SS La Provence was an ocean liner and auxiliary cruiser torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea on 26 February 1916.[1] She belonged to the French Compagnie Générale Transatlantique.
When launched on 21 March 1905 in a ceremony attended by the Ministers of Public Works and Commerce along with the First Secretary of Marine, La Provence was the largest ship in the French merchant marine and the largest built in France.
La Provence
La Provence was 191 m long overall with a 19.8 m beam and, at design draught of 8.15 m, limited for the relatively shallow harbor of Le Havre from which the ship was to operate, displaced 19190 MT or. A proposal to power the ship with steam turbines was rejected and two conventional triple expansion steam engines chosen instead driving two screws with 30000 ihp for an expected speed of 23 kn. Four steam driven dynamos supplied electric power. The ship was designed with accommodation for 397 first class, 205 second class and 900 third class passengers served by 435 crew members for a total of 1,937 persons.
The ship operated on the Le Havre—New York route, making one crossing in six days and four hours for an average of 21.63 kn.