Rio Panuco was built in 1923 for
the Ozean Line of Hamburg, operating on their route to the Gulf
of Mexico. She was acquired by NDL in 1931, retaining her name
and route, but was sold in 1934 to Burns, Philip of Australia.
She was lost in 1942.
Ozean Line postcard.
Sierra Ventana (2)
(1923-1935
- 11,452 gross tons)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard.
Stuttgart
(1923-1935
- 11,452 gross tons)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard.
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard.
Photographic
postcard.
Columbus (2)
(1924-1939
- 32,354 gross tons)
Each Columbus
(2) image links to a larger copy
Before the
First World War the Norddeutscher Lloyd ordered the construction
of two large transatlantic liners at Kiel, which would have
become the Columbus (1) and Hindenburg, but
the war prevented the completion of the ships. At the end of the
war the Columbus (1) was ceded the UK and became the
Homeric for the White Star Line. The second ship
Hindenburg was still at an early stage of construction and
was not taken by the allies. Instead she was completed for
Norddeutscher Lloyd, although construction was slow due to
material shortages. Instead of the intended name of
Hindenburg, she became the Columbus (2).
Columbus (2) was due to be
launched on the 17th June 1922 at the Schichau shipyard in
Gdansk are launched. It remained stuck on the slipway until 12th
August 1922 however. Columbus (2) left Bremerhaven on
22nd April 1924 on its maiden voyage to New York. Originally,
she had two relatively slim and tall funnels. Her passenger
accommodation was divided into three classes, carrying 513 1st,
574 2nd and 705 3rd Class. Her twin triple expansion engines of
32,000 IHP gave a service speed of 18 knots (19 knots max).
The Columbus (2) was the largest post-war German liner
at the time. Her companions on the North Atlantic run were
Munich (3) and Stuttgart (3), but they were much
smaller and only ran at 15 knots. In addition, the Norddeutsche
Lloyd also had the old Princess Irene (1900) , by then
the Bremen (3). In 1925, the newly built Berlin (3)
joined their North Atlantic fleet.
On 2nd August 1927,
Columbus (2) broke down in the middle of the Atlantic
when the starboard propeller shaft failed. The triple-expansion
steam engine overran due to the lack of resistance and was
damaged such that repair was not worthwhile. The Vulkan shipyard
in Bremen fitted a small triple-expansion steam engine from the
freighter Swabia as a temporary solution, so that she
could continue her North Atlantic service at reduced speed. In
1929, two new geared turbine sets with a total capacity of
49,000 shaft horsepower were installed in Hamburg, increasing
her speed to 23 knots for the newly introduced North Atlantic
Express service of the NDL. During the shipyard visit the
passenger accommodation was also refurbished and shorter modern
funnels were fitted, similar to those of Bremen (4) and
Europa (1). She was never as fast as the newer ships
however.
At the outbreak of the Second World War in
August 1939, Columbus (2) was cruising in the
Caribbean. Her passengers were landed in Havana whilst the ship
then sought sanctuary in Vera Cruz. In December 1939 the ship
sailed in an attempt to break through to Germany. She was
followed by US destroyers and later the cruiser USS
Tuscaloosa. When the British destroyer HMS Hyperion
arrived it ordered the ship to stop. The German crew set fire to
their ship and opened the sea cocks, Columbus (2)
sinking 320 miles east of Cape Hatteras. The crew were rescued
by the USS Tuscaloosa.
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) when new
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of the
3rd class dining room on
Columbus (2)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) when new
French postcard of
Columbus (2) which has taken the image from the card above
Postcard of Columbus (2)
with original funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) with original funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) with original funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) with original funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) with original funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2) with shorter funnels following the 1929 rebuild.
Photographic postcard of
Columbus (2) with shorter funnels
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of
Columbus (2)
A rather poor photographic postcard of
Columbus (2) with shorter funnels
Sierra Morena (1924-1934 - 11,430 gross tons)
Der
Deutsche (1934-1946)
Postcard of
Sierra Morena
Norddeutscher
Lloyd postcard of KdF steamer Der Deutsche
Norddeutscher
Lloyd postcard of KdF steamer Der Deutsche
Photographic postcard of KdF steamer
Der Deutsche
Berlin (3)
(1925-1945
- 15,286 gross tons)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Berlin (3).
