Kaiser class ocean liner
Encyclopedia
The Kaiser class ocean liners or Kaiserklasse refer to four transatlantic
ocean liner
s of the Norddeutscher Lloyd
, a German shipping company. Built by the AG Vulcan Stettin between 1897 and 1907, these ships were designed to be among the largest and best appointed liners of their day. These four ships, two of whom held the prestigious blue riband
, were known as the "four flyers" and all proved to be popular with wealthy transatlantic travellers. They also took great advantage of the masses of immigrants who wished to leave Europe
.
The first of these "superliners" was the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, unique for being the first liner with four funnel
s. She was credited with sparking the race for maritime supremacy between France
, Germany
and the United Kingdom
which soon saw the creation of some of the most famous ships in history. Although not planned to have had any sister ships, the subsequent Kronprinz Wilhelm
(1901), SS Kaiser Wilhelm II
(1903) and the SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie
(1906) all enjoyed good careers; however, when World War I
broke out, the first was sunk in August 1914 and the other three were seized in 1917 by the United States
, never to return to German hands.
shipping lines, namely the Cunard
and the White Star Line
. The largest liner ever built was the British SS Great Eastern
. Between 1892 and 1893, Cunard Line had launched the sister ships Campania
and the Lucania
, the fastest ships on the sea. They were also the heaviest. Norddeutscher Lloyd
were charged by Emperor Wilhelm II with building up Germany's maritime power to rival and surpass Britain's. When he saw White Star's SS Teutonic
in 1891, the ship had left a lasting impression on the emperor.
The Norddeutscher Lloyd, commonly known in English as "North German Lloyd", thus commissioned their regular ship builders, AG Vulcan of Stettin, to construct an ocean liner demonstrating the power of the emperor and the German empire
. Having never ordered a liner of this size, the construction was followed closely and she would soon become the pride of the German people. At the advent of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, the world was stunned by the idea of an ocean liner with four funnels
. This novelty fascinated the world and the liner soon became a great success. Her interior
s were distinctly German and were all designed by Johann Poppe
, the house designer for the company and architect of its headquarters. The success of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse sparked the other German shipping company, HAPAG
, to order their own superliner. The SS Deutschland
quickly snatched the blue riband from its rival and further established German supremacy on the seas. Following this competition, a sister ship was commissioned in 1901. Two more followed. However, by 1912, with the advent of several British superliners such as the RMS Olympic
(1910), the RMS Lusitania
(1906) and her sister the RMS Aquitania
, the four flyers seemed old, their interiors stuffy and their technology behind the times.
The situation was further aggravated when HAPAG launched their "Big Three", three liners which would eventually become the Berengaria, the Leviathan
and the Majestic. The four-stackers were eventually the spoils of war, one being sunk and the other three being captured and used as troop transports.
and just over three thousand tons more than the Lucania
, her main competition at the time of her launch. As such, when the Deutschland was designed to be larger than all three, Norddeutscher Lloyd
thus retaliated with the introduction of the Kronprinz Wilhelm who was intended to be faster than the Deutschland. Overall, the average weight of the "four flyers" was some 16,000 tons, the average speed being 22 knots. Their average displacement
ranged from 20,000 to 24,000 tons. Their overall length differed by some 52 feet; Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse being the smallest at 655 feet (200 m), Kronprinz Wilhelm at 664 feet (202.17 m) and the later two both measuring 707 feet (208.89 m).
The four liners were all noted as being very similar in appearance as well as interior, all four ships having first class dining rooms rising at least one floor. The four ships emphasised the idea of a "grand staircase" as well as en suite dining rooms, which were soon seen on the Lusitania and the famous Titanic. Within all four ships were pictures of the German
imperial family as well as royal residences such as Potsdam
and Sanssouci
. Facilities for children were also afforded, the younger passengers having a salon of their own. The last three ships also popularised the idea of an onboard café or restaurant other than the main dining saloon. In terms of safety, all of the ships were fitted with facilities for new wireless communication, a technique which allowed the ship to transmit messages to a port by means of telegram, emphasising her image of security. The later three ships had quadruple expansion engines
, aggregating 33,000 horse power.
