USS LAFAYETTE: A BILLION-DOLLAR CATASTROPHE ⚓️

Описание: How did the world’s most advanced ocean liner sink while tied to a pier in the middle of New York City? The loss of the SS Normandie, renamed the USS Lafayette, remains one of the most embarrassing and debated "home front" disasters of World War II. After being seized from the French, she was destined to carry thousands of American troops to Europe—a "miracle" transport that could outrun any U-boat. Instead, on February 9, 1942, a simple accident involving a cutting torch sparked a blaze that the New York Fire Department couldn't control.

The controversy surrounding the Lafayette is two-fold. First, many at the time suspected sabotage by Vichy French sympathizers or Nazi agents, though the official cause was negligence. Second, the disaster was worsened by the fire department itself; in their desperation to save the "Pride of France," they pumped tons of water into the ship’s upper levels. Because the tide was low and the ship’s portholes had been left open for construction, the massive vessel lost stability and slowly rolled onto her side in the Hudson River muck. The sight of the 1,000-foot-long hull lying dead in the water for over a year served as a grim reminder of the cost of carelessness. By the time they righted her in 1943—a massive engineering feat in itself—the salt water had ruined her machinery beyond repair. One of history's fastest ships never even saw a day of combat. Was it a tragic accident or a hidden act of war? Subscribe for more daily deep dives into the forgotten disasters and maritime secrets of history.

This video is for historical and educational purposes.