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Description
SPECIFICATIONS

NAME: Bretagne
NICKNAME: The Princess of the Atlantic
NAMESAKE: Britanny
CLASS: Vaterland-Class Ocean Liner
OPERATOR: Compagnie Generale Transatlantique
IDENTIFICATION: FNBT
BUILDER: Blohm + Voss Shipyards, Hamburg, Germany

LAUNCHED: August 9th, 1940
COMPLETED: January 30th, 1949
COMMISIONED: April 1st, 1949
DECOMISSIONED: December 29th, 1972
FATE: Sank in collision with the RMS Empress of America, December 29th, 1972

LENGTH: 251.16m (824 ft.)
BEAM: 30m (98 ft. 5 in.)
DRAFT: 12.78m (44 ft. 11in.)
CREW: 955
PASSENGERS: 1,527 Passengers
DISPLACEMENT: 46,583 T

POWER: 9 x Water-Tube Boilers
PROPULSION: 4x Steam Turbines, 101,000 kW
2x Quadruple Screw Propellors

SPEED: 32 knots (59.3 km/h; 36.8 m/ph.)

HISTORY

Bretagne started life as the Hamburg-Amerika Liner, Vaterland , as part of HAPAG's expansion project. She would be launched during the Second World War on August 9th of 1940, fitting out took place through the rest of 1940 & 1941, but the materials needed were diverted elsewhere to support the German war effort, managing to survive Operation Gomorrah with relatively little damage, and the surrender of the Second Reich, Vaterland would be seized by the United States Government & temporarily held in Cherbourg Harbour as part of a Victory campaign, but she moved very little during this time, and so, she awaited her fate, unsure until 1947.

In April of 1947, the French Line, in dire need of a fast transatlantic liner to replace both the SS Paris and SS Ile de France (Both Lost in 1940 & 1942 Respectively.). So, the hull of Vaterland & intact Conte di Savoia was awarded to the CGT to replace the two major liners. The hull, then renamed to her future name of Bretagne went into the Normandy Drydock for an extensive refit that would convert her into a floating palace. Refit & reconstruction efforts took three years to complete while French Line was still being subsidized by the Marshall Plans & the Normandie. Completed on January 30th of 1949, she partook in sea trials and passed with flying colours. Entering service, a little over three months after being completed & setting out on her maiden voyage to New York on April 9th, 1949.

Her interiors would be a marvel of engineering, one newspaper describing her as the "Princess of the Atlantic", which soon became her nickname. Soon enough, in 1951, Conte di Savoia (by then renamed to the Versailles) entered service as well. Together, the trio worked harder than ever to bring CGT back from the ashes of war & back into streamline service. While their rival Cunard had all four, Mauretania (II), Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Victoria, CGT was no laughing matter as well, getting massive profit gains and taking Bretagne on around-the-world cruises. The two rivals were soon joined by the United States Lines with their Columbia (previously the former Bremen) & Canadian Pacific's Empress of America (the former Europa). The Transatlantic wars were at a high.

This, however, was to come to an end, once the Pan-Oceanic World Airways introduced the much faster 707's & DC-8's onto the North Atlantic service. Soon joined by American Airlines, Continental-United, and Britannia Airways. The major ocean liners were now facing competition on all fronts. Soon, after the introduction of the SS Burgundy in 1961, the older liners were gradually retired from service. First to go was the Versailles in 1963, then followed by their flagship, Normandie, in 1965. Leaving only Bretagne & Burgundy to manage the North-Atlantic service. However, this was also soon to come to a close.

It's December 9th of 1972, seven years after French Line had retired Normandie and a full eleven years after Burgundy was introduced. Bretagne is steaming out of the New York Harbour bound for Le Harve on a New Years Service. Onboard are around 624 passengers, less than half of what she could hold back then. It's a extremely foggy evening, meaning that she'll have difficulty seeing ships behind & in front of her. Radar had been introduced a while back & had been fitted to Bretagne in October of 1966 during a routine refit, but it was a mere fraction of what radar is today. Meanwhile, unknowingly then to them, the Empress of America was steaming toward them at full speed, mistaking New York for their destination of Halifax. Both ships detected each other at around 21:33 and adjusted both of their courses, Empress of America to port, and Bretagne to starboard. Believing that the two were sailing away from each other, they continued their courses until at around 23:21. When Empress of Britain & Bretagne both spotted each other at around 520 yards apart. Taking actions accordingly, it was to no avail, as in the very early hours of December 30th, 1972, Empress of America slammed herself hard into the port-stern of Bretagne. Ripping a massive hole in her hull.

Evacuation Efforts began almost immediately after the two ships were at a standstill, as Bretagne was settling by the stern fast. Soon, more ships joined in on the rescue efforts, just like with the Christoforo Colombo in 1956. After nine grueling hours, all onboard were reported to have been saved from the ship, and just in time as well, as Bretagne was starting to capsize quickly. After a nearly thirty-two-year career, the Franco-German Liner slipped under the waves 492.9 Nautical Miles Northwest of Nantucket Island. In the end, 52 passengers were lost in the sinking, most from the initial collision. Her wreck would be discovered in December of 1989, by Robert Ballard.

