KERGELENCompagnie Maritime des Chargeurs Réunis
Postcard published by Labo-Photo-Sud-Est, Marseille, CO 30-23.
This vessel was built in 1920 as the Meduana for the Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique; in 1928, it passed to Chargeurs Réunis, which renamed it Kerguelen (in honor of the explorer Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec) and assigned it to routes serving South America. In August 1940, during World War II, it was requisitioned by the German Kriegsmarine for troop transport, and in 1941, it was transferred to the German shipping company Reederei F. Laeisz. Returned to Chargeurs Réunis in 1948, it was ultimately scrapped in 1955. It had a gross tonnage of 10,123 tons. As a mixed-service ocean liner intended for migration and trade routes to South America, its original design accommodated approximately 400 passengers, divided into different classes (first, second, and third class or steerage for immigrants).
Merci à Gilles K.