The Château of the Atlantic

The France was the first French floating palace and was known as the “Château of the Atlantic” with some of the most elegant rooms ever to put to sea.  She was also the only four-funneled liner not built by British or German shippers.  She was considerably larger than any other French vessel and was designed to compete in terms of speed and luxury.

France steams past Bishop's Rock.

When her keel was laid in 1909 her intended name was La Picardie, but as the ship was twice the tonnage of any previous French liner, the change of name seemed apropos.  The France entered service in April 1912 shortly after the Titanic disaster.  While the ship was booked, the disaster diverted media attention away from the debut of the new liner.  Nevertheless, she was the pride of her namesake.  She was a fast liner capable of 24 knots and was close in speed to the Cunard trio of the same era. 

Her décor was opulent throughout the first class spaces but the most distinctive feature was a grand staircase that descended directly into the Louis XIV dining saloon.  The room was three decks high because, as company literature advised, "Low ceilings don't aid the appetite."  The food served was considered the finest afloat.  The Sun King and his court was honored in style and portraiture in many public rooms, from the embarkation hall to the lounge.  This was indeed France afloat.

1:1250 model by Mercator.

At the start of the Great War France was requisitioned by the French Navy for use as an armed merchant cruiser, but like the Aquitania naval officials realized the cost of coal made such a role impractical. In 1916 she was painted white and used as a hospital ship in the Dardanelles.  When the United States entered the war in 1917 she was deployed to carry American troops to the continent with space for some. In 1918, her military service was cut short by an engine room explosion that killed nine crew members and thus required extensive repairs.  In 1920, she returned to passenger service.

Sailing in sunny weather.

In 1921 she lost her flagship status to the Paris.  She maintained a popular following among wealthy travelers and was converted to an all first class ship in 1924.  When the Ile de France entered service in 1927, she was diverted to cruising. 

The Depression hit the French Line hard and the France was laid up in 1932.  With passenger numbers falling and work progressing on the Normandie, the decision was made to scrap the liner in 1935.  In retrospect this was unwise, considering the loss of both the Paris and Lafayette to fire in the same period.  She was dismantled in Dunkirk, France.

S.S. France (1912-1935) built for Compagnie General Transatlantique (CGT) by Chantiers de Penhoet Shipyard, St. Nazaire, France.  23,666 GRT, 713 feet long, 75 feet wide.  Steam turbines, quadruple screw.  Service speed 24 knots.  2,026 passengers (534 first class, 442 second class, 250 third class, 800 steerage).

Ocean Liner Style

The Ile de France was an important vessel not for its size, speed, or technological innovation.  Her modern interiors—art deco—set a new trend in ocean liner style and made other ships look rather dated.   When she entered service in 1927, the era of “ocean liner style” began.  Ships began to look like ships—not imitation of landside resorts and manor houses.

1:1250 model by Mercator.

The ship made much use of indirect lighting in the large public rooms.  The recessed light panels in the first class dining saloon (the largest afloat in 1927) cast a pink glow and was said to make ladies look younger and vivacious.   The room featured fluted pilasters and themes from Greek temple architecture.  Passengers entered the room via a sweeping staircase and were seated at unique curved chairs.  The food, with 250 some dishes to savor, served the best food on the Atlantic.

Other features were unique.  Traditionally the Verandah Café, or Winter Garden on liners was high on the superstructure and faced aft, often overlooking first class promenade spaces.  The Ile’s Veranda Café was lower and faced forward.  It was a small space but gave fantastic views of the sea ahead.  She was a ship full of amenities:  a bowling alley, a chapel with pillars and seats for 100, a merry-go-round for children, and the longest bar afloat. 

A lovely ship viewed at any angle.

French Line publicists loved touting the luxuries of the Ile de France and consequently she was consistently booked even in the depths of the Depression.  The Ile was charmed with Parisian chic and was a favorite of actors, artists, and luminaries.  It was a ship for the youthful, adventurous, and famous.

The Ile de France was in New York at the start of the Second World War.   In 1940, she was chartered by the British Admiralty and began trooping duties in the south Pacific and ferrying Canadian troops to Greenock from Halifax.  After a thorough re-fit, including the removal of her third funnel (a dummy), she resumed her Le Harve-New York service in 1949 and sailed that route with the Liberte (ex-Europa).

Ile de France in harbor.

