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SS Bremen (1957)
Encyclopedia
SS Pasteur was a turbine steam ship built for Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique. She later sailed as the Bremen for Norddeutscher Lloyds. Over the course of her career, she sailed for 41 years under four names and six countries' management.
was competition. The construction began in 1938 at Chantiers de l'Atlantique
, St. Nazaire in France
. In 15 February 1938, she was christened ""Pasteur"" after the scientist Louis Pasteur
. A fire in March 1939 delayed her completion and she was not launched until August 1939, one month before World War II
broke out.
The Pasteur was 29,253 gross tons. She was 212.4 m long and 26.8 m wide. She had 11 decks and possessed extensive loading spaces. She was designed to carry 751 passengers. She could reach around 50,000 HP and up to 26 Knots run, but her usual service speed was around 22 knots, making her the third fastest ship of her time. Her depth was 93 m.. She had four propeller
s. Although she was sometimes referred to as an SS (Steamship), she really was a TSS or TS (Turbine Steam Ship) like .
delayed the deployment of the ""Pasteur"". The ship was laid up in St. Nazaire in Brest, France
. In 1940, she was commissioned to carry 200 tons of gold reserves from Brest, France to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in her maiden voyage (the initial voyage from Bordeaux to Buenos Aires was canceled due to the outbreak of war). After the defeat of France, she was taken over by Great Britain
and placed under Cunard-White Star
management. She was used as a troop transporter and military hospital ship
between Canada
, South Africa
, Australia
and South America
, and transported around 300,000 soldiers. She was sometimes called HMTS Pasteur.
(Vietnam War
) and from 1954 to 1957 between Algeria
. She was awarded the French's highest honor, Croix de Guerre
, however, for her owner, she never made a crossing as a passenger ship but only one voyage bringing 4,000 Dutch troops from Indonesia to The Netherlands in February 1950.
for 30 millions DM in September 1957. The sales released violent protests with the French population. The transfer took place in September 1957 from Brest to Bremerhaven
. The Lloyd left her on the Bremer Vulkan
of Bremen for further approximately 65 millions DM changes and she used Bremen under the name in the North Atlantic service. On July 9, 1959, she was placed on the Bremerhaven
-Southampton
-Cherbourg-New York
route. She was considered as one of the most beautiful passenger liners of her time.
in Bremen
. Her size was increased to 32,336 GRT and the load-carrying capacity with 8,700 tdw. She received new boilers and four turbine
s with a maximum output of 60,000 HP rendering a maximum speed of 26 knots. Economical output of 53,500 HP gave a very useful speed of 23 knots. Three 1,375 KVA
generators
had an output of 6,600 kilowatt. One very noticeable change was the new drop-shaped funnel, which was much more in proportion with the ship than the original tall funnel. To enhance comfort, two 4,50 m Stabilizers
were fitted. In June 1959, she underwent new sea trials.
to form the large shipping company, Hapag Lloyd. The bulbous bow was added after she had another refit in 1965-1966 at the repair yard of North German Lloyd. In September 1971, she made her final voyage from Bremen to New York for Hapag-Lloyd. In October 1971, Bremen was sold to Greek
shipping company Chandris Cruises
after 175 Atlantic crossings and 117 cruises for 40 millions DM, which was accomplished on January, 1972.
as Regina Magna. Until 1974, she had cruised around the world, which she was once again she was laid up in Piraeus, Greece because of rising fuel costs and the loss of emigration charters to Australia.
She was sold to Philippine Singapore Ports Corporation of Saudi Arabia and renamed Saudiphil I in 1977. For Philippine workers, the ship was used as an accommodation ship. On November 1, 1977, She arrived at Jeddah
and served as a floating hotel.
In 1980, apparently, she was sold to the Philsimport International in Hong Kong
and renamed Filipinas Saudi I. She rolled over onto her port side and sank stern first in Indian Ocean
in the same year while being towed to the Taiwanese ship breaker in Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Panamanian tug Sumatra.