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Berlin (3).
Roland (1927)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Roland.
Bremen (4)
(1929-1940
- 51,656 gross tons)
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Bremen (4).
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Bremen (4).
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Bremen (4).
Postcard
of Bremen (4) in Hamburg.
FGO
Stuart postcard of Bremen (4) in Southampton's floating
dock..
Europa (2)
(1930-1946
- 49,746 gross tons)
Postcard
of Europa (2) under construction.
Postcard
of Europa (2).
Postcard
of Europa (2).
Postcard
of Europa (2).
Postcard
of Europa (2).
Postcard
of Europa (2), with raised funnels.
Sierra Nevada (3)
(1932-1934
- 13,589 gross tons) - ex-Antonio Delfino
Sierra Salvada (2)
(1932-1934
- 13,615 gross tons) - ex-Cap Norte
Far East Express Steamers
Scharnhorst - Gneisenau - Potsdam
All Far East Express images link to larger copies
Norddeutscher Lloyd poster of Potsdam,
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst (2)
(NDL: 1934-1943)
Scharnhorst (2) was the first of three
express steamers for NDL's Far East services. She was built (along with
Gneisenau (2)) by Deschimag AG 'Weser' in Bremen (yard numbers
891 & 893). She was 18,184 GRT and 198.7m (652ft) long and had
turbo-electric machinery. She entered service on the Far East routes on
3rd May 1935 and remained on this line until the start of WW2, when she
was laid in Japan. In 1943 Scharnhorst (2) was sold to
the Japanese Navy and converted into the aircraft carrier Shinyo
(commissioned 15th December 1943). She was torpedoed and sunk by the
submarine USS Spadefish when northeast of Shanghai.
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Scharnhorst
(2)
Gneisenau (2)
(NDL: 1935-1943)
Gneisenau (2) was the second of
three express steamers for NDL's Far East services. She was built (along
with Scharnhorst (2) ) by Deschimag AG 'Weser' in Bremen (yard
numbers 891 & 893). She was 18,160 GRT and 198.5m (651ft) long and had
turbo-electric machinery. She entered service on the Far East routes on
3rd January 1936 and remained on this line until the start of WW2, when
she was used as naval accommodation ship. In 1942 conversion into an
aircraft carrier was planned at Wilhelmshaven (as happened to her sister
Scharnhorst in Japan). Gneisenau (2) struck an
aircraft-laid mine off Gedser on 2nd May 1943 and sank.
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Gneisenau (2)
Modern art postcard of Gneisenau (2)
Potsdam
(NDL: 1935-1945)
Potsdam was the third of three
express steamers for NDL's Far East services. She was built by Blohm &
Voss, Hamburg for the Hamburg-Amerika Line and was not a sister of the
two NDL ships. Following a re-organisation of the German shipping
industry she was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd before completion. Her
maiden voyage to the Far East began on 5th July 1935. Potsdam
was used as an accommodation ship in Hamburg and Gydnia during the war.
In 1942 there were plans to convert her into an aircraft carrier. In
1945 she was used in the evacuation of the eastern territories, and was
taken as a British war prize on 20th June 1945. She was placed in
service as the Empire Jewel and then Empire Fowey,
managed by P&O. She was soon laid up, however, due to problems with her
high pressure boilers. In 1947 she was rebuilt with new boilers and
turbines, returning to service as a troop ship. In 1960 she was sold to
the Pan-Islamic SS Co of Karachi and entered the pilgrim trade as the
Safina-E-Hujjaj. She was broken up in Pakistan in June 1976.
Norddeutscher Lloyd postcard of Potsdam
Dramatic art postcard of Potsdam
Photographic postcard of Potsdam
Photographic postcard of HM Troopship Empire
Fowey, ex-Potsdam
Photographic postcard of HM Troopship Empire
Fowey, ex-Potsdam
Robert Ley
(1939)
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