CGT's Paris was built by Chantiers et Ateliers de St. Nazaire. Although
she was laid down in 1913, her launching was delayed until 1916 and she
was not completed until 1921, due to World War I. When finally
completed, she was the largest liner under the French flag, at 34,560
tons.
Paris made her maiden voyage, from Le Havre to New York, on 15 June
1921. A 1929 fire, which broke out while she was at Le Havre, ruined
her passenger accommodations and required six months of repairs. On 18
April 1939, again at Le Havre, Paris again caught fire. This time,
though, two people died and the ship's career was ended. As a result of
the amount of water pumped into her, Paris fell on her port side,
trapping Normandie in a nearby dry dock. She then sank into the mud in
her dock. After her funnels and masts were removed so Normandie could
leave dry dock, the hulk of Paris remained in place throughout World War
II. She was still there in 1946, when Liberté (ex-NDL Europa) broke
loose in a storm and sank after hitting the wreck. Liberté was raised
and eventually entered French Line service, but Paris was dismantled on
the site in 1947.
The emblem in the upper right corner of the bottom card below is the coat
of arms of the city of Paris.
Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway.
