Norwegian America Line

File:MS Skiensfjord 1962 (1).jpg

Passenger's car being loaded onto the MS Skiensfjord in New York in 1962

The Norwegian America Line (Template:Langx), was a shipping line, originally an operator of ocean liners and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and later included a route to East Africa as well. Primarily due to competition from air travel, transatlantic passenger voyages were slowly discontinued during the years.

After the Great War, the company was one of Norway's largest shipping lines, owning a fleet that included 19 vessels, several of which were for commercial cargo transport. After the Second World War heavy ships losses were overcome by the building of new vessels, however the reduction in the passengers’ traffic by sea shifted the company’s focus mainly to the cargo business, including container and bulk shipping from the 1970s.

In 1980 the last two passenger liners were handed over into a new joint venture company (Norwegian American Cruises) with Leif Höegh & Co, and finally sold to Cunard Line in 1984.

During the 1990s NAL main business were the Roll-on/roll-off operations and sea carriage of cars, through the NOSAC brand (Norwegian Specialised Autocarcarriers), with a fleet of nearly 20 vessels, then acquired by Wilh. Wilhelmsen in 1995.

Ships

List sourced from

Passenger ships

	Ship	Built	In service for NAL	Shipyard	Tonnage	Notes
File:SS Kristianinafjord.jpg	Template:SS	1913	1913–17	Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK.	Template:GRT	Sunk 1917.
File:SS Bergensfjord in 1927.jpg	Template:SS	1913	1913–40	Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK.	Template:GRT	Reused by Britain in 1940.
File:DS-Stavangerfjord.jpg	SS Stavangerfjord	1917	1917–40 1945–64	Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK.	Template:GRT	Captured by Germany in 1940, returned to NAL in 1945. Scrapped 1964.
File:Oslofjord1938-01.jpg	Template:MS	1938	1938–40	Deutsche Schiff- und MaschinenbauGermany	Template:GRT	Sunk after hitting a mine on the River Tyne, 1940.
File:MS Oslofjord (1949) i Oslo havn.jpg	Template:MS	1949	1949–67	Netherlands Dock and Shipbuilding Company	Template:GRT	Chartered to Greek Line 1967. From 1968 onwards sailed for Costa Cruises.Caught fire and sank 1970 off Tenerife, Canary Islands.
File:Aankomst van het ms. Bergensfjord in de Amsterdamse haven, Bestanddeelnr 910-5543.jpg	Template:MS	1956	1956–71	Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, UK	Template:GRT	Sold to French Line as De Grasse, 1971. Caught fire, and sank in 1980. Wreck still visible at Pireaus, Greece.
File:Sagafjord IMO 6416043 P Hamburg 1969 (3).JPG	Template:MS	1965	1965–83	Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, France	Template:GRT	Sold to Cunard Line 1983. Sold to Saga Cruises 1997 and renamed Saga Rose. Scrapped 2009.
File:Vistafjord IMO 7214715 P Hamburg 07-1973 (3).jpg	MS Vistafjord	1973	1973–83	Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom	Template:GRT	Sold to Cunard Line in 1983. Renamed Caronia in 1999. Sold in 2004, renamed Saga Ruby for Saga Cruises. Scrapped 2017.

Other ships

Ship	Built	In service for NAL	Type	Tonnage	Notes
Template:SS	1911	1914–15	ocean liner	Template:GRT	Sunk 28 July 1915 by torpedo.
Template:SS	1919	1921–49	cargo ship	Template:GRT	Ran aground, captured and beached by rebels, shelled by the Indonesian Navy and burnt out 1958. Scrapped 1966.
Template:SS	1921	1921–28	tanker ship	Template:GRT	Sunk by Japanese submarine I-25 on October 5, 1942.
Template:SS Template:SS	1923	1923 1923–30		Template:GRT
Template:MS	1958	1958–77	freighter, few passengers	Template:GRT	Sold to Southalnd Maritime Inc. v/Diamantides Maritime Co. Ltd, Pireus, Greece 1977 and renamned Diamant. Sold to Jebel Ali National Marine, Dubai, UAE 1980 and renamed Jebel Ali 2. Sold to Mohammed Khalifa Bin Salama Al-Hamaly, Dubai, UAE 1983 and renamed Salamah 5. Renamed Al Qasim 1987 & scrapped that year.

Managing directors

• 1911–39 Gustav Henriksen
• 1939–48 Andreas Johnsen
• 1948–73 Hans Christian Henriksen

Chairmen of the Board

• 1929–39 Sigval Bergesen
• 1940–48 Thor Thoresen
• 1948–?? Leif Høegh

Boutique hotel

File:Den norske Amerikalinje.JPG

The former headquarters is now a boutique hotel.

The former headquarters of the shipping company (1919 – 1983) with ticket office and administration is still an iconic building in central Oslo. It was rebuilt inside and opened in March 2019 as a boutique hotel. The hotel took the name Amerikalinjen.

See also

• Hamburg America Line
• Holland America Line
• Scandinavian America Line
• Swedish American Line

External links

• The Ships List: Norwegian America Line
• Simplon Postcards: Norwegian America Line
• Norway Heritage — "Hands across the sea"
• Passenger Lists from Den Norske Amerikalinje (Norwegian America Line) GG Archives
• Norwegian America Line (NAL) History and Ephemera GG Archives