German Record Breakers

If the Auguste Victoria was a prelude to fulfilling the Kaiser’s goal of maritime supremacy, the next generation of ships was Germany’s overture.  North German Lloyd (NDL) and HAPAG engaged on a quest to build the largest and fastest liners on the Atlantic.  In 1897, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse emerged as the first superliner.  She was the first ship with four funnels and a sleek, built-for-speed profile.  At 14,300 tons and a length of 655 feet, she was the largest ship in world.  Her mighty engines drover her (with much consternation to third class passengers housed above the propeller shafts) at a swift 22 knots and made crossings in just under six days.  For the first time, a German ship won the coveted Blue Riband from the Cunarder Lucania.  While built for speed, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was also built for luxury and included splendid first-class public rooms. 

Not to be outdone, NDL’s rival in Hamburg countered with the Deutschland, a strikingly similar vessel in outward appearance, but even more luxurious inside.  She proved to be a speed queen and handily bested her Bremerhaven predecessor.  Unfortunately, she suffered from terrible vibrations and noise that proved uncomfortable for most passengers.  While initially a disappointment for HAPAG, it proved fortuitous in the end.  The company focused on luxury and stability at sea rather than speed, and subsequently attracted many passengers to their line for just that reason.  People did not mind an extra day at sea if the ship was comfortable.  Despite attempts to solve the vibration problems, the Deutschland proved unsatisfactory was removed from service in 1910 and converted to a dedicated cruise ship (one of the first!) named Victoria Luise. 

Meanwhile, North German Lloyd completed a quartet of four funneled liners.  This was the first multi-ship express service.  The ships were similar, each a little larger than the previous one, but not exactly sister ships either.  Like the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse they combined speed and luxury, but unlike her, none of the subsequent vessels captured the speed record from Deutschland*. 

Kronprinz Wilhelm (1901) had two masts and four funnels, but her newer fleetmates, Kaiser Wilhelm II (1903) and Kronprinzessin Cecilie (1906) had three masts (for reasons I do not fully understand).  All four of these vessels served their owners well in peacetime, however none of them sailed after World War I.  

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1903).  Note: four funnels, arranged in pairs, and three masts.  German marine architects designed the first four funnel profiles and the paired funnels are distinctly German.

The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse saw brief action as an armed merchant cruiser and was sunk whilst coaling early in the war.  Kronprinz Wilhelm sailed nearly non-stop for a year as an armed merchant cruiser before fatigue, prisoners, and mechanical problems forced the ship to seek protection in then neutral America.  The Kronprinzessin Cecile and Kaiser Wilhelm II were already in American waters when war broke out and were interned there.  When the United States entered the war, the liners were seized and turned over to the U.S. Navy as troop ships.  The remaining three NDL ships survived the war but never sailed commercial voyages again.  Sadly, they languished in a navy yard until 1940, when refused by the British as part of the lend-lease program (due to age and disrepair).  The vessels were then scrapped.  

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1903) sailed for North German Lloyd 1903-1914.  Built by Vulkan Werke, Stettin, Germany.  19,361 GRT, 707 fee long, 72 feet wide.  Twin screw, 23 knots.  As outfitted in 1903, accommodation for 1,888 passengers (775 first class, 343 second class, 770 steerage).  Refitted as U.S.S. Agamemnon in 1917. Scrapped in Baltimore, 1940.  Model by Mercator.  1:1250 scale.

*Kaiser Wilhelm II proved faster on eastbound crossings than Deutschland, but did not break the westbound record.  There is some debate about the speeds.  I err on the side of caution and do not consider the vessel a Blue Riband winner.  In any event, both ships lose to the Lusitania in 1907.