed Norway , one last marriage was performed aboard the ship at the quay in Le Havre. By August of that year Norway was moved to the Lloyd shipyards in Bremerhaven , Germany, where she underwent renovations at a cost of US$ 80 million. Norway was registered in Oslo , given the call sign LITA (literally meaning "small"), and was re-christened on 14 April 1980. She was the only purpose-built transatlantic ocean liner that
19448-557: Was restored and the opera house reconstructed in a predominantly Art Deco style, as the result of a major competition. Currently the Opéra de Marseille stages six or seven operas each year. Since 1972, the Ballet national de Marseille has performed at the opera house; its director from its foundation to 1998 was Roland Petit . There are several popular festivals in different neighborhoods, with concerts, animations, and outdoor bars, like
19591-543: Was shot to death as he was entering his car in the parking lot of the building where he lived in Paris, France. Marseille Marseille or Marseilles ( French : Marseille ; Provençal Occitan : Marselha ; see below ) is a city in southern France , the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region . Situated in the Provence region, it
19734-544: Was sold in April 2006 to Bridgend Shipping Limited of Monrovia, Liberia, and renamed Blue Lady in preparation for scrapping. One month later she was again sold, to Haryana Ship Demolition Pvt. Ltd., and was subsequently left anchored in waters off the Malaysian coast after the government of Bangladesh refused Blue Lady entry into their waters due to the onboard asbestos. Three weeks later the ship began her journey, sailing to
19877-475: Was still partially afloat off the coast; her bow on dry beach at low tide, and the ship fully afloat at high tide. The photos also showed that neither NCL nor Star Cruises had removed any of the ship's onboard furniture or artworks as had been reported. Fans of France became concerned about the future of the art pieces, both due to the ship lying at anchor in a very humid environment without power for air conditioning, and due to lack of concern for preservation on
20020-542: Was still to be the longest ship ever built, as well as one of the fastest, meaning not only an advanced propulsion system, but also a hull design which would withstand the rigours of the North Atlantic at high speed. Hull G19 was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, in Saint-Nazaire , France, her keel being laid down on 7 October 1957. She was built in a pioneering manner: rather than constructing
20163-611: Was the crew of American Mafia Lucchese family mobster Vincent Papa , whose members included Anthony Loria Sr. and Virgil Alessi . The well-organized gang was responsible for distributing close to a million dollars worth of heroin up and down the East Coast of the United States during the early 1970s, which in turn led to a major New York Police Department (NYPD) corruption scheme. The scope and depth of this scheme are still not known, but officials suspect it involved corrupt NYPD officers who allowed Papa, Alessi, and Loria access to
20306-418: Was to be postponed, stipulating that the Technical Committee, which earlier approved the scrapping, was to write a new report to be submitted before the Court's final decision. That decision was reached on 11 September 2007, the 33rd anniversary of France's last day on the Atlantic, when the court ruled that Blue Lady was safe to scrap, a decision that was objected to by environmentalists. By 4 December of
20449-459: Was told that Jehan died peacefully of old age at his home in Corsica. Following five subsequent years of concessions, combined with international cooperation, the Turkish government finally agreed in 1971 to a complete ban on the growing of Turkish poppies for the production of opium , effective June 29, 1971. During these protracted negotiations, law enforcement personnel went into action. One of
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