SS Flandre at the scrappers. By 1994 one of the final two former French Line liners remaining
After a catastrophic fire on march 23rd, 1994 while docked in Piraeus the Epirotiki cruise ship SS Pallas Athena (ex French Line's SS Flandre) was withdrawn from service and the nearly 42 year old burnt hull of the ship was towed to Aliaga, Turkey for scrapping on Christmas Day, 1994. By 1994 only two French Line ships were remaining: The Epirotikis SS Pallas Athena (ex Flandre) and the NCL's classic Norway (ex France) which was scrapped at Alang, India after a massive boiler explosion resulting in 7 deaths in 2003. The SS Flandre was the first French Line ship bulit after World War 2. With a rich history of 40 years, 3 owners and 4 names she's also an icon of both crusing in the Carribean and the Mediterranean aswell as transatlantic crossings. Her story may hopefully be never forgotten.