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4 unusual facts about SS Île de France


Paris Holiday

Popular American comedian Bob Hunter (Bob Hope), star of stage, movies and television, boards the luxury liner SS Île de France to travel to France, only to find his French counterpart, Fernydel (Fernandel) is on the ship as well.

SS Île de France

After its sea trials, the Ile de France traveled to its home port of Le Havre on June 5, 1927.

Before scrapping, the Ile de France was used as a floating prop for the 1960 disaster movie The Last Voyage with the name SS Claridon. During filming the ship was sunk partially, explosive devices were detonated in the interior, and the forward funnel was sent crashing into the deckhouse.

In 1931 the ninth floor restaurant in Eaton's Department Store, Montreal, Canada, was styled after the first class restaurant aboard the ship.


French battleship Strasbourg

The French Navy did not have a dock large enough to build a 35,000 ton hull that was longer than 250m For comparison, the 247m long SS Île de France had been built at the civilian Louis Joubert Lock at Saint-Nazaire.

War bride

These war brides to Canada emigrated mainly in 1946 in specially commissioned "war bride ships," like the Queen Mary, Letitia, or Mauretania, and the Île de France, landing at Pier 21 in Halifax.


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