Initial appraisals showed that she was suitable only for salvage and then scrapping. However, upon further appraisal, the ship was found to be less than beyond repair, and thus she was repaired. However, her maiden voyage would be put back almost a year.
In August 1939, Europa was about to enter the Atlantic on what was destined to be her last passenger crossing for some time, when she received orders to return to Bremerhaven, blacked out, and with radio silence. She offloaded her passengers, and then in a few days, World War II began. She was painted in gray, and was used as a permanently stationed accommodation ship for the German Navy.
The Europa crossed to Le Havre, France, had her funnels painted French Line red and black, and was renamed Liberté.
By
the springtime, she was refloated, and was towed to the Chantiers de
l'Atlantique Shipyard in St, Nazaire. All went well until October
1949, when a fire damaged some of her fresh interiors and caused further Liberté arrived in New York on August 17, 1950. She was paired with the Ile de France, and in 1952, the Flandre. Her tonnage increased to 51,839, causing her for a time to be listed as the world's fourth liner. After 1954, her funnels were fitted with dome tops. In 1956, the 66,000-ton France was ordered, with delivery estimated for late 1961. It was this liner (described in a separate section on this site) that would replace the Ile de France and the Liberté. In 1958, Ile de France was retired. Liberté followed three years later. She left New York in a gala farewell. Back in France, she was berthed next to the France for a time, at the time nearing completion.
The reason that the Liberté was not used for this purpose was because the French Line was afraid of an undignified end for their former flagship. Recall what happened to the Ile de France, in the movie "The Last Voyage". As a result, Liberté was sold to the India Shipping and Trading Company, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, with the clear stipulation that the French Line would have control over her final days. According to plan, she was resold to ship breakers in La Spezia, Italy, and arrived there on January 30, 1962. And by June of that year, Liberté was no more.
Europa Vital Statistics Gross tonnage: 49,746 (1930), 51,839 (1950) Length: 936 feet Width: 102 feet Draft: 34 feet Machinery: Steam turbines geared to quadruple screw Speed: 27 knots Capacity: 687 First, 524 Second, 306 Tourist, 507 Third (1930); 569 First, 562 Cabin, 382 Tourist (1950) Built: Blohm and Voss Shipbuilders A/G, Hamburg, Germany, 1930 Demise: Scrapped in La Spezia, Italy, 1962 The Classic Liners of Long Ago © 2000-2007 Nick Works, Inc. |
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The
Europa was intended to enter North German Lloyd transatlantic service
together with her sister ship, the Bremen, on April 1, 1929.
However, as fate would have it, this would not be the case. On March
25, the Europa caught fire at the Blohm and Voss Shipyards, where she
was being built, and sank at her berth.
On
March 19, 1930, the Europa finally made her maiden voyage, and
captured the Blue Riband from the Bremen in the process. The Bremen
regained the Riband after modifications to her machinery were made in June
1933, and she held it until the Italian liner Rex gained the Riband
in August 1933.
In
1940, she sailed to Hamburg, just as was done with the Bremen, to
be converted for use in Operation Sea Lion. The plan was ultimately
abandoned, and Europa was returned to Bremerhaven. Unlike her
sister, the Bremen, who was destroyed by fire, the Europa
survived to see the United States forces reach her, despite Nazi orders to
sink her at her pier. Inside Europa, there were signs of
troopship conversion, but for voyages that were never made. In the
end, she ended up being put under the U.S. flag, and was designated
AP-177, the USS Europa.
She
was repaired, and later dry-docked in New York Harbor before officially
beginning her trooping service. She could carry up to 4,300 people
with 900 crew. However, it was not exactly a great service.
She was plagued by small fires caused by the Germans' removing her
high-quality fittings, and replacement by inferior items as their war
effort began to regress and they ran into material shortages. Even
worse, serious hull cracks were uncovered, and that worried authorities
regarding safety. Thus the Europa ended her troop ship
service, and was handed over to the reparations commission in early
1946. The Europa ended up going to the French, who had the
biggest need for a passenger liner after they lost the Normandie in
New York Harbor in 1942. It was thought that with the proper
modifications, the Europa could be made to appear French...
And
just as soon as the French were in full swing in refitting Liberté,
misfortune struck. While being pulled from her moorings, Liberté
struck the wreck of the liner Paris (burned and capsized in 1939,
but not salvaged due to World War II). In order to prevent the Normandie's
demise all over again, Liberté was intentionally sunk on an even
keel. Thus, the refit ceased, as salvage took priority (besides,
it's a little tough to refit what is underwater).
delay.
Rumors were abound as to what the Liberté would
do next. The predominant rumor was that she would serve as a
floating hotel for the 1962 World's Fair. Instead of the Liberté,
the Dominion Monarch of Britain and the Acapulco of Mexico
were used for this purpose.
