So far I was unaware of the historic development of American and mainly early British paddle and screw steamers on the North Atlantic of companies like Collins, Cunard, White Star, Inman or Guion, which all held the Blue Ribbon at various times since about 1850 up to 1897. The next fascinating news I came across as a thrilling German book titled ‚Schnelldampfer‘ by K.A. Schenzinger (1951). This novel started about 1881, when the North German Lloyd initiated a series of eleven single screw liners of the Flüsse-class, which started with the liner Elbe. Except of the last two, Havel and Spree, which were completed at the Vulcan yard in Stettin 1890, all were still being built at British yards. By this all-time high number of ocean liners by just one owner the Lloyd reached the highest passenger figures of all shipping companies on the New York route, while these liners never were the top of size or speed.

Readers of the Schnelldampfer book were now made familiar with the introduction of the first twin screw liners from Hapag, of which the first of a series of four vessels, the Augusta Victoria, was built at the German Vulcan yard at Stettin. Fictious dialogues between the directors of Hapag, Ballin and Wiegand from the Lloyd are being told followed by various episodes capturing Lloyd liners Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and Kaiser Wilhelm II or Fürst Bismarck and Deutschland from Hapag.

My interest was now definitely raised to learn more about those wonderful German ocean liners. However many more years followed until I could find further very rare photos of interiors or even a deckplan. But it was often only scratching on the surface and a lot of questions were left unanswered for a true ocean liner buff of the German Schnelldampfer. The story of the growing international importance of German Liners since the maiden voyage of Hapag’s Augusta Victoria to New York in May 1889 was closely connected with the amazing fast growing technical progress of the Vulcan shipyard in Stettin. Vessel size grew from 4570 gross tons of the 1886 built Lloyd Asia-service mail steamers Preussen, Bayern and Sachsen to 7661 gross tons for Augusta Victoria and likewise the speed could be raised from 14 knots to 18 knots.

Augusta Victoria was ready for her maiden voyage in May 1889. She had the latest state of the art twin screw propulsion, which only two other liners of the Inman Line were fitted with. Joined by sister vessels Columbia and Normannia from British yards and finally 1891 Fürst Bismarck again from the Vulcan, Hapag had outclassed the liners the Lloyd liners by technical concept, size and speed. 

British shipbuilders in the meantime had changed the arrangement of First Class accomodation from the aft section of the ship towards midships with the salon now in front of the boiler room. This layout was already adopted by the Lloyd Flüsse-class vessels. A very richly decorated space with a two decks high dome closed by a glass skylight was the established layout for the largest room onboard.  The architect Johann Poppe from Bremen was appointed by the Lloyd for the interior decoration and he created truly a masterpiece with every new ship completed since the Elbe, the first of the Flüsse-class liners. Poppe was fond of historic style elements, especially of rococo and the neo-renaissance periods. Dark artistically carved wooden panels, pillows and ceilings were lavishly decorated. This applied especially to the central light well, which developed more to a very ornately artwork.  It was no surprise that Hapag entrusted also Poppe for outlining the furnishings for the Augusta Victoria quartet while the work was carried out by the wellknown German company Bembé from Mainz. Augusta Victoria built by the Vulcan in Stettin and her Columbia from Laird Brothers in Birkenhead started her maiden voyages in spring 1889 and proved to be an immediate success. Normannia from Fairfield in Glasgow followed in May 1890 and finally Fürst Bismarck built again from Vulcan was completed in May 1891. The first two ships were nearly identical ships with Augusta Victoria measuring 7661 gross tons. She had a length of 144,8m and 12000 hp from two triple expansion engines for a service speed of 18 knots. Space was provided for 400 passengers in first, 120 in second class and for 580 emigrants.  The other two vessels were of increased size by about 15m in length at 8874 gross tons (Fürst Bismarck) and capable of 19 knots.  The speed of the Hapag quartet just missed to match the speed of current Blue Ribbon holder City of Paris and Teutonic of 20 knots.

The new Hapag liners however were a big improvement aesthetically and compared to the Lloyd Flüsse-class vessels looked much more like a transatlantic liner of later decades.  Three beautifully proportioned stacks and two sheltered long promenade decks gave them a very elegant appearance. For the first time Hapag now played an important role within the top group of international steamship companies.

First class public rooms were situated on bridge deck with the Ladies salon and the music salon at the front of the deckhouse. The smoking room was placed midships joined by some cabins. Smoking and ladies salon for second class were to be found at the aft end of the deck.  Forward on upper deck was the first class dining room, the most representative room on board with a dome looming into the bridge deck between ladies and music salon. The dining room for second class aft on the same deck was a bright room with daylight and meant improvement on earlier vessels. Cabin space was allocated on upper deck starboard side and on main deck. Although cabins were small for today’s conditions they were equipped with running cold and hot water and electric light. The covered promenades offered passengers more comfort along the crossing even in less favourable weather conditions.

Augusta Victoria will especially be best remembered by her first cruise to the O­rient, which she undertook in early 1891.  Based on the idea of Hapag chairman Albert Ballin for a better utilization of his Schnelldampfer in the off season the 58 days cruise was a great success and is widely acknowledged as the beginning of luxury cruising. The overwhelming success of this perfectly organized cruise joined by Albert Ballin and his wife was published not only by Hapag, but also by various travel reports.  As a result, Orient cruises were repeated in the following years by Augusta Victoria quartet and in 1894 she cruised the first time for three weeks to the Norwegian Fjords and to the North Cape. We can assume that the comfort onboard offered by Augusta Victoria to her passengers as well as the spirit of her crew were contributing factors to make cruising with her to such a pioneering success.

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GERMAN LINERS offers surprisingly rare and deep insight into the story of German passenger vessels of the pre-World War I period and captures especially the decade of the German four stackers from the North German Lloyd Bremen and the Hamburg Amerika Line from 1897 until 1907. A tremendous collection is waiting for us. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, running mate Kronprinz Wilhelm and Deutschland were successfully the first German Blue Ribbon holder from 1898 until 1907.  With the building of Kaiser Wilhem II and Kronprinzessin Cecilie  this period found its final culmination in technical progress and splendid interiors. This collection vividly takes us back to the time of immense growth of the industrial age and shipbuilding in Germany. Step on board!