for Germany however this prize was snatched away in 1900 by HAPAG's SS Deutschland
. Undergoing a refit in 1900, she became one of the first ships to install wireless communication. Months after, when docked in New York
, she was damaged in a fire which resulted in several deaths. She was also the victim of a Naval ram
in Cherbourg in 1906 killing another five people. With the advent of her sister ships, she was converted to an all third class ship in 1913. Remaining in this capacity till World War I
, she was quickly transformed into an auxiliary cruiser before being involved in the Battle of Río de Oro
where her captin sank her to avoid enemy capture. Her remains were only scrapped in 1952.
via Southampton
and Cherbourg to New York
. In 1902, she transported Prince Henry of Prussia to America and was also visited by her namesake. In September the same year, she won the Blue Riband as her sister had done in 1898. This however, was quickly taken by the Deutschland. From 1914 she was an auxiliary
warship
for the Imperial German Navy, sailing as a commerce raider for a year. Highly successful in this role, when the United States
entered the war, she was seized in April 1917 and served as a Navy troop transport
until 1919. Renamed USS Von Steuben (ID-3017) at capture, she was decommissioned and turned over to the United States Shipping Board
, where she remained in service until she was scrapped in 1923.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Named after the reigning emperor, the Kaiser Wilhelm II was the third of the four flyers under North German Lloyd. Sailing her maiden voyage
on the 14 April 1903, she was the leader of the east
bound Blue riband prize between 1904 and 1907. The first two sisters had been quite similar in appearance, length and tonnage, but the new Kaiser Wilhelm II would be considerably larger than her older siblings. In fact, she was the first German ship to exceed the size of the famous SS Great Eastern
. But, although some 50 feet longer and 5,000 tons larger, her overall look was very similar to her future running mates. Her interior however, was criticised by some as being too flamboyant. Her other problem was her vibration
s which caused passengers to become nervous. The ship was taken in to be given a new set of propellers in 1904. In comparison with a $2,500 first class suite ticket, a third class passenger travel for a mere $25, one hundred times cheaper. Captured in New York
on 6 April 1917, the same day as her siblings, she was then renamed USS Kaiser Wilhelm II (ID-3004) then Agamemnon and became a troop transport. As Agamemnon, she made nine voyages between September and August 1919, carrying nearly 42,000 service personnel. Decommissioned in late August she was turned over to the War Department
for further use as a US Army Transport. Laid up after the middle 1920s, she was renamed Monticello in 1927 but had no further active service. Considered too old for use in the Second World War, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1940 with her sister Kronprinzessin Cecilie
whom she had remained with for twenty one years.
. In July 1907, she was planned to leave Bremerhaven
on her maiden voyage. However, before the maiden voyage could take place, she sank in her harbour and did not leave till 14 July. The only one of her sisters not to win the blue riband, she was however deemed to have had the most beautiful interiors; Poppe was lead designer but following a design competition, many of the first class cabins were by a group of more modern architects. She was also the largest of the four. At the outbreak of World War I
, she was carrying some $10,000,000 in gold and $3,400,000 in silver. Heading back to the neutral United States to avoid capture by the British Navy she was interned at Bar Harbor, Maine
, then moved to Boston
. Commandeered by the navy
on 3 February 1917, she was renamed USS Mount Vernon. The war ending in 1918, she remained under American authority. She made one voyage to Vladivostok
through the Panama Canal
in order to evacuate refugees and soldiers. Laid up in 1919 with her sister, the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, she was a suggested troop transport for the British in World War II
. Deemed too old, she and SS Kaiser Wilhelm II were sold for scrap in 1940 at Baltimore
. She was to be the last German liner to have four funnels.
Transatlantic
Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between the Americas and Europe. Prior to the 19th century, transatlantic crossings were undertaken in sailing ships, which was a time consuming and often perilous journey. Transatlantic crossings became faster,...
ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s of the Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
, a German shipping company. Built by the AG Vulcan Stettin between 1897 and 1907, these ships were designed to be among the largest and best appointed liners of their day. These four ships, two of whom held the prestigious blue riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
, were known as the "four flyers" and all proved to be popular with wealthy transatlantic travellers. They also took great advantage of the masses of immigrants who wished to leave Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The first of these "superliners" was the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, unique for being the first liner with four funnel
Four funnel liner
A four funnel liner, four funnelled liner or four stacker is an ocean liner with four funnels. The SS Great Eastern, launched on January 31st 1858 , became the only ocean liner to ever sport five funnels. As one funnel was later removed, the Great Eastern, by default, became the first ocean liner...
s. She was credited with sparking the race for maritime supremacy between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
which soon saw the creation of some of the most famous ships in history. Although not planned to have had any sister ships, the subsequent Kronprinz Wilhelm
SS Kronprinz Wilhelm
SS Kronprinz Wilhelm was a German passenger liner built for the Norddeutscher Lloyd, a former shipping company now part of Hapag-Lloyd, by the AG Vulcan shipyard in Stettin, in 1901...
(1901), SS Kaiser Wilhelm II
SS Kaiser Wilhelm II
The second SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, was a 19,361 gross ton passenger steamer built at Stettin, Germany, completed in the spring of 1903. A famous photograph taken by Alfred Stieglitz called The Steerage as well as descriptions of the conditions of travel in the lowest class have conflicted with her...
(1903) and the SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie was an ocean liner built in Stettin, Germany in 1906 for North German Lloyd that had the largest steam reciprocating machinery ever fitted to a ship. The last of four ships part of the kaiser class, she was also the last German ship to have been built with four funnels....
(1906) all enjoyed good careers; however, when World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out, the first was sunk in August 1914 and the other three were seized in 1917 by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, never to return to German hands.
Background
At the close of the 19th century, competition on the North Atlantic was fierce. Transport to and from Europe was dominated by BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
shipping lines, namely the Cunard
Cunard
Cunard may refer to:* Grace Cunard , American silent film actress* Nancy Cunard , English writer, editor, and publisher* Samuel Cunard , British shipping magnate-Other:...
and the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
. The largest liner ever built was the British SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
. Between 1892 and 1893, Cunard Line had launched the sister ships Campania
RMS Campania
RMS Campania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 8 September 1891....
and the Lucania
RMS Lucania
RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893....
, the fastest ships on the sea. They were also the heaviest. Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
were charged by Emperor Wilhelm II with building up Germany's maritime power to rival and surpass Britain's. When he saw White Star's SS Teutonic
SS Teutonic (1889)
The SS Teutonic was a steamship built for the White Star Line in Belfast and was the first armed merchant cruiser.-Background:In the late 1880s competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the top steamship lines, and White Star decided to order...
in 1891, the ship had left a lasting impression on the emperor.
The Norddeutscher Lloyd, commonly known in English as "North German Lloyd", thus commissioned their regular ship builders, AG Vulcan of Stettin, to construct an ocean liner demonstrating the power of the emperor and the German empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. Having never ordered a liner of this size, the construction was followed closely and she would soon become the pride of the German people. At the advent of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, the world was stunned by the idea of an ocean liner with four funnels
Four funnel liner
A four funnel liner, four funnelled liner or four stacker is an ocean liner with four funnels. The SS Great Eastern, launched on January 31st 1858 , became the only ocean liner to ever sport five funnels. As one funnel was later removed, the Great Eastern, by default, became the first ocean liner...
. This novelty fascinated the world and the liner soon became a great success. Her interior
Interior
Coastal regions of a territory are often the most densely populated due to their greater economic productivity or colonial history. This leads to a contrast with the interior of the territory, which is sparsely populated...
s were distinctly German and were all designed by Johann Poppe
Johann Poppe
Johann Georg Poppe , often called Johannes Poppe by English-speaking writers, was a prominent architect in Bremen during the German Gründerzeit and an influential interior designer of ocean liners for Norddeutscher Lloyd...
, the house designer for the company and architect of its headquarters. The success of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse sparked the other German shipping company, HAPAG
Hapag
Hapag may mean:* Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actiengesellschaft , a former German shipping company, see Hamburg America Line or Hapag-Lloyd* 724 Hapag, a minor planet...
, to order their own superliner. The SS Deutschland
SS Deutschland (1900)
SS Deutschland was a passenger liner owned by the Hamburg America Line of Germany. She sailed for over 25 years under three different names. The second ship to have been built as a four funnel liner, she was built by Hamburg America as a response to the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. She was the...
quickly snatched the blue riband from its rival and further established German supremacy on the seas. Following this competition, a sister ship was commissioned in 1901. Two more followed. However, by 1912, with the advent of several British superliners such as the RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic...
