SS Paris (1916)
S.S. Paris
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| History | |
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 France
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| Name: | SS Paris |
| Namesake: | Paris, France |
| Owner: | French Line |
| Port of registry: | Le Harve, France |
| Ordered: | Compagnie Générale Transatlantique |
| Builder: | Penhoët, Saint Nazaire, France |
| Laid down: | 1913 |
| Launched: | 12 September 1916 |
| Maiden voyage: | 15 June 1921 |
| In service: | 15 June 1921 |
| Struck: | 1939 |
| Fate: | Caught fire, and capsized in Le Havre on 18 April 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 34,570 gross tons |
| Length: | 764 ft (233 m) |
| Beam: | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Decks: | 10 |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Capacity: | 1,930: 560 First Class, 530 second Class, 840 Third Class |
The SS Paris was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The French Line's Paris was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of St. Nazaire. Although Paris was laid down in 1913, her launching was delayed until 1916, and she was not completed until 1921, due to World War I. When Paris was finally completed, she was the largest liner under the French flag, at 34,569 tons.
Paris's interior reflected the transitional period of the early twenties, between the earlier preferred Jacobean, Tudor, Baroque, and Palladian themes in favor of the sleekness and simplicity of her Art Deco arrangements. Paris had something of a magic touch, with every possible kind of interior. Passengers could choose to travel in the standard conservative palatial cabins, but the ship also featured Art Nouveau and hints of the Art Deco that the Ile de France would boast six years later.
The luxury of Paris was something no other liner could claim to have. For starters, most first class staterooms had square windows rather than the usual round portholes. In a first class cabin, passengers were able to have a private telephone, which was extremely rare on board a ship. A valet on Paris could be summoned easily from his adjacent room, rather than in a cabin in the second class, uncomfortably far away.
The oil-fired turbine emerged during the twenties, replacing the pre-war coal system and allowing tidy, near polished perfection in the engine rooms. Finally, interested passengers who were very often gentlemen aboard could be invited below decks by the chief engineer for a tour of the machinery. The very core the ship's energy system impressed these onlookers, such as that on board Paris, where the 34,000-ton liner could be driven at 21 knots with over 2,500 souls hardly feeling the effort. French ships quickly became known as the aristocrats of the ocean, and were very successful. Paris served in a partnership with her "running mate" ship France, making travel between the United States and France a legendary experience.
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