Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
Escal’Atlantic is the property of the City of Saint-Nazaire, it is managed by the public institution Saint-Nazaire
Tourisme & Patrimoine / Visit Saint-Nazaire. It has obtained the national quality award Qualité Tourisme.
Saint-Nazaire Tourisme & Patrimoine – BP 173 – 44613 SAINT-NAZAIRE cedex – France
www.visit-saint-nazaire.com
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
ENTIRELY AND EXCLUSIVELY DEDICATED TO OCEAN LINERS
More than 1.3 million visitors have already discovered
Escal’Atlantic, which first opened in 2000 and underwent
extensive refurbishing in 2013. It is the only interpretation centre
in Europe which is entirely and exclusively dedicated to ocean
liners.
Saint-Nazaire’s love story with ocean liners
Escal’Atlantic is “moored” inside the submarine base in Saint-Nazaire.
Ocean liners have left indelible marks on the history of the 19th and 20th
century, and on the history of Saint-Nazaire itself.
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In the footsteps of yesterday’s passengers
The story unfolds over 3,700 square metres, along 25 display areas which
evoke the interiors of an ocean liner, both public spaces and the hidden
corners.
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The visitor’s experience
Escal’Atlantic’s multimedia approach in a very evocative setting “aboard a
liner”, drawing as much on history as on hands-on devices for the whole
family, makes for an outstanding visitor’s experience.
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Treasures from ocean liners
200 remarkable objects and artefacts from liners built in Saint-Nazaire’s
shipyards, from the end of the 19th century up to the 1960’s, are direct
witnesses of ocean travel.
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
Documentary resources
Visit Saint-Nazaire’s own documentation centre and public and
private archives in France and abroad were precious resources for
the team who enriched the contents of Escal’Atlantic during the
2012/2013 refurbishing.
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Good to know > p. 14
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
SAINT-NAZAIRE’S LOVE STORY WITH OCEAN LINERS
Combining the essence of both technology and decorative arts of their time, ocean liners
represented the first regular transport system between the continents. From the 1860’s
onward, when steam came into widespread use for the propulsion of ships, vessels no longer
depended solely on wind and sails. Regular service and reliable schedules became possible,
and the first “world-wide web” of international and intercontinental transport came into
being. For almost 100 years, ocean liners were the only means to connect the
continents. They would transport mail, freight and passengers all over the world.
Escal’Atlantic could not be imagined anywhere else but in Saint-Nazaire: ocean liners are
intimately linked to the history of the city, both through its past as a transatlantic harbour
and as a stronghold of shipbuilding for the last century and a half.
As early as 1862, the first regular transatlantic service of the Compagnie Générale
Transatlantique, the famous French Line, linking Saint-Nazaire to various ports of call in
Central America and the French Antilles, was inaugurated. The French Line’s harbour facilities
disappeared in 1941 when the German army built its gigantic submarine base in the harbour
of Saint-Nazaire. During the 1990’s, the City decided to integrate the submarine base into the
urban landscape, and a cultural and touristic venue dedicated to ocean liners was built inside
the submarine pens: thus Escal’Atlantic came into being in 2000. Today’s visitors walk in the
footsteps of yesterday’s passengers.
Saint-Nazaire ca. 1925, arrival of the liner Pérou. (Coll. F. Guériff/photo SNTP).
Regular transatlantic passenger service came to a halt in France when
the last liner, the famous “France”, was put out of service in 1974.
Many years before, from 1958 onwards, aircraft had already taken
over from ocean liners on the North Atlantic route.
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
World War 2 put an end to Saint-Nazaire’s transatlantic activity, nevertheless the story of
Saint-Nazaire and ocean liners was not over. This is still the birthplace of the giants of the
seas, and more than 150 years after it was founded, the shipyard is still very busy and
renowned. Today, the ships built here are no longer floating cities but sophisticated floating
holiday resorts. Between 1862 and 2013, the Saint-Nazaire shipyard has built 121
passenger ships (both ocean liners and cruise ships), 36 of them for the French Line. The
122nd is currently under construction: the Harmony of the Seas, commissioned by Royal
Caribbean International, will be the biggest cruise ship in the world.
