SS Île de France was a French ocean liner that was built in Saint-Nazaire for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (or CGT, also known as the "French Line"). The ship was named after the region around Paris known as "L'Ile de France", launched in 1926 and commenced her maiden voyage on June 22, 1927. It was the first major ocean liner built after World War I, and was the first liner ever to be decorated almost entirely with modern designs associated with the Art Deco style. She was neither the largest ship nor the fastest, but was considered the most beautifully decorated ship built by CGT, becoming the favored ship of the pre-World War II era, carrying young, wealthy and fashionable Americans to Europe and back. All of the ship's luxurious fittings were removed for its conversion into a prison ship during World War II. After the war, Île de France resumed transatlantic operations. In 1956, she played a key role in rescuing passengers from the after the latter ship's fatal collision with the off Nantucket. Her last public appearance came while waiting to be scrapped in 1959 in Japan, when she "starred" in the movie The Last Voyage as a doomed ocean liner. She was partially sunk and the actors filmed their scenes in the flooded ship. She was subsequently refloated and scrapped. The movie was released in 1960. Construction and launch The construction of Île de France was part of an agreement between the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) and the French government dating to November 1912. This agreement was for the construction of four passenger-mail ships, with the first ship named and the second Île de France. World War I delayed construction until the 1920s, with the Paris being launched in 1916 and not entering service until 1921. After her keel was laid down in 1925, Île de France was launched on 14 March 1926 at the shipyard Ateliers et Chantiers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët (or Chantiers de Penhoët) in Saint-Nazaire on the west coast of France, and was greeted by thousands of government and company officials, workers, press and French citizens. The ship would experience fourteen months of fitting-out before it left the shipyards in 1927 to begin sea trials on 29 May, and then for its maiden voyage on 22 June. Interior In 1926, the CGT had released an elaborate booklet with a gold cover devoted entirely to