Majesty of the Seas (mini)

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The mini Majesty of the Seas is a model ship constructed in Morsbach, Moselle, France, by François Zanella, a 1949-born mine worker (now retired).

The vessel is a 1/8^th scale model of Royal Caribbean International's 1992 cruise ship, Majesty of the Seas (itself also built in France, by Chantiers de l'Atlantique). The mini Majesty is 33.5 metres in length, with a width of 4.75 metres and a draft of 1.06 metres. The model has a displacement of 90 tons. In addition to being a scale replica model, the mini Majesty is a fully functional canal boat. The vessel's draft is small enough to permit admittance to most European canals, although in some cases the height of the ship needs to be, and can be, modified.

It has taken François Zanella 11 years to build the model, beginning in 1993. The model was built on land opposite his home in Morsbach^[1], which he purchased specifically for the project. After construction was completed in June 2005, the model was transported to Sarreguemines to be launched and christened. François Zanella's fame in France stems from the show Thalassa on France 3, which followed his activities during the construction period^[2].

[edit] Chronology

• 1993 First bleuprint.
• 1994 Construction starts.
• June 23 2005 - ship launch in Sarreguemines and christening by navigator Maud Fontenoy.

[edit] External links

• Le Républicain Lorrain special edition dated June 21 2005
• François Zanella's boat
• The web site of Cindy, one of François Zanella's daughters
• Sarreguemines city official web site, describing the three-day travel of the Majesty of the Seas from Morsbach construction site to ship launching.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ At 49°10′04″N 6°52′34″E / 49.16778, 6.87611. Despite the boat has moved in 2005, you can still see it on Google Maps satellite view.
2. ^ Un paquebot dans le jardin, broadcast on May 19, 2006.