SS "FRANCE" of 1962

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This post is about a very special ship, the fenomenal SS "FRANCE", the ship was built at Saint-Nazaire on what was known at the time by PENHOET, she was launched in 1960 and delivered to CGT in 1962, "FRANCE" departed on her maiden voyage on the 3rd of February 1962 from Le Havre to New York via Southampton, she was at the time 66.348 GRT and was powered by Parsons geared turbines that could propel the ship to an amazing 35.2 knots. The ship was operated by CGT on the transatlantic run Le Havre to New York until 1974 when the French government announced that could no longer afford any further subsidies to keep the ship running so CGT withdrawn the ship on the 25th of October 1974, she was laid up at Le Havre. She has now of course been scraped but the memories will last forever of a ship that was gracious, incredibly sleek and powerful, a joy for ships enthusiasts

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