Departure of cruise ship MSC Preziosa, 2013 (A. Klose/SNTP).
2015: the shipyard STX is building the biggest cruise ship in the world(B. Biger / STX Europe).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF YESTERDAY’S PASSENGERS
Ocean liners are often dealt with only through the myth of luxurious ocean travel.
Escal’Atlantic does not ignore this part of the story, but it has a much wider approach. The
story unfolds along 25 display areas which evoke the interiors of an ocean liner, both
public spaces and the hidden corners.
Visitors are literally transported into the world of ocean liners. In order to come on board
they have to “leave dry land” and embark on a gangway leading them to the hull and the
entrance hall. This immersion is one of Escal’Atlantic’s most distinguishing features and gives
a certain magic to the tour. Visitors stroll through cabins and promenade decks, engine room
and wheelhouse; they can lounge in a deckchair, take a break in the bar and imagine
themselves at the captain’s table in the dining room.
Photos: cabin furniture and decorative works from the liner France (J.C. Lemée) ; the bar in Escal’Atlantic,
overlooking the dining room (A. Klose/SNTP) ; the engine room (J.C. Lemée) ; the promenade deck (J.C. Lemée).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
The story comes to life, and visitors imagine themselves as passengers who experience all
aspects of travelling on an ocean liner…
… alongside 1st-class passengers. For some travellers, ocean liners meant luxury, leisure,
dining, wining and champagne. Prestigious French liners such as the Ile-de-France and the
Normandie were the foremost ambassadors of that art of travelling in the 1920’s and 30’s. In
Escal’Atlantic, decorative works, furniture, silverware etc bear witness to what was considered
the golden age of ocean liners.
… alongside emigrants. The emigrants’ experience on board was a very different one. They
crossed the Atlantic by the millions, at the heyday of mass emigration towards America, in
the early 1900’s. For them, ocean travel meant uncomfortable accommodation in steerage,
anxiety as to what lay in store for them, but also the irresistible hope for a better life across
the ocean. In Escal’Atlantic, archive films and documents in the steerage area not only tell the
story of emigrants but also explain why emigration has been one of the most important
chapters of maritime history.
… alongside the crew. From the decks to the engine room and the wheelhouse, from the
cabins to the dining room, hundreds of crew members were in charge of keeping the ship
afloat and at good speed, and of ensuring the passengers’ wellbeing. Some of them were in
direct contact with the passengers, others remained invisible during the whole crossing. In
Escal’Atlantic, the crew is represented in archive films and photos, in places such as the cold
storage room, the wheelhouse or the captain’s lounge.
In Escal’Atlantic’s steerage, visitors discover the history of the 60 million Europeans who emigrated to North
America aboard ocean liners in one century (J.C. Lemée).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
THE VISITOR’S EXPERIENCE
Visiting Escal’Atlantic is an experience to be shared with
the whole family. This extraordinary venue is an
invitation to explore, to have fun, to learn and even to
dream.
As an interpretation centre, Escal’Atlantic combines various ways of allowing visitors into the
history of ocean liners. Interactive and multimedia devices give access to several layers of
information and discovery, and make for a very personal and active experience. Visitors take
as much time as they want at every stage of the tour, depending on their personal interests
and curiosity.
Life on board. - Comfortably reclining in deckchairs on the covered promenade deck, visitors
can read the daily programme of activities on the Ile-de-France (1927). Each activity would
require different clothes, according to the 1920’s dress code, and passengers -parents and
children alike- would change several times a day, as visitors can find out in an amusing
interactive game where they have to choose the appropriate clothes for each activity and
each moment of the day.
Propulsion. – In the engine room, various panels and devices explain some of the technical
aspects of propulsion at different epochs. Vague notions of “steam turning the propeller”
become very clear and easily understandable. Visitors can also handle an engine room
telegraph and see how orders were transmitted from the wheelhouse to the engines.
