SS Normandie was a French ocean liner operated by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line). Entering service in 1935, she was the largest and fastest passenger ship in the world and set a transatlantic speed record of 4.14 days, earning the prestigious Blue Riband. Renowned for her innovative design, luxurious interiors, and powerful turbo-electric propulsion system, Normandie became the flagship of the French Line and completed 139 transatlantic voyages between Le Havre and New York. Her main rival was RMS Queen Mary. During World War II, she was seized by U.S. authorities and renamed USS Lafayette. While being converted into a troopship in 1942, she caught fire and capsized in New York Harbor. Although later salvaged, restoration proved uneconomical, and she was scrapped in 1946.
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