[1] At the turn of the 20th century, British and German liners dominated the North Atlantic passenger route, carrying not only a huge number of immigrants, but catering to the social elite as well.

In 1897 the North German Lloyd had launched their Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, a four-funnelled liner which proved a great success.

Shortly after the advent of Cunard's luxurious ocean greyhounds, Mauretania and Lusitania, the French Line's directors decided it was time to enter the race for supremacy.

In line with its strategy, the company did not have ships of either great speed or size, but instead became renowned during the early 20th century for its luxuriously appointed liners.

The ship had to make back to port, curtailing further speed tests runs, among considerable public and media turmoil, the right-wing press blaming sabotage from far left activists.

As it turned out, the technical enquiry found out much more down-to-earth causes: With the ship running full speed with all boilers lit and pushed to maximum power, the stacks belched out considerable amounts of burning coal grit, and as the dynamo room was cooled and fanned by intakes situated directly under the funnels, red hot bits of coal found their way into the collecting rings and inner coils of the dynamos, quickly causing catastrophic short circuits.

After due modifications of the cooling ducting and fans, France's electrical plant proved perfectly troublefree and reliable.

France was also credited for bringing the grand staircase to the ocean liner, a fashion which prevails in modern cruise ships.

[3] Further unique points included her Cafe Terrasse and the Salon Mauresque, the latter a reference to the French colonial empire in Africa.

She left on her maiden voyage began from her homeport of Le Havre on 20 April 1912, just five days after the sinking of RMS Titanic.

Her first class interiors were amongst the most lavish seen at sea and were decorated in style Louis quatorze, earning the nickname "Château" or "Versailles of the Atlantic".

[4] Despite her successes, the new France was not without problems; she suffered from disturbing vibrations, and had a marked tendency to roll, even when the seas were flat calm.

When Britannic was lost in late 1916, the need for high-capacity hospital ships was even more dire, and she continued in this role until the United States entered the war in 1917, when she was deployed back to the Atlantic to ferry American troops to the continent with space for some 5,000 individuals.

In 1918, her military service was cut short by an engine room explosion that killed nine crew members and required extensive repairs.

In 1921, she passed flagship status on to the newer and larger Paris, but continued to be a popular means of travel, with a near club-like following among the wealthy.