HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

SS ''Imperator'' was a German
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
built for the Hamburg America Line ( Hamburg Amerikanische Paketfahrt Aktien Gesellschaft, or HAPAG), launched in 1912. At the time of his completion in June 1913, he was the largest passenger ship in the world by gross tonnage, surpassing the new White Star liner ''
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
.'' ''Imperator'' was the first of a trio of successively larger Hamburg American liners that included SS ''Vaterland'' (later the United States Liner ''Leviathan'') and SS ''Bismarck'' (later the White Star Line ''Majestic'') all of which were seized as war reparations. ''Imperator'' served for 14 months on HAPAG's transatlantic route, until the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, after which he remained in port in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
. After the war, he was briefly commissioned into the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
as USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080) and employed as a transport, returning American troops from Europe. Following his service with the U.S. Navy, ''Imperator'' was handed over to Britain's
Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
as part of
war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. History Making one party pay a war indemnity is a common practice with a long history. R ...
, due to the loss of the ''
RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' (named after the Roman province in Western Europe corresponding to modern Portugal) was a British ocean liner that was launched by the Cunard Line in 1906 and that held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlanti ...
,'' where he sailed as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
RMS ''Berengaria'' for the last 20 years of his career. William H. Miller wrote that "despite her German heritage and the barely disguised Teutonic tone of his interiors, he was thought of in the 1920's and 30's as one of Britain's finest liners."


Construction and early career

The first plates of the
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
were laid in 1910 at the Vulcan Shipyards in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, Germany and the ship made his maiden voyage in 1913. At 52,117 gross register tons, ''Imperator'' was the largest ship in the world until ''Vaterland'' sailed in May 1914. After the sinking of the ''Titanic'' in April 1912, the shipyard added more lifeboats to ''Imperator'' to ensure there was more than enough room for all passengers and crew. In total, ''Imperator'' would carry 83 lifeboats capable of holding 5,500 people between them, 300 more than the ship's maximum capacity. Before his launch on 23 May 1912,
Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
announced that its new ship, , which was under construction at the time at the John Brown shipyards in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, would be longer by , causing dismay in Hamburg. Several weeks later, he was fitted with a figurehead, an imposing bronze eagle, increasing his length past that of ''Aquitania''. The eagle was created by Professor Bruno Kruse of
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, and adorned his forepeak with a banner emblazoned with HAPAG's
motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
''Mein Feld ist die Welt'' (''My field is the world''). The eagle's wings were torn off in an Atlantic storm during the 1914 season, after which the figurehead was removed and replaced with gold scroll-work similar to that on the stern. During his initial sea trials, the ship ran aground on the
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
river due to insufficient dredging and flash fire in the engine room which resulted in eight crewmen being taken to hospital. During his official
trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
, he suffered overheating of the turbines and some stability issues were discovered. The trials were therefore abandoned and the builders were called in to carry out emergency work. Coincidentally, 1913 was the silver jubilee year for the
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
, so he was going to be treated to an overnight cruise on the North Sea before the ship would make its maiden voyage. The overnight cruise was canceled; it was eventually carried out in July that year. ''Imperator'' left on his maiden voyage on Wednesday, 11 June 1913, with Commodore Hans Ruser in command and
Hamburg-Amerika The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...
appointing four other captains for the journey to make sure that everything went smoothly. On the way, he stopped at
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
before proceeding across the Atlantic to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, arriving on 19 June 1913. On board were 4,986, consisting of 859 first-class passengers, 647 second-class passengers, 648 third-class passengers, 1,495 in steerage, and 1,332 crew. The ship returned to Europe from
Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
, on 25 June 1913. On his first arrival, the harbour pilot assigned to bring her into the Ambrose channel, Captain George Seeth, noted that the ship listed from side to side when the helm made changes to the ship's direction. He was soon nicknamed "Limperator". In October 1913, ''Imperator'' returned to the Vulkan shipyard to facilitate drastic work to improve handling and stability, as it had been discovered that his center of gravity was too high (see
metacentric height The metacentric height (GM) is a measurement of the initial static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre. A larger metacentric height implies greater initial stab ...
). To correct the problem, the marble bathroom suites in first class were removed and heavy furniture was replaced with lightweight wicker cane. The ship's funnels were reduced in height by . Finally, 2,000 tons of cement was poured into the ship's double bottom as ballast. This work cost £200,000, which had to be borne by the shipyard as part of their five-year warranty to the shipowners. At the same time, an advanced fire sprinkler system was fitted throughout the ship, as several fires had occurred on board since the vessel had entered service. During the 1914 refit of ''Imperator'', Commodore Ruser handed over command of the ship to Captain Theo Kier and left to take command of the new larger flagship ''Vaterland'', which was nearing completion. ''Imperator'' returned to service on 11 March, arriving in New York five days later on the 19th. The SS ''Imperator'' was often referred to in masculine form because Kaiser Wilhelm thought that ''Imperator'' was a male name.


