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“.

Comments

Ocean Liners in Movies or Films at Sea (updated Nov 2017)

For liners and the shipping companies movies and films had been a top marketing tool Movies or Films and liners at sea, had been intriguing me since I have read about in my youth in LUXUSLINER - BILDER EINER GROSSEN ZEIT by Lee Server ( THE GOLDEN AGE OF OCEAN LINERS ). But earlier, mot only since my first crossing, I was keen watching movies with liners in it, and disapointed, which was an understatement, when I realized the films have been made in a set ashore in some movie "factory". That was after my first crossing. by Earl of Cruise an essay in progress `Sabrina´, Humphrey Bogart in the office, while LIBERTÉ is sailing out of New York harbor - screenshot Ocean liners, especially those of the luxury category, had been the location of dramas, love stories, thrillers, suspense and catastrophies sinde film was born, or nearly. In this list, the most descriptions are taken from Wikipedia, as I guess no one can expect having seen all these films ... otherwise I w...

HISTORY - RHEINGOLD the German luxury day express train

Between May 1928 and August 1939 the luxury day express train RHEINGOLD operated between Hoek van Holland and Basel as a FFD Pullman train of DEUTSCHE REICHSBAHN GESELLSCHAFT (DRG) and MITROPA. The name was mystic and elitarian. by Earl of Cruise RHEINGOLD, the name of the most luxurious train ever of Germany - detail, own photo On May 15th, 1928 the luxury express train RHEINGOLD started for the first time, connecting Hoek von Holland, Netherlands, and Amsterdamn with Basel, Suisse. Name giving was the legendary treasure of the Nibelungen. This special service for most international travelers was an immidiate success. Advertisment for the RHEINGOLD created by Frank Newbould - collection Earl of Cruise For the most travelers in the RHEINGOLD meant the voyage in the luxury train more than being transported in high comfort. From their soft armchairs they could watch the pitoresque Rhine landscape, with wine villages, vine-growing slopes, forteresses and castles, and th...

HISTORY - The CUNARD - WHITE STAR Liner rms QUEEN ELIZABETH (1938-1972)

Over years, in my early youth, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was shaping my mind for the perfect ocean liner, despite having made my first experiences with a liner onboard the HANSEATIC (1), ex EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, ex EMPRESS OF JAPAN. When leaning at the rail of HANSEATIC entering the port, my eyes where every where and I wished to by a camera, I took all in. And when seeing the QUEEN ELIZABETH with my own eyes, the nice behaving young boy turned into a tomboy, that my grandmére was no longer able to tame ... I did draw quite a lot of looks, back then. I found, while on research, this article and thought it interesting publishing in my blog: written and published by John Sheperd at liverpoolships.org editing and comments by Earl of Cruise I ( John Shepard ) joined the CUNARD LINE in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five...

Starting rms TITANIC from cold

rms TITANIC, 1911, Cold Starting WHITES STAR LINE Ltd., Builders: HALAND & WOLFF, Belfast by Stephen Carey, engineer, editing by Earl of Cruise rms TITANIC, 1911 © Stephen Carey Table of Contents 1 Overview of machinery spaces 1.1 Boiler rooms 1.2 Coal bunkers 1.3 Propulsion engines 1.4 Electrical power generation 1.4.1 Main generating sets 1.4.2 Emergency generating sets 2 Lighting up the boilers 2.1 Steam line redundancy 3 Starting the generators 3.1 Auxiliary seawater pump and condenser 3.2 Starting an emergency gener...

HISTORY - Traveling with airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG was the most luxurious airtravel

The real airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG enabled the most luxurious airtravel for decades. Imagine, gliding through the air while the landscape or the sea below can be seen ... LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. On May 6, 1937, the story of civilian airship ended in a tragedy. In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the largest flying object and has been with the similar sized LZ 130 GRAF ZEPPELIN II the most luxurious of all time. How this came about can be reconstructed logically, a series of fatal physics concatenations . The airship LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. It was in its time the fastest and most exclusive traveling object between Europe and America. The challenges of the construction of the giant of the heaven were immense. by Earl of Cruise LZ 129 HINDENBURG, 1936, in Lakehurst - digital copy of a coloured cover photo, originally by Bill Schneider, published in Dan Grossman´s book ` ZEPPELIN HINDENBURG: AN ILLUSTRATED HI...