(1910), the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
(1906) and her sister the RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her maiden voyage to New York on 30 May 1914...
, the four flyers seemed old, their interiors stuffy and their technology behind the times.
The situation was further aggravated when HAPAG launched their "Big Three", three liners which would eventually become the Berengaria, the Leviathan
SS Leviathan
SS Leviathan, originally built as SS Vaterland, was an ocean liner which regularly sailed the North Atlantic briefly in 1914 and from 1917 to 1934...
and the Majestic. The four-stackers were eventually the spoils of war, one being sunk and the other three being captured and used as troop transports.
Features
As the initial success of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse could not have been determined, she was originally planned as a single liner. As a result, the later three ships were slightly larger. Weighing 14,349 gross tons, she was twice the size of the TeutonicSS Teutonic (1889)
The SS Teutonic was a steamship built for the White Star Line in Belfast and was the first armed merchant cruiser.-Background:In the late 1880s competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the top steamship lines, and White Star decided to order...
and just over three thousand tons more than the Lucania
RMS Lucania
RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893....
, her main competition at the time of her launch. As such, when the Deutschland was designed to be larger than all three, Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
thus retaliated with the introduction of the Kronprinz Wilhelm who was intended to be faster than the Deutschland. Overall, the average weight of the "four flyers" was some 16,000 tons, the average speed being 22 knots. Their average displacement
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
ranged from 20,000 to 24,000 tons. Their overall length differed by some 52 feet; Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse being the smallest at 655 feet (200 m), Kronprinz Wilhelm at 664 feet (202.17 m) and the later two both measuring 707 feet (208.89 m).
The four liners were all noted as being very similar in appearance as well as interior, all four ships having first class dining rooms rising at least one floor. The four ships emphasised the idea of a "grand staircase" as well as en suite dining rooms, which were soon seen on the Lusitania and the famous Titanic. Within all four ships were pictures of the German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
imperial family as well as royal residences such as Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
and Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
. Facilities for children were also afforded, the younger passengers having a salon of their own. The last three ships also popularised the idea of an onboard café or restaurant other than the main dining saloon. In terms of safety, all of the ships were fitted with facilities for new wireless communication, a technique which allowed the ship to transmit messages to a port by means of telegram, emphasising her image of security. The later three ships had quadruple expansion engines
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, aggregating 33,000 horse power.
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse
The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was laid down in 1896. Launched in May 1896 by the emperor himself, she was a tribute to Wilhelm I, German Emperor. By September the same year, she had her maiden voyage and proved an instant success. Her size was to prove a great sense of security when travelling at sea and soon, people would be refusing to travel by liners if they did not have the "customary" four funnels. In March 1898, she gained the Blue RibandBlue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
for Germany however this prize was snatched away in 1900 by HAPAG's SS Deutschland
SS Deutschland (1900)
SS Deutschland was a passenger liner owned by the Hamburg America Line of Germany. She sailed for over 25 years under three different names. The second ship to have been built as a four funnel liner, she was built by Hamburg America as a response to the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. She was the...
. Undergoing a refit in 1900, she became one of the first ships to install wireless communication. Months after, when docked in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she was damaged in a fire which resulted in several deaths. She was also the victim of a Naval ram
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
in Cherbourg in 1906 killing another five people. With the advent of her sister ships, she was converted to an all third class ship in 1913. Remaining in this capacity till World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she was quickly transformed into an auxiliary cruiser before being involved in the Battle of Río de Oro
Battle of Rio de Oro
The Battle of Río de Oro was a single-ship action fought in August of 1914 during the First World War. The British protected cruiser HMS Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off the small Spanish Saharan territory of Río de Oro.-Background:Under the command...
where her captin sank her to avoid enemy capture. Her remains were only scrapped in 1952.
