SS Normandie was famous for its Art Deco interiors and Blue Riband victory in 1935.
Built by the French Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Normandie entered service in 1935 on the Le Havre–New York route. Her design combined a streamlined hull with lavish interiors decorated in glass, lacquer, metalwork, and geometric Art Deco motifs. The ship’s grand public rooms made her a symbol of French luxury and engineering.
Normandie captured the Blue Riband, the informal award for the fastest average speed on a westbound North Atlantic crossing, during her maiden voyage. She completed the crossing in under four days and later improved her own record. Her speed record was eventually surpassed by RMS Queen Mary.
During World War II, Normandie was seized in New York and renamed USS Lafayette. A fire during conversion work in 1942 caused her to capsize at her berth. She was later scrapped, so no preserved Normandie exists today.