Interiors

The architect and designer
Charles Mewès Charles-Frédéric Mewès (30 January 1858 - 9 August 1914) was a French architect and designer. Biography Born in Strasbourg, Alsace in 1858, Charles Frédéric Mewès grew up a Parisian after his family fled the Prussian invasion and annexat ...
was responsible for the interior design of the ''Imperator'' and his sister ships. One German critic commented on the prevalence of French-style décor on the new ship: One contemporary review noted how the ship's "great size...has enabled his designers to allow unusual space for passenger accommodation." This was echoed in ''The Master, Mate, and Pilot'', which stated that "taking advantage of his great dimensions, the ships' public cabins and staterooms have been made so large as to avoid any suggestion of crowding." Space-saving devices like berths and folding washbasins were eliminated in the First-Class staterooms on ''Imperator'', all of which had free-standing beds and marble-topped washstands with hot and cold running water. Almost all First-Class cabins were "outside" cabins, meaning they had portholes or windows for natural light and ventilation. Over 200 cabins were reserved for single occupancy, and 150 had en-suite bathrooms. The two "Imperial" suites had 12 rooms each, including breakfast room, private veranda, sitting room, and servants' quarters. The main First-Class dining room was on F Deck and there were two restaurants on B Deck. The main dining room could accommodate 700 diners at tables for between 2 and 8 people. The Ritz-Carlton restaurant, which was joined with a
winter garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...
/palm court in the
Directoire style Directoire style () was a period in the decorative arts, fashion, and especially furniture design in France concurrent with the Directory (November 2, 1795–November 10, 1799), the later part of the French Revolution. The style uses Neoclassica ...
, was managed by staff from the Carlton Hotel in London. There was also a Grill Room at the aft end of B Deck, a tea-garden, and a Veranda café. Other First-Class public rooms included a 72-foot long lounge/ballroom, several ladies sitting rooms, and a smoking room. The
Tudor style Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
smoking room was decorated with brick from a demolished Tudor-era cottage in England. The lounge, or "Social Hall", as it was called, was hung with Gobelins tapestries and included a stage for theatrical performances to be held. In the evening the carpet could be removed for dancing. Off the entrance halls were amenities like a bookshop, florist, pharmacy, doctor's office, and the offices of the purser, chief steward, and baggage master. ''Imperator'' introduced a two-deck-high,
Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
an-style swimming pool for its First-Class passengers. It was inspired by a similar swimming pool built in 1907 at the
Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey. Both provide accommodation and a range o ...
in London. Connected to the pool were Turkish baths, steam baths, electric baths, massage and hairdressing rooms. The gymnasium was "the largest and most luxurious that has ever been fitted up on a passenger steamer...", according to ''The Marine Engineering and Naval Architect''. For the first time on an ocean liner, Second-Class had its own gymnasium as well. Second-Class passengers also had their own smoking room, reading and writing rooms, dining room, and music room.


