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| The Cap Arcona: Launched: 1927 Volume: 27,560 gross tons Length: 676 feet Speed: 20 knots Demise: Part of one of the worst at-sea disasters of all time. This site is designed to feature mainly the North Atlantic luxury liners, but there are a few of the South Atlantic liners worthy of mention. One of these is Hamburg-Sud line's three funnelled Cap Arcona. She was the largest and fastest ship on the South Atlantic run from Hamburg to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, and was unquestionably the most luxurious ship on that route. The Cap Arcona was very popular with the rich and aristocratic Argentinians and Brazilians who were fortunate enough to be able to afford to take their families and friends on extravagant European vacations. This ship's familiar silhouette was a welcome sight along the South American coast and her three white and red stacks attracted many wishful gazes from onlookers. The Cap Arcona's career was glittering and glamorous, but met a tragic end. Germany was already conquered in 1945 and the only concentration camp still fully operating was in Nuengamme, close to Hamburg. Orders were given to leave no prisoners available for rescue by the Allies, so marches were arranged with survivors of other broken up camps. Hundreds died on the trek to Lubeck Bay because there was no food or water, and stragglers were shot. Upon arrival of the bay, over ten thousand prisoners were forced to board the Cap Arcona, the freighter Theilbek and the liner Deutschland. These ships had been pronounced unseaworthy, and it was planned that the prisoners sink slowly to their deaths in the leaking hulks. Five thousand prisoners were shoved into the Cap Arcona alone and were left to starve and drown in the now rusty vessel. Not realizing that the ships were full of Nazi prisoners of war, the British Royal Air Force attacked the harbour in what was one of the last air raids against Germany. Only 350 people were rescued from the scenes that followed the dropping of the bombs. The Deutschland and Theilbek sank very quickly and the Cap Arcona burned in a terrible blaze. Capsizing about an hour later, the few remaining prisoners that remained aboard the Cap Arcona were trapped with no hope of escape. The water was freezing, and the rest of the people trying to make it to shore froze to death. In all, over eight thousand people died in the disaster, and for many years the charred remains of the frozen and drowned prisoners washed up on the beaches of Lubeck Bay. |
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| Coming soon: The Wilhelm Gustloff The Worst Sea Disaster in History |
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| The Bremen: Launched: 1929 Volume: 51,656 Length: 958 feet Speed: 27 knots Demise: Destroyed by fire at the begining of WWII Directly following the First World War, all of Germany's shipping lines were nearly destroyed by the Treaty of Versailles. They were all given to Allied countries, sailing with new colors and names. Quickly, fleets of smaller German ships followed this action in a desperate attempt to rebuild. This led up the the grand appearance of two remarkable ships. When first planned, the sister-ships were to be much smaller and much less extravagant, like all of the smaller ships that proceeded them. The plans were revised and the two ships were launched one day apart from each other with the intent of them having the same dates and times for their maiden voyages. One of the ships was swept by a fire and took longer to complete, making the Bremen to be the first of the two to sail. She recaptured the Blue Ribband from the Mauretania, Britain's pride which held the speed record since 1909. The Bremen was a liner of bold, new design, reflecting the changing technologies of the age. She introduced the bulbous bow that cut through the water more efficiently, allowing greater speed with less effort and fuel consumption. The Bremen also introduced an innovation that became a short-lived fad. A seaplane was carried between the two stacks on a great catapult. A day and a half before the ship docked, the plane was launched with all outgoing mail, speeding up the mail process considerably. This became cumbersome and was abandoned. Just two days befor the outbreak of WWII, the Bremen left New York and headed for Russia. She then broke through the British blockade and retruned to Bremerhaven where a young crewmember started a fire onboard. The Bremen was completely burned out and was declared a total loss. She was then broken up in 1941. |
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| The Rebuilding and Another World War |
| The Europa: Launched: 1930 Volume: 49,746 gross tons Length: 936 feet Speed: 27 knots Demise: Given to France after WWII and renamed Liberte After being nearly destroyed by fire after her launch, the Europa began her service a year later than anticipated. The Europa was nearly identical to her sister-ship Bremen, and both became very popular amongst the travelling German populace. The sleek pair was easily identifiable by the short, racy appearance of their smokestacks and the overly machined decks. Unfortunately, coal dust gathered on the decks, causing the passengers to be dirtied by soot. This forced HAPAG to double the height of the funnels on both ships. The Europa had the distinciton of winning the Blue Ribband from her sister Bremen. The Bremen won back the prize three months later, only to lose it again to the Italian superliner Rex two months later.The two German sisters worked in tandem for almost a decade before being thrown into yet another world conflict, again involving Germany. Gradually, as 1939 approached, changes were seen. German nationalism was once again very strong, this time led by an eccentric man with a funny mustache. Before long, the Europa was flying the Nazi flag. The Europa was going to be part of a great plan for invasion of one of the Allied countries, and huge doors were cut into her side that would be used by the invading German masses. Nothing came of the plan and Europa sat in Bremerhaven for the entirety of the War. The ship was then taken by the Americans in 1945 during and invasion of the port. Europa was considered a prize until she was nearly swept by fire on several different occasions, and hull cracking was discovered. When negotiations at the end of the War proceeded, it was decided that the German ocean liner fleet would once again be split up among the victorious nations. The Europa was awarded to France for the loss of their giantess Normandie, which burned in New York in 1939. Europa was renamed Liberte' and extensive modifications were to be made to the ship before she could sail under the French tri-color, and she was sent to Le Havre to be rebuilt. |
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| To be added soon: The Wilhelm Gustloff, Berlin, Bremen, and new Columbus |
