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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
Norwegian America Line
(Den Norske Amerikalinje A/S)
Norwegian America Cruises
This page is devoted to postcards of passenger ships of the Norwegian America Line (NAL).
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below.
The Table
beneath gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official
postcards of the fleet
in chronological order.
Norwegian America Line (Den Norske Amerikalinje A/S) was formed in 1910, during a period of rapid growth in the Norwegian shipping industry. In 1911, orders for two 11000grt liners were placed with Cammell Laird of Birkenhead, for delivery in 1913. These became the
Kristianiafjord (1)
and
Bergensfjord (1)
, which established the suffix "
-fjord
" in the NAL fleet. They were extremely successful, taking much traffic from the DFDS Scandinavian-America Line. A third ship was ordered from the same builders, but the war delayed delivery of
Stavangerfjord
until 1918.
Kristianiafjord (1)
was lost due to grounding in 1917.
Following the First World War, NAL expanded rapidly with new cargo-liners constructed in the UK and Canada - by 1923 they had 19 vessels. The economic collapse of the 1920s depression hit the company, and emigration largely ceased following new US laws. In 1925, the first NAL cruises were operated to the North Cape, Norwegian fjords, Scotland, Iceland and the Baltic. Fortunes improved in the 1930s, and a new passenger ship, the
Oslofjord (2)
was delivered from a German yard in 1938. Her life was short, however, since she was lost to a mine in 1940. Most of the other recent cargo ships were also lost in the Second World War, and a further expansion programme was necessary in the late 1940s, which included the Dutch-built in
Oslofjord (3)
1949. She was followed by three further superb passengers ships, culminating in the
Vistafjord (3)
of 1973. The highest number of transatlantic passengers carried by the line was 25400, in 1956. Numbers declined thereafter, and the
Sagafjord
of 1965 was virtually 100% cruise ship. Both cargo and cruise services operated a loss in the late 1970s, and both were re-structured, with the remaining two cruise ships passing to a new company, Norwegian America Cruises in 1980. The two ships were sold to Cunard in 1983/84.
Ships on This Page:-
Bergensfjord (1)
- 1913-46
Bergensfjord (2)
- 1956-71
Kristianiafjord (1)
- 1913-17
Oslofjord (2)
- 1938-40
Oslofjord (3)
- 1949-69
Sagafjord
- 1965-83
Stavangerfjord
- 1918-64
Vistafjord (3)
- 1973-84
Associated Pages:-
Costa Line - Linea "C"
Cunard Line
French Line (CGT)
Home Lines
Zim Lines
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
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Table of Ship Histories
Name
Other names
Built
Bergensfjord (2)
De Grasse, Rasa Sayang
1949
Oslofjord (3)
Fulvia
1949
Sagafjord
Gripsholm,
Saga Rose
1965
Vistafjord (3)
Caronia
1973
NAL Fleet List
Kristianiafjord (1)
(NAL: 1913-17)
Kristianiafjord (1)
was the first of two sisterships delivered by Cammell Laird. In appearance, she is identical to
Bergensfjord (1)
, shown below.
Official NAL postcard of
Bergensfjord (1)
or
Kristianafjord.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1)
or
Kristianafjord.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Bergensfjord (1)
(NAL: 1913-46)
Bergensfjord (1)
was delivered by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, England, in September 1913. She was a sistership to
Kristianiafjord (1)
. She operated as a troop ship during World War Two, and was returned to NAL in 1946. They immediately sold her to Panama Lines for use as an emigrant carrier to South America as the
Argentina
, passing to
Home Lines
in 1952. In 1953 she was sold to
Zim Lines
as their
Jerusalem
, for use on Israel-New York services. In 1957 she was renamed the
Aliya
, and was scrapped in 1959.
Official NAL postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Official NAL postcard of
Bergensfjord (1)
or
Kristianafjord.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Official NAL postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
(variation on card above)
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1)
or
Kristianafjord.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Postcard of
Bergensfjord (1).
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
A scan of an interesting postcard of
Bergensfjord (1)
or
Kristianiafjord (1)
supplied by Michael Kenyon.
The card was written on 29/04/1914, but does not say which sister ship they were on.
Norsk Sjofartsmuseum model of
Bergensfjord (1).
Stavangerfjord
(NAL: 1918-64)
Stavangerfjord
was built by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, like her two predecessors, and entered service in 1918. She was captured in Oslo by the Germans in 1940, but remained there in use as a troop depot throughout the war. After the war, she continued on NAL North Atlantic services until 1964, when she was sold for scrap.
Company official postcard of
Stavangerfjord.
A company official of
Stavangerfjord
Scan: Finn Tornquist.
Postcard of
Stavangerfjord
Scan: Ralph O'Hara
Postcard of
Stavangerfjord
Scan: Ralph O'Hara
Postcard of
Stavangerfjord
Scan: Ralph O'Hara
Postcard of
Stavangerfjord
Scan: Ralph O'Hara
Postcard of
Stavangerfjord
at Stavanger.
Stavanger Sjofartsmuseum postcard of
Stavangerfjord
at Stavanger.
Stavangerfjord
was rebuilt with shorter funnels in 1937.
Company official serial E.M.11-57, posted from Norway to Wisconsin in 1962.
Wilse Photo postcard serial 1236c of
Stavangerfjord
in Olso, after rebuilding.
Scan: Finn Tornquist
Wilse Photo postcard of
Stavangerfjord
in Olso, after rebuilding.
Scan: Finn Tornquist
Oslofjord (2)
(NAL: 1938-40)
Official NAL postcard of
Oslofjord (2)
.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Photographic postcard S17/04 of
Oslofjord (2)
.
Oslofjord (3)
(NAL: 1949-69)
Oslofjord
was built in Amsterdam in 1949.
Oslofjord
was 16844grt and carried 266 First Class and 359 Tourist Class passengers. In 1966, unsuccessful negotiations were made to sell her to
Finnlines
. In 1967
Oslofjord
was refitted, and was chartered to the
Greek Line
in 1967-68.
Costa Line
chartered the
Oslofjord
in 1969. She was renamed
Fulvia
, and joined
Federico C
and
Flavia
on Caribbean cruises.
Fulvia
retained Norwegian flag and crew.
Fulvia
caught fire near the Canaries in July 1970, and subsequently sank, all passengers and crew having been saved by the
Ancerville
.
A complete history of this ship is available
on this link
.
Official NAL postcard E.M.10-63 of
Oslofjord (3).
Official NAL postcard E.M.XII-55 of
Oslofjord (3).
Scan: Finn Tornquist.
Official NAL postcard E.M.2-57 of
Oslofjord (3).
Official NAL postcard 12-61 of
Oslofjord (3)
, at Valletta, printed by Dreyer A/S.
Photo by Manugian. Scan: Finn Tornquist.
Official NAL postcard of
Oslofjord (3)
, off Helsingor.
Scan: Ralph O'Hara.
Official NAL postcard of
Oslofjord (3)
taken off St. Kitts.
Scan: Michael Kenyon.