Description
SPECIFICATIONS

NAME: Bretagne
NICKNAME: The Princess of the Atlantic
NAMESAKE: Britanny
CLASS: Vaterland-Class Ocean Liner
OPERATOR: Compagnie Generale Transatlantique
IDENTIFICATION: FNBT
BUILDER: Blohm + Voss Shipyards, Hamburg, Germany

LAUNCHED: August 9th, 1940
COMPLETED: January 30th, 1949
COMMISIONED: April 1st, 1949
DECOMISSIONED: December 29th, 1972
FATE: Sank in collision with the RMS Empress of America, December 29th, 1972

LENGTH: 251.16m (824 ft.)
BEAM: 30m (98 ft. 5 in.)
DRAFT: 12.78m (44 ft. 11in.)
CREW: 955
PASSENGERS: 1,527 Passengers
DISPLACEMENT: 46,583 T

POWER: 9 x Water-Tube Boilers
PROPULSION: 4x Steam Turbines, 101,000 kW
2x Quadruple Screw Propellors

SPEED: 32 knots (59.3 km/h; 36.8 m/ph.)

HISTORY

Bretagne started life as the Hamburg-Amerika Liner, Vaterland , as part of HAPAG's expansion project. She would be launched during the Second World War on August 9th of 1940, fitting out took place through the rest of 1940 & 1941, but the materials needed were diverted elsewhere to support the German war effort, managing to survive Operation Gomorrah with relatively little damage, and the surrender of the Second Reich, Vaterland would be seized by the United States Government & temporarily held in Cherbourg Harbour as part of a Victory campaign, but she moved very little during this time, and so, she awaited her fate, unsure until 1947.

In April of 1947, the French Line, in dire need of a fast transatlantic liner to replace both the SS Paris and SS Ile de France (Both Lost in 1940 & 1942 Respectively.). So, the hull of Vaterland & intact Conte di Savoia was awarded to the CGT to replace the two major liners. The hull, then renamed to her future name of Bretagne went into the Normandy Drydock for an extensive refit that would convert her into a floating palace. Refit & reconstruction efforts took three years to complete while French Line was still being subsidized by the Marshall Plans & the Normandie. Completed on January 30th of 1949, she partook in sea trials and passed with flying colours. Entering service, a little over three months after being completed & setting out on her maiden voyage to New York on April 9th, 1949.

Her interiors would be a marvel of engineering, one newspaper describing her as the "Princess of the Atlantic", which soon became her nickname. Soon enough, in 1951, Conte di Savoia (by then renamed to the Versailles) entered service as well. Together, the trio worked harder than ever to bring CGT back from the ashes of war & back into streamline service. While their rival Cunard had all four, Mauretania (II), Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Victoria, CGT was no laughing matter as well, getting massive profit gains and taking Bretagne on around-the-world cruises. The two rivals were soon joined by the United States Lines with their Columbia (previously the former Bremen) & Canadian Pacific's Empress of America (the former Europa). The Transatlantic wars were at a high.

This, however, was to come to an end, once the Pan-Oceanic World Airways introduced the much faster 707's & DC-8's onto the North Atlantic service. Soon joined by American Airlines, Continental-United, and Britannia Airways. The major ocean liners were now facing competition on all fronts. Soon, after the introduction of the SS Burgundy in 1961, the older liners were gradually retired from service. First to go was the Versailles in 1963, then followed by their flagship, Normandie, in 1965. Leaving only Bretagne & Burgundy to manage the North-Atlantic service. However, this was also soon to come to a close.

It's December 9th of 1972, seven years after French Line had retired Normandie and a full eleven years after Burgundy was introduced. Bretagne is steaming out of the New York Harbour bound for Le Harve on a New Years Service. Onboard are around 624 passengers, less than half of what she could hold back then. It's a extremely foggy evening, meaning that she'll have difficulty seeing ships behind & in front of her. Radar had been introduced a while back & had been fitted to Bretagne in October of 1966 during a routine refit, but it was a mere fraction of what radar is today. Meanwhile, unknowingly then to them, the Empress of America was steaming toward them at full speed, mistaking New York for their destination of Halifax. Both ships detected each other at around 21:33 and adjusted both of their courses, Empress of America to port, and Bretagne to starboard. Believing that the two were sailing away from each other, they continued their courses until at around 23:21. When Empress of Britain & Bretagne both spotted each other at around 520 yards apart. Taking actions accordingly, it was to no avail, as in the very early hours of December 30th, 1972, Empress of America slammed herself hard into the port-stern of Bretagne. Ripping a massive hole in her hull.

Evacuation Efforts began almost immediately after the two ships were at a standstill, as Bretagne was settling by the stern fast. Soon, more ships joined in on the rescue efforts, just like with the Christoforo Colombo in 1956. After nine grueling hours, all onboard were reported to have been saved from the ship, and just in time as well, as Bretagne was starting to capsize quickly. After a nearly thirty-two-year career, the Franco-German Liner slipped under the waves 492.9 Nautical Miles Northwest of Nantucket Island. In the end, 52 passengers were lost in the sinking, most from the initial collision. Her wreck would be discovered in December of 1989, by Robert Ballard.