The Norwegian America Line (), 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 1913 1913–17 Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK. Sunk 1917. 1913 1913–40 Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK. Reused by Britain in 1940. SS Stavangerfjord 1917 1917–401945–64 Cammell Laird in Birkenhead UK. Captured by Germany in 1940, returned to NAL in 1945. Scrapped 1964. 1938 1938–40 Deutsche Schiff- und MaschinenbauGermany Sunk after hitting a mine on the River Tyne, 1940. 1949 1949–67 Netherlands Dock and Shipbuilding Company Chartered to Greek Line 1967. From 1968 onwards sailed for Costa Cruises.Caught fire and sank 1970 off Tenerife, Canary Islands. 1956 1956–71 Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, UK Sold to French Line as De Grasse, 1971. Caught fire, and sank in 1980. Wreck still visible at Pireaus, Greece. 1965 1965–83 Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, France Sold to Cunard Line 1983. Sold to Saga Cruises 1997 and renamed Saga Rose. Scrapped 2009. MS Vistafjord 1973 1973–83 Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom 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 1911 1914–15 ocean liner Sunk 28 July 1915 by torpedo. 1913 1933–38 cargo ship Bought by Norwegian America Line in 1933. Shipwrecked 15 miles west of Cape St. Francis near Port Elizabeth, 1938. 1919 1921–49 cargo ship Ran aground, captured and beached by rebels, shelled by the Indonesian Navy and burnt out 1958. Scrapped 1966. 1920 1925–49 cargo ship Built 1920 in Canada, acquired by NAL in 1925 as Drammensfjord. Sold to Italy in 1949, broken up in La Spezia, 1959. 1921 1921–28 tanker ship Sunk by Japanese submarine I-25 on October 5, 1942. 1921 1921–54 cargo ship Always sailed under the name Tanafjord for NAL. She was broken up in Stavanger, 1954. 1922 1922–43 cargo ship Sunk on 27 April 1943 by British aircraft off Ryvingen lighthouse while on a voyage from Bergen to Kristiansand. 1923 1923–30 1956 1956–74 cargo ship Sold to Greece as Elpis, 1974. Scrapped in Kaohsiung, 1979. 19581958–77freighter, few passengersSold 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

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

References

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