In July, 1956, the Ile de France played a role in the rescue of passengers from the SS Andrea Doria after colliding with the MS Stockholm off Nantucket.

In 1958, after 31 years of service, she was retired and sold to Japanese shipbreakers in Osaka.  Before demolition, filmmakers staged her destruction on-screen for a film, The Last Voyage.  Travelers recognized the Ile and were horrified by the scenes of destructions through mostly intact interior spaces. 

S.S. Ile de France (1927-1958) built for Compagnie General Transatlantique (CGT) by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France.  As built: 43,153 GRT, 791 feet long, 91 feet wide.  Steam turbines, quadruple screw.  Service speed 23.5 knots.  1,786 total passengers (537 first class, 603 second class, 646 third class).

Teutonic Impresses

In 1887 Harland and Wolff began construction of a new ship for the White Star Line.  Designed by Alexander Carlisle (later he designed Olympic), the new ship would usher in a new era for White Star.  This new ship, Teutonic and her planned sister ship, Majestic would be the company’s first twin-screw ships, first vessels with three-class accommodation, forced air ventilation, and subsidized by the Admiralty for use as an armed merchant cruiser.  They would also be the last vessels to win the Blue Ribband for White Star.

1:1250 model of Teutonic by Gryzbowksi.  

Teutonic was long and lean.  The narrow beam necessitated an unusual propeller arrangement and the port screw was slightly forward of the starboard one.  This design allowed the engines to run at maximum efficiency, but each had to run at different speeds.

The triple expansion engines were supplied steam from 12 double-ended boilers and four single-ended boilers that were augmented by force draught fans.  This ventilation system reduced coal consumption to 310 tons per day (as compared to natural draught systems).  The ventilation also provided air circulation within the stokeholds as well for the benefit of stokers.

Other technical innovations included electric lighting throughout, steam-driven steering gear, and fully refrigerated cargo space for transporting fresh meat.  Fourteen steam-driven forced draught fans provided ventilation to the lower decks.

Teutonic docked awaiting provisions and passengers. Quays and warehouses by Tri-Ang Minic, Victorian buildings from Navy Models and Books.

Designed to Admiralty specifications, she had longitudinal watertight subdivisions in the engine and boiler rooms along with redundant systems that might be needed in the event of battle damage.  She also had mountings for twelve 5-inch guns that could be quickly installed if needed.  The Admiralty subsidy provided for 7,488 GRP per annum.

In August 1889, Teutonic was present at the Spithead Naval Review to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.  It was here that she was fitted out as a merchant cruiser and toured by Kaiser Wilhelm II.  Details of the visit vary but the Kaiser was intrigued by what he saw and encouraged German shipbuilders and owners (notably North German Lloyd and HAPAG) to build new liners capable of becoming auxiliary cruisers.  Within less than a decade, the Germans would dominate the North Atlantic with the Kaiser-class liners.

Archival photograph of Tuetonic ca 1900.  Detroit Publishing Compay.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/det/item/det1994011751/PP/

Three days later, on August 7, 1889, Teutonic departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage.  She made a fast crossing to New York of 6 days 17 hours and 25 minutes at an average speed of 17.59 knots.  The first crossing marked the beginning of a long career and a year as Blue Ribband holder, but also one punctuated by occasional fires, damage from storms, and collisions.

In 1900, Teutonic was requisitioned for transport duty to South Africa during the Boer War and served well carrying much-needed troops, horses, and supplies. 

In 1907, White Star (now part of IMM Co.) began express service from Southampton, and Teutonic was placed on this run until 1911, when she was transferred to the White Star-Dominion Line service to Canada.  She was overhauled to accommodate second-class and third-class passengers only and had her promenade deck plated in in order to protect passengers on the colder northern routes.

Note the three masts and two funnels arrangement.

Teutonic was requisitioned for government service again in 1914 as an auxiliary cruiser.  Assigned to the 10^th Cruiser Squadron, she patrolled northern seas around the British Isles.  Following the Armistice in 1918, she engaged in trooping duties in the Mediterranean.  In 1921 she was sold to German shipbreakers and broken up in Emden. 

RMS Tuetonic (1889-1921) Built for White Star Line by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland.  582 Feet Long, 57’10” wide.  9,984 GRT Triple Expansion Reciprocating Engines, twin screw.  Service speed 19 knots.  1,490 Total Passengers (300 First Class, 190 Second Class, 1,000 Third Class).