SS Île de France Archival Collection
The SS Ile de France of the CGT-French Line. Mail Liners of the World, 1937. GGA Image ID # 11a53a73fe
Content Links
- Ile de France (1926) French Line Ship's History (Brief)
- Passenger Lists
- Brochures
- Deck Plans
- Programs
- Menus
- Other Ephemera
- Senior Officers and Staff
- Photographs
- Sailing Schedules
- Cap Tally (Cap Ribbons)
- Books Referencing the SS Ile de France
- Launching of the Ile de France at St Nazaire, 14 March 1926
- The SS Ile de France - A Brief History
Ile de France (1926) French Line
Built by Chantiers de Penhoet, St. Nazaire, France. Tonnage: 43,153. Dimensions: 763' x 92' (791' o.l.). Quadruple- screw, 24 knots. Steam turbines. Two masts and three funnels. Launched: March 14, 1926. Passengers: 670 first, 408 second, 508 third. Maiden voyage: Havre-Plymouth- New York, June 22, 1927. Remarks: Always a very popular liner. Her grand foyer was four decks high. Modifications: After World War II was thoroughly reconditioned for trans-Atlantic service. Converted to two funnels. Accommodation altered to 448 first, 546 cabin, 268 tourist. Re-entered service in July 1949. Fate: Sold to Japanese shipbreakers late in 1958. Sailed from Havre for Osaka, February 26,1959, under name of Furanzu Maru.
Ile de France, Rue de la Paix of the Atlantic, 45,330 Gross Tons. Shown with Post World War II Modifications. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b1cb1875
Return to Content Links
1937-04-15 SS Ile De France Passenger List
Steamship Line: Compagnie Générale Transatlantique CGT - French Line
Class of Passengers: Good Will Tour
Date of Departure: 15 April 1937
Route: Le Havre to New York via Southampton
Commander: Captain Jules Chabot
1937-07-21 SS Ile de France Passenger List
Steamship Line: Compagnie Générale Transatlantique / French Line (CGT)
Class of Passengers: Tourist
Date of Departure: 21 July 1937
Route: Le Havre to New York via Southampton
Commander: Captain Jules Chabot
Récapitulation: Cabin Class: 247, Tourist Class: 363, Third Class: 172, Total Passengers: 782, Senior Officers and Staff: 858, Total on Board: 1,640
1939-07-15 SS Ile De France Passenger List
Steamship Line: Compagnie Générale Transatlantique CGT - French Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist
Date of Departure: 15 July 1939
Route: Le Havre to New York via Southampton
Commander: Captain Albert Fontaine
Récapitulation: 97 Cabin Class, 535 Tourist Class, 324 Third Class, 956 Total Passengers, 798 Officers, Staff, and Crew, 1,754 Total On Board.
Return to Content Links
Third Class on the French Line - 1938
The Normandie, Ile de France, Paris, Champlain and Lafayette combine economy and efficiency in fulfilling the most discriminating requirements. Their Third Class accommodations cannot help but bring you all satisfaction.
Return to Content Links
French Line SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan - 1951
Illustrated brochure from 1951 provides colorful deck plans for areas occupied by cabin-class passengers and numerous interior and exterior photographs of the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line.
Return to Content Links
1931-02-22 Charity Gala Program - CGT French Line
Program of the Charity Fete to be held on board the SS Ile de France for the benefit of the Several Benevolent Institutions of which the CGT French Line is a patron.
Return to Content Links
1935-08-22 SS Ile de France Luncheon Menu
Vintage Luncheon Menu from 22 August 1935 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Stewed Chicken Chasseur, Broiled Mutton Chop, and Chocolate, Lemon Ice Cream for dessert. Featured wine was Vin Rouge et Vin Blanc des Caves de la Compagnie Générale Transatlantique.
1949-10 SS Ile de France Breakfast Menu
Vintage Breakfast Menu from October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Broiled Kipper à l'Anglaise, Omelet - with Cheese - à l'Espagnole with Chicken Liver, and Poached Haddock Brown Butter.
