MS Lafayette (1930)
History
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Name:
MS LafayetteOwner:
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line)Port of registry:
Le HavreRoute:
Le Havre–New YorkBuilder:
Chantiers & Ateliers de St. Nazaire, PenhoëtLaid down:
May 1929Maiden voyage:
17 May 1930Out of service:
4 May 1938Identification:
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Code letters: OKYN (until 1933)
Call sign: FNSS (from 1934)Fate:
Destroyed by fire in 1938; scrapped in 1939.
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Ship tonnage = 25,178 GRT
| Ship length = 187 m (614 ft)
| Ship beam = 23.64 m (78 ft)
| Ship draft =
| Ship depth =
| Ship decks =
| Ship power = 4 × M.A.N. diesel engines
| Ship propulsion = Quadruple screws
| Ship speed = 17 to 18 knots
| Ship capacity = 1,079 passengers:
* 583 cabin class
* 388 tourist class
* 108 third class
| Ship crew = 472
| Ship notes =
}]]
MS Lafayette was a French transatlantic ocean liner operated by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT),commonly known as the "French Line". Launched in 1929 and entering service in 1930, she was the largest passenger motor ship (powered by diesel engines rather than steam) in the French merchant fleet at the time. Her career was cut short in 1938 when she was destroyed by a catastrophic fire while undergoing repairs in Le Havre.
Background and construction
By the late 1920s, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique required more economical vessels to complement its flagship express liners on the North Atlantic route, particularly during the onset of the Great Depression. Rather than constructing another massive steam turbine liner, CGT opted for a large "intermediate liner" powered by internal combustion diesel engines, making her a motor ship (MS).
Her keel was laid down in May 1929 at the Chantiers & Ateliers de St. Nazaire yard in Penhoët. She was the third ship in the company's history to bear the name of the Marquis de Lafayette.
Design and accommodation
The Lafayette had a gross register tonnage of 25,178 tons, measuring 187 meters (613 ft) in length and 23.64 meters (77.6 ft) in breadth. Power was provided by four M.A.N. diesel engines driving four propellers, allowing for a comfortable cruising speed of 17 to 18 knots.
Internally, the ship was celebrated for her luxurious comfort. Borrowing aesthetic choices from her older fleet-mate, the SS Île de France, the Lafayette featured extensive Art Deco interior decoration. The first-class dining menus were uniquely decorated with original etchings by artist Georges Plasse. Designed to carry 1,079 passengers across three classes (cabin, tourist, and third class), she offered a more intimate, roomy alternative to the larger superliners of the era.
Service history
The Lafayette embarked on her maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York on 17 May 1930. To celebrate the event, the French Line invited the Marquis Henri de Dampierre, a direct descendant of Lafayette, to join the crossing.
While primarily serving the Le Havre–New York route, she was also used for luxury seasonal cruises, including voyages to Spitzbergen in the Arctic, which later inspired the writings of French author Robert Vercel. In 1935, notable passengers included German novelist Thomas Mann and his wife Katia, who traveled on the liner to the United States when Mann received an honorary doctorate from Yale University.
The ship proved sturdy in North Atlantic service. In March 1934, she successfully navigated a severe storm that smashed fifty of her promenade deck windows and injured several passengers, safely returning to France for repairs.
Destruction
On 4 May 1938, while the Lafayette was docked in a drydock in Le Havre for a routine overhaul, a fire broke out in her engine room after fuel oil spilled onto a hot furnace floor. The fire quickly grew out of control, igniting nearby fuel tanks and causing a series of explosions that spread the flames throughout the hull.
Thirty crew members trapped on board were rescued at the last moment, and no lives were lost. However, the ship was completely gutted and burnt to the waterline. Deemed a total constructive loss, the hulk was sold on 10 June 1938 and subsequently towed to Rotterdam in 1939 to be broken up for scrap.
Her layout and technical success directly influenced her slightly larger sister ship, the SS Champlain (1932), as well as the technical developments leading to the construction of the legendary SS Normandie in 1935.
See also
References
Category:Ocean liners of France Category:Ships built in France Category:1929 ships Category:Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ships Category:Maritime incidents in 1938 Category:Shipwrecks of the English Channel Category:Motor vessels
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