Construction of the SS Île de France began at the Chantiers de Penhoët shipyard in Saint-Nazaire in 1925. Construction of the vessel was meant to happen alongside the SS Paris, but the outbreak of the Great War prevented it from happening with the Paris being launched in 1916 and not completed until 1921. Île de France would have to wait till the 1920's. On March 14, 1926, Île de France was launched; 14 months after fitting-out, she left on her sea trials before heading on her maiden voyage in 1927.

Unlike past liners, Île de France's interior embraced the style of the present instead of reproducing decorative styles of the past. She became very popular among wealthy Americans despite not being the largest or the fastest ship in the world and carried more First-Class passengers than any other Trans-Atlantic liners.

In 1935 the Île de France and the Paris were joined by a new mate, the new superliner Normandie. With these three ships the CGT could boast of having the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ships travelling the North Atlantic. However, on April 18, 1939, the Paris caught fire while docked in Le Havre and got destroyed. A few months after that, WWII began.

Île de France made a dash for New York loaded with 1,777 passengers just before the war began. Once she arrived, her passenger service was terminated temporary and she was towed to Staten Island by ten tugs and sat there for 5 months before the British seized her following after the Fall of France. She would carry supplies and troops and be converted to a floating prisoner of war camp.

After the war ended, Île de France was returned to the CGT after five years of military service with the British Admiralty. At first the Île de France was used to ferry American and Canadian troops home. Then in April 1947, the ship returned to its builder's yard at Saint Nazaire for a two-year restoration. The outcome included the removal of its third "dummy" funnel and an upturn of the straight black hull to meet its upper forepeak, in keeping with the new style of the CGT's ships beginning with the Normandie in 1935. These changes increased Ile de France's gross tonnage to 44,356.

She travelled to New York on her first postwar luxury crossing in July 1949 and proved to be just as popular as before the war. She was joined by a new running mate, Liberté, the former German liner SS Europa in 1950. In July of 1956, Île de France took part in rescue operation of the Italian liner Andrea Doria after it had collided with the Swedish vessel MS Stockholm off Nantucket, rescuing approximately 753 passengers and crew.

With the 60's approaching, Île de France and the Liberté were withdrawn from service to be replaced with the future vessel, SS France. Île de France was sold to a Japanese scrapper in 1959. Before she went, Île de France was to be used as a floating prop in the 1960 disaster film, The Last Voyage. During filming the ship was partially sunk, explosive devices were detonated in the interior, and the forward funnel was sent crashing into the deck-house. The CGT sued the film-makers to get an order to have the funnels repainted and prohibit the use of the name Île de France from appearing in the movie.

EDIT: I've realized that I made an error with having smoke coming out of the third funnel despite it being a dummy; it is unfix able.