Ile de France

1926

(Mercator M-480)

Type: Passenger
Displacement: 43,153 tons
Dimensions: 793 x 92 x 32 ft.
Machinery: Penhoet geared steam turbines, quadruple screw, 60,000 SHP = 23 knots
Passengers: 1786 (537 first class, 603 second class, 646 third class)
Crew: 800

Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Penhoet), St. Nazaire, France, 1926

Service: Ile de France built for the French Line's Le Havre-New York service. Maiden voyage 22 Jun 1927 Le Havre-New York. Refit of passenger accommodations during Nov 1932 - Apr 1933 to 670 first class, 408 second class, 508 tourist class and 43,450 GRT. After last prewar trip to New York, moved to Marseille, May 1940, then to Singapore via Cape Town. Taken over by British and requisitioned as troopship, Nov 1940, with capacity of 8000, managed and crewed by P&O. Management switched to Cunard in Jan 1944. Up to Jul 1945 she travelled over 500,000 miles and carried 485,000 military personnel. Returned to France, Sep 1945, and used to repatriate U.S. and Canadian troops from Europe, and later POWs from the Far East.
Released back to CGT 3 Feb 1946 and sailed 22 Oct Cherbourg-New York. Overhauled at St. Nazaire beginning Apr 1947; passenger accommodations changed to 577 cabin class, 227 tourist class, 44,356 GRT and reduced to two funnels. Resumed sailing 21 Jul 1949 Le Havre-New York. In Sep 1953 she rescued crew of sinking Liberian cargo vessel Greenville. In Jul 1956 she rescued 753 people from the Italian liner Andrea Doria, in the process of sinking off Long Island after a collision with the Swedish motorship Stockholm. Sold to Yamamoto & Co, Osaka, to be broken up 11 Dec 1958; renamed Furanzu Maru for voyage to Japan, 26 Feb 1959. However, before scrapping, she was used by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and temporarily renamed Claridon for use in film The Last Voyage, which included a controlled explosion scuttling off Japan.