SS De Grasse

De Grasse in the 1950s, rebuilt with one funnel
History
Name	1924–1953: SS De Grasse 1953-1956: RMS Empress of Australia 1956-1962: SS Venezuela
Owner	1924: CGT 1953: Canadian Pacific Railway 1956: Sicula Oceanica
Operator	1953–1956: CP Steamships
Port of registry	1924: Le Havre 1953: London 1956: Palermo
Route	1924: Le Havre – New York
Builder	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead[1]
Yard number	886
Laid down	23 March 1920
Launched	23 February 1924
Completed	August 1924
Maiden voyage	21 August 1924
In service	1924
Out of service	1962
Identification	Until 1933: code letters OUVX By 1934: call sign FNRR 1953: UK official number 185887 1953: call sign GQMQ 1956: call sign IBVW
Fate	Sank after ran aground, before scrap in 1962
General characteristics [2]
Type	Ocean liner
Tonnage	1924: 17,759 GRT 1932: 18,359 GRT 1947: 18,435 GRT
Length	552.1 ft (168.3 m)[2]
Beam	71.4 ft (21.8 m)
Depth	42.3 ft (12.9 m)
Decks	4
Propulsion	4 × steam turbines single-reduction gearing 2 × screws
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)

SS De Grasse was a transatlantic liner built in 1921 by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, United Kingdom for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, and launched in February 1924. In August 1924 De Grasse set sail on her maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York. After the fall of France to Nazi Germany, the ship was used as a barracks ship. Sunk at Bordeaux, France, during the German retreat, she was refloated, repaired, and put back into service. Over the years, she became Empress of Australia and then Venezuela. She ran aground off Cannes, France, in 1962 and was scrapped at La Spezia, Italy.^[3]