France ocean liner

Launched five days after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the France was the pride of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique in the first third of the 20th century. At 210 metres long, it was then the largest French ocean liner and the only one with four funnels. Powered by four 45,000-horsepower turbines, it sailed from Le Havre to New York at the sustained speed of 22.8 knots (42 km/h). Only the Mauretania and Lusitania were faster. Nicknamed ‘the Versailles of the Atlantic’ due to its luxurious Louis XV-style interior decoration, the France was used as a troopship during the First World War. It returned to civil service from 1919 to 1932 and was scrapped in 1935 when the Normandie was launched. The 1912 France should not be confused with its famous namesake launched in 1962, which finished its career as the Norway.