The Last Ocean Liners

Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots

Foucauld / General Leclerc / Foch / General Mangin / Jean Mermoz

 

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After World War II, French shipping lines serving West and Equatorial Africa placed orders for new ocean liners. Chargeurs Reunis accepted their new Foucauld and General Leclerc, and the rival Fraissinet et Cyprien Fabre received the similar Foch and the larger General Mangin and later Jean Mermoz.

The routes from Marseille and Bourdeaux via Morocco and the Canary Islands reached Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Togo, Dahomey, Nigeria, Cameroun, Gabon and Congo.

By 1964, facing rising operating costs and competition from jet aircraft, their fleets were combined under ownership of Nouvelle Compagnie de Paquebots, managed by Compagnie de Navigation Paquet.

The five ships carried every imaginable category of passenger from Europeans and Africans, to colonial administrators and businessmen to military troops and repatriating personnel. They also handled considerable quantities of general cargo.

Foucauld, General Leclerc, Foch, General Mangin and Jean Mermoz carried four classes of accommodations. The First class staterooms, lounge, bar and smoking room occupied preferred midship upper deck spaces and Tourist class was aft. The Third class cabins and cafeteria were forward on the lower decks and Fourth class open dormitory berths for troops were farthest forward in the tween decks.

With independence of the former French colonies and new more efficient container ships on the horizon, the West and Equatorial Africa service was ended in 1967.

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Sample minimum one-way fares from Marseille to Pointe Noire: First class $600; Tourist class $400; All fares are per person in U.S. dollars as published in 1968.

Continue to the ships below ...

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Go to Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots 1966 sailing schedules or select by ship below:

Foucauld Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots Built: 1948 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle, England Gross tons: 9066 Length: 479ft (146m) Beam: 62ft (19m) Draft: 22ft (7m) Propulsion: Diesel twin screw Power: 8600 bhp Service speed: 16kn Passengers: 124 First 78 Second 38 Third 300 Troops End of service: Sold 1967 as Moselle; scrapped 1978 Go to 1966 sailing schedules for this ship.

General Leclerc Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots Built: 1952 by Penhoet, St Nazaire, France Gross tons: 9500 Length: 479ft (146m) Beam: 62ft (19m) Draft: 22ft (7m) Propulsion: Diesel twin screw Power: 8600 bhp Service speed: 16kn Passengers: 125 First 78 Second 28 Third 400 Troops End of service: Sold 1970 as Safina E Rafat; scrapped 1971 Go to 1966 sailing schedules for this ship.

Foch Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots Built: 1951 by Penhoet, St Nazaire, France Gross tons: 9500 Length: 479ft (146m) Beam: 62ft (19m) Draft: 22ft (7m) Propulsion: Diesel twin screw Power: 8600 bhp Service speed: 16kn Passengers: 120 First 78 Second 54 Third 400 Troops End of service: Sold 1967 as Jian Hua; scrapped 1988 Go to 1966 sailing schedules for this ship.

General Mangin Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots Built: 1953 by Penhoet, St Nazaire, France Gross tons: 12457 Length: 531ft (162m) Beam: 65ft (20m) Draft: 23ft (7m) Propulsion: Diesel twin screw Power: 10600 bhp Service speed: 16kn Passengers: 132 First 125 Second 101 Third 500 Troops End of service: Sold 1969 as President then Eastern Queen then Hizbul Bahr; scrapped 1985 Go to 1966 sailing schedules for this ship.

Jean Mermoz Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots Built: 1957 by Penhoet, St Nazaire, France Gross tons: 12460 Length: 531ft (162m) Beam: 65ft (20m) Draft: 23ft (7m) Propulsion: Diesel twin screw Power: 10600 bhp Service speed: 16kn Passengers: 144 First 140 Second 110 Third 460 Troops End of service: Converted to cruise ship 1969 as Mermoz then Serenade; scrapped 2008 Go to 1966 sailing schedules for this ship.