The captains of Bremen:
. Pasteur had the UK Official Number 166305 and used the Code Letters FNDC until 1940 and GNDW from 1940-46.
Construction
In 1936, the French shipping company Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique planned to build a new liner as passenger and freight transport ship for South Atlantic routes, with which Cap Arcona from the shipping company Hamburg South America LineHamburg Süd
Hamburg Süd is one of the key carriers on the North-South trade routes by ocean transportation. It is part of the Oetker Group, a family-owned German conglomerate.-History:...
was competition. The construction began in 1938 at Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
, St. Nazaire in 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...
. In 15 February 1938, she was christened ""Pasteur"" after the scientist Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
. A fire in March 1939 delayed her completion and she was not launched until August 1939, one month before 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...
broke out.
The Pasteur was 29,253 gross tons. She was 212.4 m long and 26.8 m wide. She had 11 decks and possessed extensive loading spaces. She was designed to carry 751 passengers. She could reach around 50,000 HP and up to 26 Knots run, but her usual service speed was around 22 knots, making her the third fastest ship of her time. Her depth was 93 m.. She had four propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s. Although she was sometimes referred to as an SS (Steamship), she really was a TSS or TS (Turbine Steam Ship) like .
History
The outbreak of World War IIWorld 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...
delayed the deployment of the ""Pasteur"". The ship was laid up in St. Nazaire in Brest, France
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. In 1940, she was commissioned to carry 200 tons of gold reserves from Brest, France to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in her maiden voyage (the initial voyage from Bordeaux to Buenos Aires was canceled due to the outbreak of war). After the defeat of France, she was taken over by Great Britain
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...
and placed under Cunard-White Star
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
management. She was used as a troop transporter and military hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
between Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and transported around 300,000 soldiers. She was sometimes called HMTS Pasteur.
World War II
Due to her speed, as a troop transporter, the Pasteur normally made her crossings alone, not as a member of a convoy (without a warship escort). She made a voyage from Glasgow to Halifax with a various complement, including officers arranging the 20,000 British troops' transport across Canada and the Pacific to Singapore in October, 1941. The Pasteur apparently returned loaded with German prisoners and carried them to prisoners of war camps in North America. In addition, carrying as many as 2,000 German prisoners of war, she transported prisoners from Suez, Egypt to South Africa. She visited Freetown, Cape Town, Durban, Aden and Port Tewfik, and then back to the Clyde and Halifax in 1943. She had carried British 8th Army Corps's 10,000-man army, the US 1st Army Corps's and 5,000 men before the battle of Alamein. Together, she had carried 220,000 troops, and 30,000 wounded, and traveled 370,669 miles during the war.Post-war
After the war, she repatriated US and Canadian troops and returned to her owners in October 1945. Management was returned to Cie Sudatlantique in early 1946. To the return at France, she remained in military starting from 1946 in French services as troop transporter to VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
(Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
) and from 1954 to 1957 between Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. She was awarded the French's highest honor, Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, however, for her owner, she never made a crossing as a passenger ship but only one voyage bringing 4,000 Dutch troops from Indonesia to The Netherlands in February 1950.
Acquired by North German Lloyd
She was laid up at Toulon in 1956 and then at Brest in 1957. During the Suez Canal affair, the ship was activated again in September 1956 along with other passenger and military ships to be a troop transporter. While she was fastened in Port Said harbor in December 1956, the HQ General of the French troops was on board the Pasteur. At the end of the affair, Pasteur was one of the last Allied ships to leave Port Said in Egypt. She was sold to North German LloydNorddeutscher 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...
for 30 millions DM in September 1957. The sales released violent protests with the French population. The transfer took place in September 1957 from Brest to 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...
. The Lloyd left her on the Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan AG was a great German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement....
of Bremen for further approximately 65 millions DM changes and she used Bremen under the name in the North Atlantic service. On July 9, 1959, she was placed on the 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...
-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...
-Cherbourg-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...
route. She was considered as one of the most beautiful passenger liners of her time.