1949-10-04 SS Ile de France Large Format Luncheon Menu
Vintage Large Format Luncheon Menu from 4 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Loin of Veal en Casserole Niçoise, Lamb Kidneys with Chipolatas, and Mille Feuilles for dessert.
1949-10-04 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 4 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Poached Chicken à la Lyonnaise, Roast Sirloin Steak a la Broche, and Alhambra Ice Cream for dessert.
1949-10-05 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 5 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Young Turkey with Chestnuts à la Dauphinoise, Supreme of Brill Boulonnaise, and Iced Petits Fours "Isle-de-France" for dessert.
1949-10-06 SS Ile de France Large Format Luncheon Menu
Vintage Large Format Luncheon Menu from 6 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Baked Saint Jacques Shellfish, Lamb Girondine, and Sables Lexoviens for dessert.
1949-10-06 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 6 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Brain Meunière with Caper, Broiled Mutton Chop Water Cress, and Meringues Chantilly for dessert.
1949-10-07 SS Ile de France Large Format Luncheon Menu
Vintage Large Format Luncheon Menu from 7 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Filet of Turbot St. Malo, Sauerkraut Strasbourgeoise, and Burnt Almond Duchess for dessert.
1949-10-07 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 7 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Veal Cutlet Poelee Bordelaise, Saumon Trout in Jelly with Chambertin Wine, and Ice Cup Eugenie for dessert.
1949-10-08 SS Ile de France Large Format Luncheon Menu
Vintage Large Format Luncheon Menu from 8 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Medallion of Wolf Fish en Fricassée, Lamb Bayaldi, and Olga Pudding for dessert.
1949-10-08 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 8 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Suprême of Sole "Ile-de-France", Normandy Chicken Breast, and Tray of Mignardises (Petits Fours) for dessert. Menu in French.
1949-10-09 SS Ile de France Large Format Dinner Menu
Vintage Large Format Dinner Menu from 9 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Filet Mignon of Charolais "Ile-De-France", Supreme of Turbot Trouvillaise, and Bavaroise Rothschild for dessert.
1949-10-10 SS Ile de France Large Format Luncheon Menu
Vintage Large Format Luncheon Menu from 10 October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Goujeonnettes of Soles Carllier, Spring Chicken Saute Chasseur, and Gâteaux Secs for dessert.
Return to Content Links
Information for Tourist Passengers About Medical Attention, Medical Consultations, Charges, Hours, Extra Charges, Special Rates, and Payment of the Surgeons' Bill. Included Within the 15 July 1939 Passenger List for the SS Ile de France of the French Line. GGA Image ID # 1579ac4720
Return to Content Links
Senior Officers and Staff, SS Ile de France Goodwill Tour, 15 April 1937. GGA Image ID # 211929586c
Senior Officers and Staff, SS Ile de France Tourist Class Passenger List, 21 July 1937. GGA Image ID # 2117649655
Senior Officers and Staff, SS Ile de France Tourist Passenger List, 15 July 1939. GGA Image ID # 21196068b4
Return to Content Links
Two-Berth Cabin with Hot and Cold Running Water. SS Ile de France. Third Class on the French Line, 1938. GGA Image ID # 11a28d0145
The Cheerful Library and Writing Room. SS Ile de France. Third Class on the French Line, 1938. GGA Image ID # 11a2979346
In This Charming Dining Room, Abundant, Varied and Delicious Foods Are Graciously Served by Trained Stewards. SS Ile de France. Third Class on the French Line, 1938. GGA Image ID # 11a2f24ad4
Passengers Playing Deck Tennis. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b39643b6
Children's Playroom. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b3a7e6a1
Outside Cabin for Four. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b3b9dd11
Deck Scene - Young Couple on the Fantail. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b3c47a66
Cabin Class Dining Room. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b3ddd9f3
Photo Collage. Top to Bottom: Salon; Inside Cabin for Two; and, Smoking Room. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b3eea13a
Swimming Pool. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b40575bf
Bar of Swimming Pool. SS Ile de France Cabin Class Deck Plan, 1951. GGA Image ID # 11b410a819
