On an icy cold day in February 1942, while undergoing conversion into a troopship, the former French Line flagship, Normandie, the most glamorous liner ever to sail the North Atlantic, was destroyed by fire and a legend was born. Normandie was designed in the midst of the Depression and was built as a showcase of French art and design. Costing over $60 million, she was literally State of the Art. While the conversion was underway, a pile of lifejackets caught fire. The untrained staff could not control the ensuing blaze and the NY Fire Brigade pumped in millions of gallons of water in a vain effort to put out the flames. Only a few hours after the first flames she was a burnt out hulk and capsized at her berth. The loss of the Normandie was one of the most tragic liner losses. Her artwork was second to none and her design was way ahead of any of her competitors. She has been sorely missed since.