Refit
After she was acquired by North German Lloyd and renamed TS Bremen in 1957, she was refitted comprehensively at Bremer VulkanBremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan AG was a great German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement....
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. Her size was increased to 32,336 GRT and the load-carrying capacity with 8,700 tdw. She received new boilers and four turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s with a maximum output of 60,000 HP rendering a maximum speed of 26 knots. Economical output of 53,500 HP gave a very useful speed of 23 knots. Three 1,375 KVA
Volt-ampere
A volt-ampere is the unit used for the apparent power in an electrical circuit, equal to the product of root-mean-square voltage and RMS current. In direct current circuits, this product is equal to the real power in watts...
generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
had an output of 6,600 kilowatt. One very noticeable change was the new drop-shaped funnel, which was much more in proportion with the ship than the original tall funnel. To enhance comfort, two 4,50 m Stabilizers
Fin
A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, . The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices...
were fitted. In June 1959, she underwent new sea trials.
German service
In 1960, Bremen could carry approximately 14,000 passengers from Europe to the USA and likewise many guests into the opposite direction. Besides Bremen was used starting from 1960 and also in cruise traffic in the Karibik and to South America. Also 1961 were very good their extent of utilization with 85%. In 1971, she was transferred to cruising since the air travel became more popular. In 1970, NDL merged with Hamburg America LineHamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
to form the large shipping company, Hapag Lloyd. The bulbous bow was added after she had another refit in 1965-1966 at the repair yard of North German Lloyd. In September 1971, she made her final voyage from Bremen to New York for Hapag-Lloyd. In October 1971, Bremen was sold to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shipping company Chandris Cruises
Chandris Group
Chandris Line was a Greece-based shipping company founded in 1960 by Anthony Chandris to operate ocean liners between Greece and Australia. Initially the company also traded under the names Greek Australian Line, National Greek Australian Line and Europe-Australia Line...
after 175 Atlantic crossings and 117 cruises for 40 millions DM, which was accomplished on January, 1972.
Other services and fate
After another refit, which changed her tonnage to 23,801 tons, she was placed on cruising service in the Mediterranean and in PiraeusPiraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
as Regina Magna. Until 1974, she had cruised around the world, which she was once again she was laid up in Piraeus, Greece because of rising fuel costs and the loss of emigration charters to Australia.
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
and served as a floating hotel.
In 1980, apparently, she was sold to the Philsimport International in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and renamed Filipinas Saudi I. She rolled over onto her port side and sank stern first in Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
in the same year while being towed to the Taiwanese ship breaker in Kaohsiung, Taiwan by Panamanian tug Sumatra.
Crew and passengers
TS Bremen had a crew of 545 persons, three thousands of them was active in the service range. Approximately 1,150 passengers could be transported, 216 in first Class.The captains of Bremen:
- Heinrich Lorenz (1959–1960)
- Fritz Leusner (1960)
- Günter Rössing (1960–1965)
- Behnsen (1965–1969)
- Walter Bulkhead (captain agencies around 1969)
- Paul Vetter (1969–1971)
- Claus Hamje (1971–1972)
Official Numbers and Code Letters
Official numbers were a forerunner to IMO NumbersIMO ship identification number
The IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters "IMO" followed by the seven-digit number assigned to all ships by IHS Fairplay when constructed. This is a unique seven digit number that is assigned to propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 GT and above...
. Pasteur had the UK Official Number 166305 and used the Code Letters FNDC until 1940 and GNDW from 1940-46.
Further reading
- Harald Focke: Bremens letzte Liner. Die großen Passagierschiffe des Norddeutschen Lloyd nach 1945. Publishing house, Bremen 2002, ISBN 3-89757-148-X
- Harald Focke: Mit dem Lloyd nach New York Erinnerungen an die Passagierschiffe Berlin, Bremen und Europa. Publishing house, Bremen 2004, ISBN 3-89757-251-6
- Harald Focke: Im Liniendienst auf dem Atlantik. Publishing house, Bremen 2006, ISBN 3-89757-339-3