HISTORY - ss KAISER FRIEDRICH the failed German Greyhound

The failed German Greyhound ss KAISER FRIEDRICH is one of the tragic figures in shipping history, as we find it in rms TITANIC, ss NORMANDIE, ss GREAT EASTERN and a number of other vessels human engineering created. Each vessel has its own history record.
by Earl of Cruise

ss KAISER FRIEDRICH build 1897 by Schichau - source Wikipedia

Isambard Brunel created the perfect vessel of his time, or thought so. The ss GREAT EASTERN was in the end, besides far ahead of time, but without the power she needed, a financial desaster, and in the end the cause of the heart attack and death of the genius of the 19th century.

The tragedy of rms TITANIC is all too known to all of us. While she was build to sail smooth over the Atlantic, as her sister the rms OLYMPIC, "the old reliable", did. she did not finish her inauguaral sailing and took 1,514 souls with her to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The ss NORMANDIE, the `Palais Flottant´, the `Vaisseau de Lumière´ was ahead of her time, technical and with her design - interior and especially exterior. The ss NORMANDIE ruled the North Atlantic as she gained two times the Blue Riband, and was the stage of and for the society of her time. She ended carelessly set on fire, while unneccessary seized, flodded by incompetent firefighters, and got her final blow by the arrogancy of a navy admiral - "This is a NAVY job!"

Human history is influenced by strong personalities. We find similarities in the shipping history. The history book of shipping is marked by large and powerful ships. Some vessels became reference points during their lifes and cornerstones for development and prosperity. Many of them are intertwined not only with the companies which have brought them to sea, but too with the events which have marked the history of humanity as successes or failures.

If we look at all the ships we include as milestones the ss KAISER FRIEDRICH should be considered.

The ss KAISER FRIEDRICH, later in 1912 becoming the ss BURDIGALA of COMPAGNIE DE NAVIGATION SUS-ATLANTIQUE, was such an example of innovative technology and great failiure. The NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD ordered at F. SCHICHAU, MASCHINEN- und LOKOMOTIVFABRIK, SCHIFFSWERFT und EISENGIESSEREI GmbH in Stettin a running mate for their ss KAISER WILHELM DER GROSSE, which had a different and new approach in technology. The builders had their experience in constructing torpedo boats and implemented this technology in a smaller vessel than the KAISER. The builders had been convinced in meeting the expected demands of LLOYD.

	ss KAISER WILHEM DER GROSSE	ss KAISER FRIEDRICH
Tonnage:	14,349 GRT 24,300 tons displacement	12,480 GRT
Length:	200 m	183 metres
Beam:	20.056 m	19.4 metres
Draught:	max. 8,3 m	max. 8,54 m
Installed power:	33,000 ihp	28,000 ihp
Propulsion:	2 triple expansion reciprocating engines 2 screw propellers	Five cylinder reciprocating steam engines (with cylinder diameter of 109.22 cm, 162.56 cm, 233.68 cm, 2x236.22 cm), with quadruple expansion Twin three-bladed bronze propellers,with a diameter of 6.19 meters
Speed:	22.5 kn (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph)	19 kn, later 20 knots
Capacity:	1,506 passengers I. Klasse: 206 + 134 bed sofas und cots II. Klasse: 226 + 120 bed sofas und cots III. Klasse: 1074	1,350 Passengers 400 First Class 250 Second Class 700 Third Class
Crew:	488	420

The concept of the ss KAISER FRIEDRICH made the directors at the LLOYD suspicious, but they contracted the building. The LLOYD was desperate in the need of a running mate to their KAISER who won the Blue Riband. The KAISER won the prize for speed and luxury in the most highly demanding shipping route, the line of the northern Atlantic.

The lay out of ss KAISER FRIEDRICH was different to the KAISER and lacked f.e. the grandeur of the Grosser Speisesaal (main dining room), which became a trade mark for the LLOYD Schnelldampfer fleet.

ss Kaiser Friedrich deck plan and cabin lay out - own collection

But ss KAISER FRIEDRICH failed to meet the expectations of the LLOYD and F.SCHICHAU. The LLOYD had set as an indisputable term of the contract, a minimum cruising speed at 22 knots. The ss KAISER FRIEDRICH never managed to reach. This failure gave ss KAISER FRIEDRICH a bad name and accompanied the liner as a curse during her 17 years of existence. This condemned ss KAISER FRIEDRICH to remain mothballed for a long time.

The following dispute of LLOYD and F.SCHICHAU was regarded in the international shipping industry.

To the Editor of THE MARINE ENGINEER

Dear Sir,

In your esteemed journal of August 1st, page 207, you write that the KAISER FRIEDRICH has been withdrawn by the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD from service and returned to her builders. This is not being the fact, I request you kndly to rectify it, in the next issue of your esteemed journal, according to the following data: - The KAISER FRIEDRICH was the property of the firm F.SCHICHAU, and in spite of her built as a high speed passenger steamer, requiring a good quality of coal, the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD mostly gave her a very inferior coal - besides, many of the stokers had no previous experience. Under these circumstances it could not give surprise that the KAISER FRIEDRICH was not able to develop her full speed, and there was no other way for the firm of F.SCHICHAU but to withdraw its steamer and give her into other hands.

The KAISER FRIEDRICH will make her next voyages under the flag of the HAMBURG AMERCAN LINE.

Reiterating to you in advance my best thanks for this reditification, I remain, dear Sir,

Yours very respectfully

F.Schichau

Elbing, August 7th, 1899

The HAPAG indeed was in need of a fourth steamer, as one of the twin screw steamers was sold. After some crossings the ss KAISER FRIEDRICH was laid up in the port of Hamburg. And F.SCHICHAU tried to find a buyer for the vessel. Finally in 1912 they found a potentially buyer in COMPAGNIE DE NAVIGATION SUS-ATLANTIQUE, which payed 4,000,000 million French Franc.

ss BURDIGALA 1912, ex KAISER FRIEDRICH 1898 - own collection

SUD-ATLANTIQUE refurbished the vessel which took longer than estimated. Twelve years of lay up had to be respected.

ss BURDIGALA deck plan and cabin lay out - own collection

The ss BURDIGALA then too had no successful carrer with SUD-ATLANTIQUE as her coal consumption had been too high and still lacked an efficient speed for the the new destination - the ports on the De La Plata. She sailed into her next lay up.

With the outbreak of WWI she was reactivated for military duties and sank on November 14th, 1916 in the northwest waters of the island of Kea, Cyclades, Greece.

The vessel would become the main research objective during a shipwreck dive mission in September 2008, under the name of Kea Dive Expedition . The mission was organized for identifying and highlighting a shipwreck, which was known as the “Unknown Shipwreck of Kea“.

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