Return to Content Links
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-Southampton-New York and New York-Plymouth-Le Havre, from 24 July 1935 to 16 November 1935. Ships Included The Champlain, Ile de France, Lafayette, and Normandie. SS Normandie Passenger List 24 July 1935. GGA Image ID # 1f37c3f874
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-New York, from 30 June 1937 to 5 February 1938. Ships Included the Champlain, De Grasse, Ile de France, Lafayette, Normandie, and Paris. SS Ile de France Tourist Class Passenger List, 21 July 1937. GGA Image ID # 211808e78e
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-Southampton-NewYork and New York-Plymouth or Southampton-Le Havre, from 25 September 1937 to 31 December 1937. Ships Included the Champlain, Ile de France, Lafayette, and Normandie. CGT French Line SS Normandie Third Class Passenger List - 25 September 1937. GGA Image ID # 20b1af42d5
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-Southampton-New York and New York-Plymouth-Le Havre, from 10 August 1938 to 10 January 1939. Ships Included the Champlain, De Grasse, Ile de France, Normandie, and Paris. SS Normandie Passenger List, 10 August 1938. GGA Image ID # 20b39d174c
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-Southampton-New York, from 7 September 1938 to 10 January 1939. Ships Included the Champlain, De Grasse, Ile de France, Normandie, and Paris. SS Normandie Passenger List, 5 October 1938. GGA Image ID # 1e31c3c00c
Sailing Schedule, Le Havre-Southampton-New York and New York-Plymouth-Le Havre, from 16 April 1954 to 7 September 1954. Ships Included the Flandre, Ile de France, and Liberté. SS Flandre Passenger List, 20 July 1954. GGA Image ID # 1f71033ddc
Return to Content Links
CGT French Line SS Ile de France Blue Cap Tally. GGA Image ID # 1e836b0aaa
CGT French Line SS Ile de France White Cap Tally. GGA Image ID # 1e83713f78
Return to Content Links
CGT French Line Winter and Spring Cruises 1937-1938. Ships Included the Champlain, Ile de France, Lafayette, and Paris. SS Normandie Third Class Passenger List - 25 September 1937. GGA Image ID # 20b1e61280
Advertisement: Cruises and Tours in All Seasons. Ships Included the Champlain, Colombie, Cuba, Dal Piaz, Ile de France, and Lafayette. SS Ile de France Tourist Class Passenger List, 21 July 1937. GGA Image ID # 2117b62f49
Return to Content Links
Christie's Ocean Liner Auction Catalog - 2007
The Christie's Ocean Liner Auction Catalog 2007 included Posters, Ship Models, and Decorative Arts. The provenance of the Items was sourced from The Estate of Wayne LaPoe, The Kenneth C. Schultz Collection, The Jan J. Loeff Collection, The Marcello Collection, and The Collection of Terrence G. O'Connor.
Classic Ocean Liners, Volume 1: Berengaria, Leviathan, & Majestic
An absorbing and detailed account of the three ships: Berengaria, Leviathan, & Majestic, 50,000-ton dinosaurs of the transatlantic lines in the years before World War I.
Doomed Ships: Great Ocean Liner Disasters
Naval historian William H. Miller, Jr. recounts the dramatic stories behind various ill-fated passenger ships. He takes readers beyond the newspaper headlines and formal inquiries, offering firsthand accounts of heroic rescues, daring escapes, and tragic losses.
Era of the Passenger Liner - 1992
The Gilded Era comes back to life as the reader relives the careers of stately ships and express greyhounds from immigrant ships to floating palaces. Scarce, large format book containing 288pp. Features photographs, statistics, and background of 280 passenger liners, each with a picture.
The Fabulous Interiors of the Great Ocean Liners - 1984
Some 200 superb photographs—in long shots and close-ups—capture exquisite interiors of world's great "floating palaces"—1890s to 1980s: Titanic, Île de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more. Informative captions provide key details.
Here is the story of twentieth-century passenger shipping, from the first of the superliners — the German Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse — to Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, right up to Queen Elizabeth 2.
Great Passenger Ships of the World 1924-1935
Volume 3 in the series covers the years 1924-1935 and includes the introduction of the well-known superliners Normandie and Queen Mary, both of which successfully competed for the prestigious Blue Riband award for the fastest transatlantic crossing.