Kronprinz Wilhelm
Responding to the success of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and their rival Deutschland, a sister to the former was ordered. Named in honour of Crown Prince Wilhelm she would have a varied career. Her transatlantic maiden voyage on 17 September 1901 travelled from BremerhavenBremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
via Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Cherbourg to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1902, she transported Prince Henry of Prussia to America and was also visited by her namesake. In September the same year, she won the Blue Riband as her sister had done in 1898. This however, was quickly taken by the Deutschland. From 1914 she was an auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary may refer to:* A backup site or system* Auxiliary input jack, generally for audio* Auxiliary verb* International auxiliary language* Auxiliary police* Auxiliaries, troops supporting the main force of an army** Auxiliaries...
warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
for the Imperial German Navy, sailing as a commerce raider for a year. Highly successful in this role, when the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered the war, she was seized in April 1917 and served as a Navy troop transport
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
until 1919. Renamed USS Von Steuben (ID-3017) at capture, she was decommissioned and turned over to the United States Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
, where she remained in service until she was scrapped in 1923.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
on the 14 April 1903, she was the leader of the east
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
bound Blue riband prize between 1904 and 1907. The first two sisters had been quite similar in appearance, length and tonnage, but the new Kaiser Wilhelm II would be considerably larger than her older siblings. In fact, she was the first German ship to exceed the size of the famous SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
. But, although some 50 feet longer and 5,000 tons larger, her overall look was very similar to her future running mates. Her interior however, was criticised by some as being too flamboyant. Her other problem was her vibration
Vibration
Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point. The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road.Vibration is occasionally "desirable"...
s which caused passengers to become nervous. The ship was taken in to be given a new set of propellers in 1904. In comparison with a $2,500 first class suite ticket, a third class passenger travel for a mere $25, one hundred times cheaper. Captured in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 6 April 1917, the same day as her siblings, she was then renamed USS Kaiser Wilhelm II (ID-3004) then Agamemnon and became a troop transport. As Agamemnon, she made nine voyages between September and August 1919, carrying nearly 42,000 service personnel. Decommissioned in late August she was turned over to the War Department
War Department
War Department may refer to:* War Department * United States Department of War - See also :* War Office , a former department of the British Government...
for further use as a US Army Transport. Laid up after the middle 1920s, she was renamed Monticello in 1927 but had no further active service. Considered too old for use in the Second World War, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1940 with her sister Kronprinzessin Cecilie
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie was an ocean liner built in Stettin, Germany in 1906 for North German Lloyd that had the largest steam reciprocating machinery ever fitted to a ship. The last of four ships part of the kaiser class, she was also the last German ship to have been built with four funnels....
whom she had remained with for twenty one years.
Kronprinzessin Cecilie
Kronprinzessin Cecilie, built at Stettin, in 1906 by AG Vulcan, was the last of the four liners built for North German Loyd. She was named after Cecilie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinDuchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia as the wife of German Crown Prince William, the son of German Emperor William II...
. In July 1907, she was planned to leave Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
on her maiden voyage. However, before the maiden voyage could take place, she sank in her harbour and did not leave till 14 July. The only one of her sisters not to win the blue riband, she was however deemed to have had the most beautiful interiors; Poppe was lead designer but following a design competition, many of the first class cabins were by a group of more modern architects. She was also the largest of the four. At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she was carrying some $10,000,000 in gold and $3,400,000 in silver. Heading back to the neutral United States to avoid capture by the British Navy she was interned at Bar Harbor, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, then moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Commandeered by the navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
on 3 February 1917, she was renamed USS Mount Vernon. The war ending in 1918, she remained under American authority. She made one voyage to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in order to evacuate refugees and soldiers. Laid up in 1919 with her sister, the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, she was a suggested troop transport for the British in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Deemed too old, she and SS Kaiser Wilhelm II were sold for scrap in 1940 at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. She was to be the last German liner to have four funnels.
See also
- SS DeutschlandSS Deutschland (1900)SS Deutschland was a passenger liner owned by the Hamburg America Line of Germany. She sailed for over 25 years under three different names. The second ship to have been built as a four funnel liner, she was built by Hamburg America as a response to the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. She was the...
- Olympic class ocean linerOlympic class ocean linerThe Olympic-class ocean liners were a trio of ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line in the early 20th century...
- Ocean liner with four funnelsFour funnel linerA four funnel liner, four funnelled liner or four stacker is an ocean liner with four funnels. The SS Great Eastern, launched on January 31st 1858 , became the only ocean liner to ever sport five funnels. As one funnel was later removed, the Great Eastern, by default, became the first ocean liner...