Large Passenger Liners - SS Bremen, 1929
Edited by David Barth, 7 December 2008
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The SS Bremen of 1929 was one of a pair of ocean liners built for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line (NDL) for the
transatlantic passenger service. The Bremen was notable for her low streamlined profile, and modern approach to her
design. Her sister ship was the Europa, later renamed Liberte. The German pair sparked the building of the large
(and very expensive) express liners of the 1930s.
Characteristics:
- Tonnage: 51,656 gross tons
- Length: 938.6 feet (286.1 m) overall length
- Beam: 101.7 feet (31 m)
- Power: Four steam turbines generating 25,000 horsepower each
- Propulsion: Quadruple screws
- Speed: 27.5 knots
- Passenger Capacity 2,139, divided into the following classes:
- 811 first class
- 500 second class
- 300 tourist class
- 617 third class
- Crew: 966, total
The Bremen and her sister, the Europa, were designed to have a cruising speed of 27.5 knots, allowing a crossing time
of 5 days. This speed enabled Norddeutsche Lloyd to run regular weekly crossings with two ships, a feat that normally
required three. It was claimed that Bremen briefly reached speeds of 32 knots during her sea trials.
Originally, it was planned to have the Bremen make a simultaneous transatlantic crossing with her sister Europa, but
the Europa was held up by a serious fire during fitting-out, so the Bremen made a solo maiden voyage, departing
Bremerhaven for New York City on 16 July 1929. She arrived four days, 17 hours, and 42 minutes later, capturing the
westbound Blue Riband from the Mauretania with an average speed of 27.83 knots. This voyage also marked the first
time mail was carried by a ship launched plane for delivery before the ship's arrival. A Heinkel HE 12, piloted by
Jobst von Studnitz, was launched a few hours before arrival in New York with a number of mailbags.
On her next voyage
she took the eastbound Blue Riband with a time of 4 day 14 hours and 30 minutes and an average speed of 27.91 knots.
This was the first time a liner had broken two records on her first two voyages. The Bremen lost the westbound Blue
Riband to her sister Europa in 1930. Bremen lost the eastbound Blue Riband to SS Normandie in 1935.
As Nazism gained power in Germany, Bremen, and her pier in New York, were often the site of Anti-Nazi demonstrations.
On 26 July 1935 a group of demonstrators boarded Bremen just before she sailed and tore the Nazi party flag from the
jackstaff and tossed it into the Hudson River. On 15 September 1935 Hitler declared the Nazi Flag to be the exclusive
national flag of Germany in response to this incident, removing the status of the original flag of the Weimar Republic
as co-national flag.
On 26 August 1939, in anticipation of the 1939 invasion of Poland, the Kriegsmarine high command ordered all German
merchant ships to head to German ports immediately. Bremen was on a westbound crossing and 2 days from New York when
she received the order. Bremen’s captain decided to continue to New York to disembark her 1770 passengers. She left
New York without passengers on 30 August 1939. She made use of bad weather, and high speed to avoid Royal Navy cruisers,
arriving in Murmansk on 6 September 1939.
On 10 December 1939, the Bremen made a dash to Bremerhaven, arriving on 13
December. On the way she was sighted and challenged by the S class submarine HMS SalmonTemplate. While challenging
Bremen, an escorting Dornier Do 18 seaplane forced the Salmon to dive for safety. After diving, the Salmon's commander,
Lieutenant Commander E.O. Bickford, decided not to torpedo the liner because he believed she was not a legal target.
Bickford's decision not to fire on Bremen likely delayed the start of unrestricted submarine warfare.
The Bremen was used as a barrack ship. There were plans to use her as a transport in Operation Sealion, the intended
invasion of Great Britain. In 1941, the Bremen was set alight by a crew member while at her dock in Bremerhaven and
completely gutted. A lengthy investigation discovered that the arson was the result of personal grudge against the
ship's owners and not an act of sabotage. She was broken up in 1946.
See also:
RMS Mauretania - 1906.
RMS Titanic - 1911.
Europa - 1928.
Bremen - 1929.
SS Normandie - 1932.
RMS Queen Mary - 1934.
RMS Queen Elizabeth - 1938.
SS America - 1940.
RMS Oceanic - 1951.
SS United States - 1952.
SS France - 1960.
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 - 1967.
RMS Queen Mary 2 - 2003.
MS Oasis of the Seas - 2009.