The Compagnie Transatlantique S.A. (CGT) was a halfnational French shipping company with head office in Paris, home port for the ships was however Le Havre at the French channel coast. The shipping company operated freight and passenger services to north and Central America as well as in the Mediterranean. For the CGT, Transat or also French LINE were some the most beautiful and largest passenger liners in service with as sounding names, as the Ile de France, Normandie or France.

History

to maintain 1861 the Compagnie Transatlantique S.A. based around freight and passenger services to north and Central America, as well as the nationally subsidized mailing on these routes. Mitinitiator of the shipping company was the French emperor Napoleon III., who transferred the two brothers Emile and Isaac the line of the recent enterprise. Later registration number for the ships was a red chimney with black cap.

Under the energetic line of the brothers ascended the shipping company to one of the prominent shipping companies of the world, and to largest France at all. Within a short time with British shipyards several Passagierdampfer were ordered, everything still side wheel steamer. 1866 came with the and the Ville de of Paris the first screw steamers into service. Since for a French shipping company on British shipyards built ships did not appear according to rank, the brothers in pc. Nazaire based threw Chantier de Penhoet. Out to these threw developed the today largest threw France, the Chantiers de l'Atlantique. In the year 1865 the fleet existed of 27 ships of all kinds, 1888 was already it considerable 69. 1878 started the shipping company with the airline services in the Mediterranean, mainly on the routes between the French Mediterranean ports after the North African coast, to the then important French colonies of Algeria, Tunesien and Morocco.

1877 became Preire, the son of Isaac president of the CGT, which he managed until 1904. Under it some technical innovations on the ships of the line were introduced, like electrical light, cooled loading spaces and the conversion of the wheel steamers on the screw drive. 1891 undertook the Touraine of the society the first Mediterranean cruise. For all that the CGT in passenger transport ranked far behind the British and German competition. Although the shipping company because of the post office subsidies on fast and efficient ships was interested, never express record crushers were built. In view of the operating cost growing enormously with rising speed one of the CGT presidents meant at the same time once "“costs there the Kavier less than the coal"”.

So the shipping company had to be forced by special law to the building by fast passenger liners. With beginning 20. Century gave the line in fast consequence a number of larger ships in order. went to 1899 and/or 1900 with the La Lorraine and La Savoie the first ships with more than 10000 BRT into service. 1905 followed with the La Provence already a 13000-Tonner and a 1912 with the France the first 20000-Tonner and France of only four Schornsteiner. The 1. World war interrupted this development, and brought to the shipping company some harsh losses at crews and ships. The larger passenger liners came through however usually intact, so that the shipping company could continue at the beginning of the 1920er years smoothly.

1921 took up those Paris, with 34569 BRT presumptuously, the enterprise, and 1926 followed one of the most famous transatlantic liners with the Ile de France (43153 BRT), at all. The CGT expanded it on all routes, fallow the golden age for the shipping company on. With the ships Lafayette (1930, 25178 BRT) and Champlain (1932, 28124 BRT) pushed important reinforcement for the transatlantic service to the fleet. 1935 supplied throw off Penhoet with normandy its masterpiece, not only that it was with 79280 BRT (later increased by change on 83423 BRT) the largest ship of the world, but with 30 knots also the fastest. Normandy remained of France however only owner of the blue volume.

For the end of the 1930erJahre the shipping company one wave of ship losses, burned out unusually the Lafayette met 1938 in Le Havre, likewise 1939 Paris. The 1939 breaking out 2. World war meant nearly the total loss of the fleet. 1940 sank the Champlain after a mine hit with La Palice and 1941 burned out normandy, the pride of France, during change work to the troop transporter in New York.

With end of war the shipping company before a new start, of the proud fleet of large passenger liners only the Ile de France stood had remained, as well as smaller De Grasse from the year 1924, with the Vorkriegs Frachterflotte did not look it better. 1946 received the CGT from the Fundus of survivors of German ships, Europe of the NDL, which went as for the Transat into service. Larger new building programs made the large changes in the navigation, using with beginning of the 1960er years, unreasonable, but the aging liners Ile de France and required a new building. 1961 take up the France (66348 BRT) the enterprise up, France last liner in classical style. The passenger services no more were not to be held by the airplane and 1974 painted the French state the subsidies. The France was shut down and the passenger services was adjusted.

The CGT end of the 1960er and at the beginning of the 1970er were restructured years. 1969 became the Mediterranean services with the Cie. Navigation mixed S.A. to the Cie. Trans (CGTM) folded up, from which 1976 the national SNCM became. 1974 fused the freight section of the Transat with the Cie. the Messageries maritime S.A. to the Compagnie maritime one (CGM). The CGM became one of the largest container shipping companies of the world, and 1999 with the Cie. Maritime to the CMA CGM Group S.A. denationalizes.

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