SS L'Atlantique
Encyclopedia
SS L'Atlantique, owned by the Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique (a subsidiary of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
or French Line) was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner
on the Europe
-South America
run until her untimely destruction by fire.
' s keel
was laid on 28 November 1928 at the Chantiers et Ateliers shipyards in St. Nazaire, France for service between France and South America. She was launched on 15 April 1930, making her maiden voyage
between 29 September and 31 October of the same year. In 1932, her funnel
s were raised by 16.5 feet (5 m).
, and on 5 January the French Ministry of Marine issued a statement saying the ship was considered a total loss.
The liner was towed to Cherbourg, where the fire was extinguished on 8 January, and she remained docked while the ship's owners and insurers debated her fate, eventually resulting in the payment US$6.8 million to Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique for the loss. In February 1936, she was sold for scrap, and broken up by the firm of Smith & Houston in Glasgow
.
s at a speed of 21 knots (25.6 mph). She could carry 1,238 passengers, of which 488 were in first class, 88 in second class and 662 in third class, and 663 crew. Unusually for the time, she was built with very little sheer
and camber
.
interior built on an unusual axial floor plan with a wide hallway up to 20 feet (6.1 m) in width on each of the passenger decks and a foyer at the center of the ship three decks high. Interior decorations were largely made of glass, marble, and various woods, making for a more subdued atmosphere than was present in other Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ships like the . The interior furnishings were designed by Albert Besnard and Pierre Patout et Messieurs Raguenet et Maillard.
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
or French Line) was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
on the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
-South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
run until her untimely destruction by fire.
History
L'AtlantiqueKeel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid on 28 November 1928 at the Chantiers et Ateliers shipyards in St. Nazaire, France for service between France and South America. She was launched on 15 April 1930, making her maiden voyage
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
between 29 September and 31 October of the same year. In 1932, her funnel
Funnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
s were raised by 16.5 feet (5 m).
Demise
In early January 1933, while traveling between Bordeaux and Le Havre to be refitted, the liner caught fire around 25 miles (40.2 km)from the Isle of Guernsey. The blaze was believed to have started in a first class stateroom, and was discovered by the ship's crew at around 3:30 in the morning. The fire spread rapidly, and by early morning the ship's captain, Rene Schoofs, ordered the crew of 200 to abandon ship. Four freighters responded to the ship's distress call, one of which, the SS Achilles, a Dutch steamship, rescued the entire crew. During the afternoon, L'Atlantique began listing to portPort and starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms which refer to the left and right sides, respectively, of a ship or aircraft as perceived by a person on board facing the bow . At night, the port side of a vessel is indicated with a red navigation light and the starboard side with a green one.The starboard...
, and on 5 January the French Ministry of Marine issued a statement saying the ship was considered a total loss.
The liner was towed to Cherbourg, where the fire was extinguished on 8 January, and she remained docked while the ship's owners and insurers debated her fate, eventually resulting in the payment US$6.8 million to Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique for the loss. In February 1936, she was sold for scrap, and broken up by the firm of Smith & Houston in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Characteristics
L'Atlantique weighed between 40,000 and 42,500 gross tons, and was 733 feet (223.4 m) long, with a beam of 92 feet (28 m) and a draft of 29.5 feet (9 m). She was powered by four triple-expansion steam turbine engines with a total of 45,000 shaft horsepower driving four propellerPropeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s at a speed of 21 knots (25.6 mph). She could carry 1,238 passengers, of which 488 were in first class, 88 in second class and 662 in third class, and 663 crew. Unusually for the time, she was built with very little sheer
Sheer (ship)
The sheer is a measure of longitudinal main deck curvature, in naval architecture.The practice of building sheer into a ship dates back to the era of small sailing ships. These vessels were built with the decks curving upwards at the bow and stern in order to increase stability by preventing the...
and camber
Camber (ship)
The camber is a measure of lateral main deck curvature in naval architecture.The practice of adding camber to a ship's deck originated in the era of small sailing ships. These vessels were built with the decks curving downwards at the sides in order to allow water that washed onto the deck to...
.
Interior
The ship was built with a largely art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
interior built on an unusual axial floor plan with a wide hallway up to 20 feet (6.1 m) in width on each of the passenger decks and a foyer at the center of the ship three decks high. Interior decorations were largely made of glass, marble, and various woods, making for a more subdued atmosphere than was present in other Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ships like the . The interior furnishings were designed by Albert Besnard and Pierre Patout et Messieurs Raguenet et Maillard.