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SS ILE DE FRANCE ship

The SS Ile de France was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT.) The ship was the first major ocean liner built after the conclusion of World War I and was considered the most beautifully decorated ship built by CGT until the SS Normandie

Never before had a ship had its own style of interior design like the Ile de France.  During the past, ships had imitated the shore-style. The Mauretania, the Olympic and the Imperator had all shown an interior that celebrated styles of the past that could be found in manors or châteaux inland. By contrast, the interiors of the Ile de France represented something new.  For the first time, a ship's passenger spaces was designed not to reproduce decorative styles of the past but to celebrate the the present.

The ship's degree of modernity was unlike that of any ship previously.  The first-class dining room's decor was simple. The dining room was also the largest of any ship, rose three decks high, and had a grand staircase for an entrance.



In addition to the luxurious dining room, there was also a chapel with a neo-gothic style, a grand foyer which rose four decks, a shooting gallery, an elaborate gymnasium, and even a merry-go-round for the younger passengers. Every cabin had beds instead of bunks, and even many of the chairs aboard the Ile de France had a new design.

On June 22, 1927 the Ile de France traveled from Le Havre for its maiden voyage to New York. Upon its arrival in New York it received great attention from the American media and thousands of people crowded the docks just to see the new ship.


With the contribution made by this splendid vessel, the CGT ended the year 1928 with record earnings. For the first time the company's receipts exceeded a billion francs, and half of this derived from the New York service.  The ship was popular especially among wealthy Americans.  It quickly became the chosen ship of the youthful, the stylish, and the famous. Its popularity was such that by 1935, the ship had carried more first-class passengers than any other transatlantic liner.

SS Ile de France pioneered the quickest mail-system between Europe and the United States. In July 1928, a seaplane catapult was installed at the ship's stern for trials with two CAMS 37 flying boats that launched when the ship was within 200 miles, which decreased the mail delivery time by one day.  This practice proved too costly, however, and in October 1930 the catapult was removed and the service discontinued.

In 1935 the Ile de France and the Paris were joined by a new mate, the new superliner SS Normandie. With these three ships the CGT could boast of having the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ships traveling the north Atlantic.

 

This primarily wood replica model of the SS Ile De France features:

- Plank-on-frame hull

- Windows and portholes are cutouts (not black decal or indentation), clean, uniform, aligned

- Correct lifeboat shape, beautiful davits

- Correct funnels: size, shape, and color. The funnels are signature of a ship and some model makers did it very wrong. Yet they claim their models "museum grade". Their ships are wrong on many counts. The hull--the most important of a ship-- is horrible. An ocean liner with a hull like that could only run in a calm lake. Some parts are oversized yet others undersized. Plenty are wrong; Many are missing. Interesting!

- Captivating artistic lighting, with different colors and green/red navigation light that will light up your special evenings. LED light powered by standard 9v battery for your convenience or by a compact adapter to wall outlet. Cheap model makers have neither the artistry sense nor the necessary engineering ability. Their light is ugly incandescent bright white placed on the model's floor like mushrooms.
 

34" long x 14" tall x 7" wide $3,590 Shipping and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other places: $400 flat rate.

65" long $7,840 Shipping and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other places: $700 flat rate.

Other sizes, send us an email for a quote.

These Ile De France models are built per commission only. We require only a small deposit to start the process. Please click here for more details as well as the wait time.