Transatlantiques

For four centuries, the ship was the only means of transport between Europe and the Americas. Piled up between the decks of sailing cargo ships, the migrants, driven out of the Old Continent by poverty, religious or political persecution, travelled for a long time in appalling conditions. The improvements made to the steam engine at the beginning of the 19th century would usher in a new era for transatlantic links. In 1843, 80,000 curious people in the port of Bristol witnessed the launch of the SS Great Britain, a revolutionary ship with an iron hull and a submerged propeller. From Southampton to Cherbourg, from Le Havre to Bremen, via Hamburg, Belfast and Saint-Nazaire, European shipowners were bringing ever faster and safer giants of the high seas out of the shipyards. In 1897, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of Norddeutscher Lloyd sailed to New York in five days and seventeen hours - a record.

For a little over a century, ocean liners crossed the Atlantic in both directions for thousands of passengers. After the First World War, the transatlantic adventure took on a new lease of life. While America was restricting the reception of migrants from Europe, the major shipping companies set out to conquer an upscale clientele. Sumptuous decoration, fine cuisine and orchestras now embellish the crossings of film stars, prominent personalities and rich tourists. With flagships such as the Paris, which made its first cruise in 1921, or, from 1935, the Normandy, on which more than a third of passengers travelled in first class, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique distinguished itself with its floating palaces. During the Second World War, rotations, which continued at a slower pace, also had their dramas.