The operating of the shipping routes. - Seven touchscreens surround a big interactive
world map, in the hold of Escal’Atlantic. Visitors act as directors of the shipping line operating
each route. They have to take the right decisions to make sure that their ship, with their cargo
of mail and passengers, arrives on time at its destination, even if various events or incidents
threaten the smooth operating of the line. No hasty decisions to be made!
Visitors have to run shipping lines in this interactive game
(J.C. Lemée).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
Young visitors get a peek of the cold storage rooms on the
Ile de France (J.C. Lemée).
Some multimedia devices are based on
original documents. An enlarged plan of the
cold storage rooms abord the Ile-de-France
(1927) covers a whole wall. Peering through
little openings of the plan, visitors see a film
from the 1930’s presenting the very same
storage facilities. Storing goods and keeping
them fresh was vital, for there were thousands
of meals to be prepared every day for
passengers and crew, i.e. 2,400 people, without
any possibility of getting fresh supplies on the
North Atlantic run.
Visitors find out how crew members lived and
worked aboard the Ile-de-France (1927). In the
captain’s lounge, the ship is represented on an
enlarged, very detailed cutaway plan which is
the backdrop of a “picture book” multimedia
device. Short texts, photos and film clips reveal
the main functions and duties on the ship,
through various characters: the captain, a
bellboy, the chef and the purser.
Footage from a 1930’s film give life to a very detailed plan
of a transatlantic liner (J.C. Lemée).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
TREASURES FROM OCEAN LINERS
The City of Saint-Nazaire owns a collection of art and artefacts comprising approximately
4,000 objects, stemming from ocean liners built in Saint-Nazaire’s shipyards between 1900
and 1960. It includes decorative arts, pieces of furniture, tableware, luggage items, various
accessories and documents, and represents the most important public collection of its
kind in Euope.
The collection was considerably enriched thanks to a deposit from the
Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, coming from a “payment-in-kind” by
the heirs of collector René-Louis Vian. A great connoisseur of the liner
Normandie, Vian had gathered several hundred objects made for the
famous liner, by some of the greatest Art Deco artists of the time (such as
Jean Dunand, Suzanne and René Lalique, Jean-Maurice Rothschild, JacquesEmile Ruhlmann etc.).
The objects have been aquired over the years at public auctions or bought from collectors,
some also were donations made by private collectors. When the former liner France was
scrapped in India, opportunities could be seized to buy several remarkable pieces which thus
were saved from demolition. Before being exhibited, some objects need more or less
extensive restoration, which can only be undertaken by Government–approved specialists.
These restoration campaigns are financed by the City of Saint-Nazaire, in some cases with
financial help from the Government or the Western Loire Region.
200 or so of these collectibles are on permanent display in Escal’Atlantic, for their
aesthetic or artistic value but also, and above all, because they have been witnesses to
the age of ocean travel.
Some of the most impressive objects to be seen in Escal’Atlantic:
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Lacquer panels by Jean Dunand, which were part of the monumental decoration on
the wall separating the smoking room and the 1st-class lounge on the Normandie ;
73 chiseled glass slabs by Auguste Labouret, from the wall coverings in the 1st-class
dining room on the Normandie ;
The complete music room from the Liberté (1950), with its piano, armchairs and
pedestal tables;
An aluminium chandelier, with a diametre of 3m, created by Gilbert Poillerat for the
1st-class smoking room on the France (1962). Poilerat had made 11 identical
chandeliers for that lounge, 8 smaller and 3 large ones. Escal’Atlantic hosts one of the
large ones;
Several dozen tableware objects from the Normandie, from the 1st, 2nd and 3d class
dining rooms. They were designed especially for the liner and made in large numbers
in order to equip the dining rooms seating hundreds of guests;
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
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Lacquer work by Pierre Bobot, from the 1st-class music room on the France,
representing the instruments of an orchestra;
Seats and armchairs from the Normandie and the lIe-de-France, by famous
designers such as Jean-Maurice Rothschild, Baptistin Spade, Pierre Patout ;
A lacquer panel by Raymond Deléage, inspired by art from Cambodia; it was part of
the decoration of the liner Félix Roussel (1932). This ship, run by the French company
Messageries Maritimes on the Far-East service, was partly decorated in a style inspired
by the countries it served;
A Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk from the early 1930’s.
