French Line

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique — French shipping company

The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, typically known overseas as the French Line, was a French shipping company. Established in 1855 by the brothers Émile and Issac Pereire under the name Compagnie Générale Maritime, the company was entrusted by the French government to transport mail to North America. In 1861, the name of the company was changed to Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The company's first ship, SS Washington, had its maiden voyage on 15 June 1864. After a period of trial and error in the late 19th century, the company, under the direction of its presidents Jules Charles-Roux and John Dal Piaz, gained fame in the 1910s and 1930s with its famous ocean liners such as SS Paris, SS Île de France, and especially SS Normandie. Weakened by World War II, the company regained its fame in 1962 with the famous SS France, but the ship suffered major competition from air transport and was retired from service in 1974. In 1977, the company merged with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to form the Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM). Then, in 1996, the company and the Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement (CMA) merged to form the CMA CGM.

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