Liverpool and the Mersey, Vol. 1: Gladstone Dock and the Great Liners
More than 190 rare archive photographs and maps, many never before published, recount the story of this most famous dock and the Great passenger Ships that were once a regular sight there.
Lost Liners, Titanic to the Andrea Doria
Maps, charts, and diagrams make this handsome volume a valuable reference tool and a compelling evocation of that glorious era when floating palaces ruled the sea lanes.
Majesty at Sea: The Four Stackers
The opulent and luxurious four-funnel passenger liners, of which only fourteen have ever been built, are unsurpassed in maritime history. Built between 1897 and 1921, these great vessels vied with each other in their standards of comfort, spaciousness, and speed, and great was the rivalry between their owners.
North Atlantic Passenger Liners Since 1900
Material about the most prominent steamship companies on the Atlantic Ferry today and those that have been there for some time. Some Lines have diverse services to other oceans, seas, and continents.
This book recreates the ambiance of the ocean linereraby showing the actual objects used on board. Each piece of ocean-liner memorabilia is like an aladdin's lamp, releasing wondrous memories of that grand style of travel.
Ocean Liners: Glamour, Speed and Style
This beautifully illustrated book considers over a century of liner design, from the striking graphics created to promote liners to the triumphs of engineering and from luxurious interiors to onboard fashion and activities.
Ocean Liners - Precursors, Apotheosis, Post War
Ocean Liners is a detailed look at nearly fifty fabulous ships that have provided pleasure, practicality, and fascination since the beginning of the century.
Ocean Steamers: A History of Ocean-Going Passenger Steamships 1820-1970
A history of the steam-powered passenger ship that details its story from the SS Savannah of 1819 to the SS Hamburg of 1969. It contains historical details of all civilian vessels built in the intervening years, with numerous illustrations and previously unpublished material.
Passenger Liners of the World Since 1893
The author here takes a nostalgic look back to the heyday of the passenger ship, providing a brief history of 211 ships of over 10,000 tons, together with specifications and technical details of each.
Passenger Ships of the World - 1963
🎓 “A Global Voyage Through Steamship History for Historians, Genealogists, and Maritime Enthusiasts”
Eugene W. Smith’s Passenger Ships of the World – Past and Present (1963) is a masterfully curated encyclopedic reference that charts the rise, peak, and transformation of ocean-going passenger ships through nearly two centuries. Expanding upon his earlier Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific works, Smith offers a global maritime panorama that includes ships serving the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Oceania, as well as Canal routes and California-Hawaii shuttle lines.
🧭 This book is an essential resource for:
- Maritime historians seeking design evolution and fleet data
- Genealogists tracing voyages and shipping lines
- Educators and students studying transoceanic migration and tourism
- Ship modelers, naval architects, and enthusiasts interested in dimensions, tonnage, and speed
Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994
One of the most comprehensive pictorial references on ocean liners ever published, this superb chronicle by noted maritime historian William H. Miller, Jr., depicts and describes virtually every passenger ship of over 15,000 tons built between 1860 and the late 1900s.
Picture History of the Andrea Doria
Graceful, fast, and luxuriously outfitted, the Andrea Doria was one of the most famous ships of the 20th century. On July 26, 1956, three years after its inaugural voyage, the famous Italian liner was assured of an immortal place in maritime history after colliding with another vessel off the New England coast and sinking.
Picture History of British Ocean Liners: 1900 to the Present
Over 200 rare black-and-white illustrations provide views of the ships at sea and in port, glimpses of lavish staterooms, lounges, dining areas, onboard photos of celebrities and royalty, and much more.
Picture History of the French Line - 1997
This impressive pictorial reference, by noted maritime historian William H. Miller, Jr., includes a wealth of vintage photographs celebrating the legendary French Line.
Picture History of The Normandie
This fabulous French champion, possibly the most extraordinary and the most glamorous liner ever built, had only a little over four years of commercial life before she was wrenched from her owners and destroyed by fire in one of history's most unfortunate blunders by the military.
Picture History of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth
Powerful and fast Atlantic liners of the 1930s, this volume is packed with high-quality vintage photographs of the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth, from construction to heyday to eventual decline and their successor ships bearing the same name.