Photos: lacquer panels by Pierre Bobot (France) ; lacquer panel by Raymond Deléage (Félix Roussel) ; serving dish
for vegetables, used in the 1st-class dining room on the Normandie ; detail of the lacquer panel “Marabous” by
Jean Dunand (Normandie) ; Louis-Vuitton wardrobe trunk. All photos J.C. Lemée. All objects Collection City of
Saint-Nazaire, except the “Marabous”: deposit from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
DOCUMENTARY RESOURCES
In 2012/2013 Escal’Atlantic was refurbished as to its layout and presentation, and its contents
enriched. All the research and preparatory work was undertaken by the “heritage”
(“patrimoine”) section of Saint-Nazaire Tourisme & Patrimoine / Visit Saint-Nazaire.
The main resource for the team who prepared the contents and wrote the story, was the
company’s own documentation centre based at the Ecomusée in Saint-Nazaire (which has a
certification as “musée de France”). This fund contains thousands of photos and archive
documents. Among the most interesting pieces from these archives were original ship plans,
documents from the French Line about the operating of the regular services, memos about
the cabin fittings and artworks, correspondence with the artists and decorators, newspapers
and commercial brochures from various epochs…
Specialised public and private funds, both in France and abroad, were also called upon:
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Among the main French partners, there are Association French Lines in Le Havre; the
Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris; private archives from descendants of artists and
decorators having worked on liners.
Among the partners in other countries, there are the Library of Congress in
Washington and the Museum of the City of New York (USA); the P&O Heritage
collection (Great Britain); the “Site historique maritime” of Pointe-au-Père (Québec,
Canada).
Cinema and photography have come into being almost
at the same time as the ocean liners. They add yet
another layer to the way the story is told in Escal’Atlantic.
Archive footage and photos are fascinating because they
tell so much: the pride and power of a ship in full speed,
social life on board, or even the anxiety on the faces of
emigrants who live their first experience at sea. All the
audiovisual presentations, multimedia devices and
interactive game have been created especially and
exclusively for Escal’Atlantic.
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Multimedia slide show in the dining room
(J.C. Lemée).
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Escal’Atlantic, the Ocean Liner Experience
GOOD TO KNOW
Escal’Atlantic is inside the submarine base, boulevard de la Légion d’Honneur, in the harbour area of
Saint-Nazaire (follow the signs “Ville-Port”).
It is open all year, except January.
The tours are self-guided, they last approx. 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Texts are displayed in French, English, German and Spanish.
Escal’Atlantic is accessible to disabled visitors.
2015 prices: adult 13 €; children aged 4-14 6,50 € ; students, job-seekers, disabled persons 11,70 €
(proof required). Free entry for under 4’s. Combination and seasonal tickets available.
Other attractive tours and visits are available in Saint-Nazaire: the guided tours of the shipyard STX are
particularly interesting when combined with Escal’Atlantic; other guided tours take visitors into a huge
Airbus factory or along the harbour terminals. A French submarine from the 1950’s is open to visitors,
and the heritage museum Ecomusée takes them on a journey through the history of Saint-Nazaire.
Between May and September, 2-hour cruises on the Loire estuary and along Saint-Nazaire’s coast are
also on offer.
All information about prices, opening times etc. can be found on the English website www.visitsaint-nazaire.com. Information also by phone: 00 33 228 540 640.
Press Contact
Andrea KLOSE, Visit Saint-Nazaire
00 33 228 540 805 / 00 33 689 882 905
[email protected]
The following companies are partners of Escal’Atlantic : Total, Cargill, Aerolia, Transdev, CCI Nantes Saint-Nazaire,
MSC Croisières, EDF, Kercim, La Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.
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