The SS Île de France was a French ocean liner built in 1927 at Saint-Nazaire, France for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line, or CGT). The ship was the first major ocean liner built after the conclusion of World War I, and was the first liner ever to be decorated entirely with designs associated with the Art Deco style. The liner as built has 43,153-tons, is 791 ft (241.1 m) long and had a speed of 23.5 knots (42.5 km/h).
The liner became a troopship at the World War II, and was seized by the British in 1941 for that use until 1945, when the liner returned to the French Line. Then in April 1947, the ship returned to its builder's yard at Saint Nazaire for a two-year restoration (as seen in this model). These changes increased Ile de France's gross tonnage to 44,356.
She travelled to New York on her first postwar luxury crossing in July 1949. The Île de France proved to be just as popular as before the war. On July 26, 1956, the Île de France had a major role in the rescue operation after the collision of the passenger liners SS Andrea Doria and MS Stockholm off Nantucket. Of 1,706 passengers and crew of the Andrea Doria, approximately 753 were transferred to the Ile de France during the approximately 6-hour rescue operation.
Before scrapping, the Île de France was used as a floating prop for the 1960 disaster movie The Last Voyage with the name SS Claridon. During filming the ship was partially sunk, explosive devices were detonated in the interior, and the forward funnel was sent crashing into the deck-house. It was scrapped just after.
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