SS Europa ( 1928 ) The SS " Europa ( later SS " Liberté ) , IMO 5607332 , was a German built ocean liner constructed for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line ( NDL ) to work the transatlantic sea route . She and her sister ship , , were the two most advanced , high speed steam turbine ocean vessels in their day , and were a part of the international competition for the Blue Riband . History . Construction . " Europa " was built in 1929 with her sister ship " " Bremen " " to be the second 50 , 000 gross ton North German Lloyd liner . They both were powered with advanced high speed steam turbine engines and were built with a bulbous bow entry and a low streamlined profile . " Europa " and her slightly larger sister ship were designed to have a cruising speed of 27 . 5 knots , allowing an Atlantic crossing time of 5 days . This enabled Norddeutsche Lloyd to run regular weekly crossings with two ships , a feat that normally required three . The launching of " Europa " took place at Blohm & Voss shipyard , Hamburg on Wednesday , August 15 , 1928 . " Europa " was intended to be completed in spring 1929 . However , on the morning of 26 March 1929 , a fire broke out while still at the equipment dock . The fire raged all day long and it was not until the evening when the fire was under control . The ship ' s turbines were damaged heavily and also the remainder of the ship had been significantly damaged . After long discussions between builder and shipping company , it was decided to repair the ship . Within eleven months the ship was finished and completed on February 22 , 1930 . The cause of the fire has never been clearly identified . Blue Riband . " Europa " made her maiden voyage to New York on 19 March 1930 taking the westbound Blue Riband from " Bremen " with the average speed of 27 . 91 knots and a crossing time of 4 days , 17 hours and 6 minutes . During the voyage many of her passengers were disturbed from the soot coming out of " Europa " ' s low funnels . The problem was corrected by raising the funnels by 15 feet , though decreasing her low profile . After they were raised , there were no more complaints . She held it till the Bremen recaptured it in June 1933 . Aircraft . Like " Bremen " , " Europa " had a small seaplane launched from a catapult on her upper deck between the funnels . The airplane flew from the ship to a landing at the seaplane port in Blexen . The pilots and technicians gained experience later applied to equipping German warships with on - board aircraft . The catapult was removed from both " Bremen " and " Europa " after a few years of service , because it was too expensive and complex . World War II . " Europa " was inactive for most of World War II . There were plans to use her as a transport in Operation Sea Lion , the intended invasion of Great Britain , and later conversion to an aircraft carrier . None of these plans came to pass , and in 1945 , she was captured by the allies and used as a troopship , sailing as the USS " Europa " ( AP - 177 ) . The United States claimed the ship as a war prize on 8 May 1945 and gave the vessel to the US Navy , which commissioned " Europa " 25 August 1945 with Captain B . F . Perry in command . " Europa " cleared Bremerhaven on 11 September 1945 for Southampton , England , where she loaded 4 , 500 homeward - bound American troops , arriving in New York on 24 September . After alteration to increase her troop - carrying capacity , she made two voyages to Southampton to bring US servicemen home to the United States . She sailed from New York once more , on 15 March 1946 , bound for Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands , and Bremerhaven , where she moored on 24 March . " Europa " suffered from small fires caused by the removal of the ship ' s original high - quality fittings and installation of inferior replacements to compensate for material shortages in the war effort . In addition , several serious hull cracks were discovered . The vessel was decommissioned on 2 May 1946 and delivered to the State Department on 8 June 1946 . She was later transferred to France in partial payment of war reparations . French Line . The French line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique took over ownership and brought the vessel to Le Havre for refitting into their service as a replacement for " Normandie " . The most obvious change was the repainting of her funnels from NDL yellow to the red funnels and black tops of the CGT . On December 8 , 1946 a storm caused her to break free from her moorings and she collided with the wreck of " " , causing significant damage to her hull . She was raised in April 1947 and towed to the Chantiers de l ' Atlantique Shipyard in Saint - Nazaire to complete her refitting . She suffered some further damage when the ship caught fire once again in October 1949 , resulting in damage to some of her passenger interiors . Finally , on August 2 , 1950 , after five years and two near disasters , she made her maiden voyage to New York under her new name , " Liberté " . Following the launching of the 66 , 000 ton SS " France " in 1960 , the " Liberté " was laid up in 1961 and scrapped in 1962 . She had served eleven years as the premier transatlantic liner of the French Line fleet . " Liberté " was featured prominently in the Jane Russell film " The French Line " . " Liberté " also made an appearance in the 1954 classic film " Sabrina " , starring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart , in the final scenes of the film .