Picture History of the SS United States
A comprehensive pictorial record of the SS United States that will appeal to maritime historians, this celebration of an American champion and centerpiece of national pride will also captivate ship lovers and anyone thrilled by sea travel.
Sailing Seven Seas: History of the Canadian Pacific Line
With a witty and informative style, author Peter Pigott evokes-not only the nostalgic heyday of ocean travel but reveals a slice of almost-forgotten Canadiana.
Sway of the Grand Saloon: A Social History of the North Atlantic
History of the ocean liners of the North Atlantic crossings. A comprehensive history of Trans-Atlantic passenger ships covering 1818 - 1968, with 55 b/w illustrations, photos, and drawings.
The Art of French Ocean Liners: The Triumph of Art Deco
Embark as if you were there, on the liners France, Normandie, Paria, Liberie', Champollion, Aramio, André Lebon, Antilleo, or Ile-de-France, and share the daily lives of the passengers, but also that of all those who work in behind the scenes so that each crossing is an unforgettable dream.
THE ATLANTIC LINERS will be cherished by all the millions of Americans who love the sea. Frederick Emmons sketches the histories of every ocean liner that sailed between the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1970.
Tourist Third Cabin: Steamship Travel in the Interwar Years
Ocean Liners and New Vistas of Interwar Society From Immigrants to Tourists. The Changing Complexion of Translatlantic Passengers as The Soul of a Ship. Experience and Life of Below-Deck Personnel Traveling Palace or Floating Sweatshop. The Experience of Women Seafarers Projecting an Image: The Allure of MTransatlantic Travel.
The liners of this age served the route of gold linking Europe with the brazenly rich United States of America, where a new class of person was learning how to spend money as lavishly as any Old World rentier.
Return to Content Links
Her sea trials on 29 May 1927 were marred by a freak accident when the order to cast off was given prematurely, and only the Captain's brilliant seamanship averted disaster.
The Grand Salon, decorated in red lacquer with touches of gold, was illuminated by lights concealed behind the glass panes of the vast ceiling.
The First Class dining room, with its elegant but temperamental illuminated fountain, was designed by Patout and could seat seven hundred diners simultaneously.
Captain Blancart with a group of passengers on the maiden voyage to New York on 28 June 1927. Second from the right is Maurice Chevalier, with his wife and partner, Yvonne Vallée, on the Captain's left.
The seaplane piloted by Lieutenant Demougeot on 13 August 1928, carrying mail for the United States, was catapulted from the deck of the Ile when she was four hundred miles from New York, the first ship-to-shore airmail delivery.
The troopship SS Ile de France carried nearly 400,000 Allied personnel, in safety, if not in comfort, all over the world.
Some of the colorful troops were transported by the Ile during the war.
The Cabin Class Salon, designed by Le Bûcheron, contained a spectacular illuminated wrought iron and glass staircase.
To the last the Ile lived up to her name of "Rue de la Paix de l'Atlantique."
The 43,153 grt, 792.9-ft., steamship Ile De France was built in 1926 by Chantiers & Ateliers de St. Nazaire for the French Line (Compagnie Générale Transatlantique). When she was launched, she was CGT's biggest ship and the sixth largest in the world.
She sailed on her maiden voyage from Havre to New York via Plymouth on June 22, 1927. In July 1928 she was fitted with a seaplane catapult. On November 8, 1940 she was requisitioned as a troopship by the Royal Navy.
She commenced her first post war commercial voyage on October 22, 1946, but from April 1947 to July 1949 was completely reconditioned and rebuilt to 44,356 tons and funnels reduced to two.
On July 26, 1956 she rescued 750 survivors from the sinking liner Andrea Doria. On November 10, 1958 she started her last voyage from New York to Plymouth and Havre and on February 26, 1959 sailed from Havre for Osaka as the Faransu Maru for scrapping.
In 1959 she was leased at $4,000 a day by a film company and renamed Claridon, amidst protest from the French public, she became the central prop of the film "The Last Voyage". A tense drama with on board explosions and a controlled sinking, later re-floated and scrapped at Osaka.