HISTORY - the ROYAL MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY sailing the South Atlantic

While on research for an article published in print in Jan/Feb 2017 eventually, about the CAP Express steamers of HAMBURG-SÜD (Wikipedia) HAMBURG SÜDAMERIKANISCHEDAMPFSCHIFFFAHRTSGESELLSCHAFT I had to look into the competitors and took advantage of creating seperate articles about. by Earl of Cruises ROYAL MAIL LINE cruise broshure of 1959 - own collection The first of these South America or Rio de la Plata route related articles is about the ROYAL MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY which was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by the Scottisch business entrepreneur James MacQueen. The line's motto was ` Per Mare Ubique´ (everywhere by sea) - nobody ever should argue about the motto of Albert Ballin `Mein Feld ist die Welt´, both mottos are not ostentatious they express the same: I don´t want to be hindered by frontiers and my limit is the other shore or the sky. After good and bad times ROYAL MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY became the largest shipping group in...

HISTORY - ts / ss BREMEN and ts / ss EUROPA

Germany’s two luxury liners, BREMEN and EUROPA , have not only played an important part in their country’s mercantile revival, but have added also an immortal chapter to the history of transatlantic travel. Copy from Shipping Wonders of the World From part 6 , published 17 March 1936 editing by Earl of Cruise ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: Shipping Wonders of the World/Bundespresse Archiv The PRIDE OF A NATION - the NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD quadruple-screw turbine express liner BREMEN . The keel of this ship was laid in June 1927. Her launch took place in August, 1928. In less than a year later, the Bremen made her first voyage to America, when she crossed the Atlantic from Cherbourg to New York in four days seventeen hours forty-two minutes, thus setting up a new record and gaining the coveted “Blue Riband”. During the passage the Bremen attained an average speed of 27.83 knots. ss / ts BREMEN in her early years - Source: W ikipedia For the pop...

HISTORY - rms MAJESTIC - Hand in Hand with rms TITANIC

TITANIC and MAJESTIC (1890), both Royal Mail Ships, hand in hand? How so? The review of João Martins will show. by João Martins , editing by Earl of Cruise And WHITE STAR LINE was more than only a shipping line which employed rms TITANIC. WHITE STAR was company with a great heritage and introduced many innovations which became standards. Founded by Thomas Henry Ismay , originally from Maryport, and shareholders amoung whom had been HARLAND&WOLFF . Later the Irish shipbuilder, located in Belfast, built all ships for WHITE STAR. rms MAJESTIC as built by HARLAND&WOLFF - Sour ce: Wikipedia ( original seize ) T he rms MAJESTIC was a 9,965 GRT British ocean liner built by HARLAND & WOLFF for WHITE STAR LINE and completed in 1890. Her career was profoundly intertwined with rms TITANIC. In the late 1880s competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the major shipping lines. At the time the prize belonged to CUNA RD...

Britain s Sleeper Trains - Enjoy a Revival

A revival of British Sleeper Trains is coming to enjoy us. by Alexander Naughton, editing by Earl of Cruise Sleeper Trains epitomise the romance of travel and have a magic touch and cosmopolitan spirit to them as you go to sleep in one location and wake up refreshed in another. They are convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly ways to travel. These lifeline trains allow people to make connections – for business, leisure and family – in a way that no other mode of transport can. In recent years, sleeper trains in Britain have experienced a great revival in their fortunes. Photo: Travel poster of LMS Night Scot sleeper train from London to Scotland Photo: Travel poster of LNER Night Scotsman sleeper train from London to Scotland However this is in direct contrast to what is happening with sleeper trains in Continental Europe where they seem to be in decline due to the advent of low cost air travel, development of high speed rail, lack of inves...

Germany and HAPAG - A Journey through History

HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHEPACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT - HAPAG or HAMBURG AMERICA LINE is reflecting, as Germany, the LLOYD of Bremen, two times of rsing and two times of devasting downfall and a third rise. BORUSSIA , 1856, First Day Cover 1956 of Deutsche Bundespost - own collection Once Germany´s biggest shipping line HAPAG / HAMBURG-AMERIKANISCHE PACKETFAHRT ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT-LLOYD, merged with it former old Hanseatic rival NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD in 1970, to now HAPAG-LLOYD, had its peaks and downs, but rose each time on its own to new hights, without any state subsidies. As German mail subsidiaries did never cover the costs for purchasing or mainting the vessels ordered for the specific German mail lines. by Earl of Cruise In this article I used most German Wikipedia links, as they proved to be mostly of better research quality, and surprisinf to me, some English lines and liners have only German written articles, for the others, English Wiki links are to ...

Search This Blog

Thank You 500,000 readers