ABSTRACT
The only German transatlantic liners to remain intact after the Second
World War were the Milwaukee and the Europa. The former was destroyed by fire in 1945 whilst undergoing conversion to a troop ship by Britain, to whom she had
been awarded, and the latter was awarded to France. After undergoing extensive
refurbishment and conversion at St Nazaire, the Europa was relaunched as the Liberté by C.G.T. in 1950, providing accommodation for 569 first, 562 second and 382 tourist
class. This was a case of changing national identities: ‘La metamorphose d’un style
Germanique en un subtil parfum Francais’ (Vian 1992: 278). André Domin of
La Maison Dominique was the overall designer for the ship. The renamed Café de
l’Atlantique enjoyed the addition of a dancefloor and the Grand Salon had lacquer-
work by Dunand added. The salle à manger was overhauled by Marc Simon, who
was also responsible for the cabins de luxe and the first class cabins. The last great
liner to be built by C.G.T. with French government subsidies was the France, launched in 1962. At 66,348 gross tons, this was the largest ship ever to be built at the
Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St Nazaire. President de Gaulle hoped the ship
would provide a morale booster for the French, and build on the global success of
the Normandie.
