SS Bretagne was an ocean liner launched on 20 July 1951 out of Saint-Nazaire; the second of two ships built for the Société Générale de Transport Maritimes (SGTM) which operated passenger lines out of Marseilles.

After two brief shakedown cruises, SS Bretagne began her maiden voyage at Marseilles on 14 February 1952, traveling to Genoa, Naples, Barcelona, Dakar, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, concluding in Buenos Aires.

Though passengers weren't too pleased with poor Caribbean Cruise Line service standards, Anthony Chandris was satisfied with the new interior layout.

Quickly turning around, the liner left the next day to visit Brisbane, Bali, Singapore, Colombo, Aden, Port Said, Piraeus, Marseilles and Lisbon before arriving again at Southampton.

Brittany began her new career on 20 June 1962 with a series of nine week-long roundtrip cruises between New York and the West Indies, accepting only 500 passengers in the best cabins.

Capacity averaged 95% and plans were made to increase the number of cabins by 110 through the conversion of two refrigerated cargo areas, a process that was undertaken in transit by workmen brought aboard during the New York – Caribbean cruises.

On her fourth trip back to Southampton, she stopped at Piraeus in late March 1963 with serious engine trouble, disembarking and flying her passengers onward to their destinations.