Hamburg Amerika cruises in 1900-1906

[Nicholas Peppas]

PART 1:

In the beginning of the 20th century the enterprising Director of the Hamburg America Line (Hamburg Amerika Linie, HAPAG for short) Albert Ballin (1857-1918) decided that there was an increased demand for up-scale cruises to the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands and Norway. Thus, he ordered the building of several ocean ships just for the purpose of cruises

The pages below are scanned from an original 1904 book entitled Mittelmeer-Fahrten of HAPAG containing 220 pages in exceptional quality heavy paper that presents pictures of the main ships and ports of the summer cruises from Hamburg, Naples or Trieste to numerous Mediterranean ports, including Corfu, Patras, Nauplion and Piraeus.

We present here some of these pages

Leather cover of the book with an embossed photograph of Moltke

HAPAG Cover.jpg

Moltke: Built in 1901, seized by Italy in 1902, renamed Pesaro. 12,335 tons

Prinzessin Viktoria Luise: Built at Blohm & Voss of Hamburg she was named after the only daughter (1892-1980) of Kaiser Wilhelm II [NB: Viktoria Luise was the mother of the former Queen Frederica of Greece]. She was launched on June 29, 1900 and had her maiden voyage on January 5, 1901. She was one of the most beautiful ships of the period. She was designed to look mostly like a yacht. She had 4,409 tons and was 407.5 ft long and 52.5 ft wide and had a service speed of 15 knots. She had 129 first class cabins, gymnasium, library and even a darkroom for photograph development!

On December 16, 1906 she was grounded off Jamaica. However, due to a storm and very strong winds she was pushed further to the rocks and the shore. She was filled with 16 ft of water and was declared a total loss on December 19, 1906.

Also a photograph of the same ship in Constantinople in 1905.

Moltke.jpg

Viktoria Luise.jpg

Viktoria Luise in Constantinople.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

PART 2

Oceana: She was built by William Denny & Bros in Dumbarton in 1890. When launched as Scot for the Union Line's UK to South Africa service she had 6,844 gross tons, length 477 ft, 2 funnels, 2 masts, twin screws and a service speed of 16 knots. She could accommodate 208 first class, 100 second and 100 third class passengers. She was purchased by HAPAG in 1905, converted to 7,859 tons with 531 ft length and passenger accommodations for 400 first class, and 25 second class. She was named Oceana and was placed on Mediterranean cruising. Oceana was sold to Bermuda North Atlantic Co in 1910 and operated between New York and Bermuda until purchased by Spain and renamed Alphonso XIII. She was scrapped in Italy 1927.

Oceana.jpg


Meteor: Built at Blohm & Voss of Hamburg in 1904 she was used for cruises to Norway or to the Mediterranean Sea. She had 3,613 tons and could accommodate 300 passengers. During World War I she was an accommodation ship for submarine crews. After the War, she was assigned to the Royal Steam Packet Company of London and then to the B & N Royal Norwegian Line, which used her as a ferry between Newcastle upon Tyne and Bergen keeping her name. In 1940 she was captured by Germany in Bergen and named the hospital ship Rostock. She was sunk in Pillau, Poland after a Soviet air raid attack.

Here you see Meteor in Gravosa, near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Meteor in Gravosa.jpg

The next photograph shows a (now exclusive) neighborhood of Athens from a 1903 picture of the same book. It is shown for the purpose of comparison and chronological identification. Clearly, when the German tourists were visiting Athens, they were finding a town in its very early days of expansion. In this picture view from Kifissias Street (now Vassilisis Sofias Avenue) north towards the hill of Lycabettus.

Athens 1904.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

In the beginning of the 20th century the enterprising Director of the Hamburg America Line (Hamburg Amerika Linie, HAPAG for short) Albert Ballin (1857-1918) decided that there was an increased demand for up-scale cruises to the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands and Norway. Thus, he ordered the building of several ocean ships just for the purpose of cruises.

Here is a postcard when the Moltke arrived in Alexandria in 1908

Alexandria 1908.jpg

From an original 1904 book entitled Mittelmeer-Fahrten of HAPAG containing 220 pages in exceptional quality heavy paper we have also a photo of Moltke: Built in 1901, seized by Italy in 1922, renamed Pesaro. 12,335 tons

Moltke.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

...........
Meteor: Built at Blohm & Voss of Hamburg in 1904 she was used for cruises to Norway or to the Mediterranean Sea. She had 3,613 tons and could accommodate 300 passengers. During World War I she was an accommodation ship for submarine crews. After the War, she was assigned to the Royal Steam Packet Company of London and then to the B & N Royal Norwegian Line, which used her as a ferry between Newcastle upon Tyne and Bergen keeping her name. In 1940 she was captured by Germany in Bergen and named the hospital ship Rostock. She was sunk in Pillau, Poland after a Soviet air raid attack.

Here you see Meteor in Gravosa, near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Meteor in Gravosa.jpg

.....

Το Meteor καταφθανει στον Πειραια στις 12 Φεβρουαριου 1907

19070212 Meteor.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

Oceana, a wonderful oceanliner that looked like an intimate yacht.

Oceana.jpg

[neven]

The image of METEOR is not in Gravosa ( today Gruz, the port of Dubrovnik ). This is Kotor, today in Montenegro. I also have this image with the text this to be taken in Dubrovnik, but the author's location of the port is wrong.

[Nicholas Peppas]

The image of METEOR is not in Gravosa ( today Gruz, the port of Dubrovnik ). This is Kotor, today in Montenegro. I also have this image with the text this to be taken in Dubrovnik, but the author's location of the port is wrong.

So, we both agree that the author missplaced the ship!

Thanks

N

[τοξοτης]

Oceana, a wonderful oceanliner that looked like an intimate yacht.

Oceana.jpg

Αγαπητέ φίλε Νίκο το πλοίο στο συν/νο είναι το ίδιο (μετά από μετασκευή) με αυτό που παρουσιάζεις ή είναι άλλο ??

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-04.html

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-05.html

[Nicholas Peppas]

Αγαπητέ φίλε Νίκο το πλοίο στο συν/νο είναι το ίδιο (μετά από μετασκευή) με αυτό που παρουσιάζεις ή είναι άλλο ??

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-04.html

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-05.html

Οχι. Αυτο ειναι μεταγενεστερο. Αυτο που παρουσιαζω ηταν περισσοτερο για κρουαζιερες της εποχης

[τοξοτης]

Οχι. Αυτο ειναι μεταγενεστερο. Αυτο που παρουσιαζω ηταν περισσοτερο για κρουαζιερες της εποχης

Φίλε μου ξέρω ότι σε ζαλίζω , αλλά όπως έχεις καταλάβει μου αρέσει να ρωτώ να μαθαίνω (ακόμη κι από τα λάθη μου ).

Αυτό μήπως έχει σχέση ???

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-01.html

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20O/slides/Oceana-03.html