World War I and U.S. Navy service

In August 1914, as
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began, he was laid up at Hamburg and remained inactive for more than four years, falling into dilapidation. Following the
Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
, ''Imperator'' was taken over by the Allied Food Shipping and Finance Agreement, and allocated to the United States for temporary use as a transport alongside ''Vaterland'', which was now renamed SS ''Leviathan'' and bringing American service personnel home from France. He has commissioned as the USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080) in early May 1919. After embarking 2,100 American troops and 1,100 passengers, ''Imperator'' departed
Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French mi ...
on 15 May 1919, arriving at New York City one week later. Operating with the
Cruiser and Transport Force The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France. Composition On 1 July 1918, the Cruiser and Transport Force was ...
from 3 June to 10 August, he made three cruises from New York to Brest, returning over 25,000 troops, nurses, and civilians to the United States. While en route to New York City on 17 June, ''Imperator'' assisted the , which had broken down in the Atlantic Ocean. The
President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...
was on board ''Jeanne d'Arc'' and ''Imperator'' received him and his party for transport to the United States, arriving there several days later. Decommissioned at Hoboken, New Jersey in early 1919, ''Imperator'' was transferred to the
British Shipping Controller Shipping Controller was a post created by the Lloyd George Coalition Government in 1916 under the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916, New Ministries and Secretaries Act (6 & 7 George 5 c.68) to regulate and organize merchant shipping in order ...
on 20 September, and it was decided that he would be operated by Cunard. Captain Charles A. Smith and a full crew were sent out to New York on the new operators and the official handover from the American Board of shipping to Cunard took place on 24 November. ''Imperator'' was then transferred to Cunard's pier 54 for Cunard service.


Cunard service as ''Berengaria''

The ship arrived at Southampton on Sunday 10 December 1919 and then proceeded to
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
for what was planned to be a quick overhaul (he was scheduled to leave on his first voyage for the new owners on 10 January 1920). Upon inspection, the ship was found to be in poor condition. During dry-docking on 6 January, it was found that the ship's rudder had a piece missing and the propellers were suffering from erosion on their leading edges. These issues were attended to while the ship was refurbished with items borrowed from the Cunard vessels ''Transylvania'' and ''Carmania''. Due to the extent of the work that had to be carried out, ''Imperator'' remained at Liverpool until 21 February and during this time the company's annual dinner was held on board, before the ship returned to service on the North Atlantic. On 2 March 1920, the ship left New York, taking nine days to reach Southampton. During the voyage, ''Imperator'' developed a severe list that was found to be caused by a faulty ash ejector. Cunard decided that the ship was in need of a major overhaul and he was withdrawn from service. Sir Arthur Rostron of the RMS ''Titanic'' passenger rescue fame and former captain of took command of ''Imperator'' in July 1920. The following year both ''Imperator'' and ''Aquitania'' were sent to Armstrong Whitworth shipyards to be converted from coal firing to oil. The ship was renamed after the English queen
Berengaria of Navarre Berengaria of Navarre ( eu, Berengela, es, Berenguela, french: Bérengère; 1165–1170 – 23 December 1230) was Queen of England as the wife of Richard I of England. She was the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Ca ...
, wife of
Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
, in February 1921. Many Cunard ships had been named for parts of the Roman Empire and had names that ended in "ia". Like several other Cunard ships, RMS ''Berengaria'' kept the "ia" ending to her name but was not named after a province of the ancient world. In September 1925, a security alert at sea was triggered when the Cunard company offices in New York received a message stating there was a bomb aboard ''Berengaria''; the vessel was then 1,200 miles out from New York, bound for Southampton. The ship was searched although the passengers and most of the crew were not informed as to the reason. A fire drill was held just before the supposed time of detonation, so passengers could be placed close to their lifeboat stations without arousing suspicion. The bomb threat failed to materialize. On 11 May 1932, ''Berengaria'' ran aground in the
Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...
. She was refloated an hour later. In May 1934, ''Berengaria'' was again in the headlines when she ran aground on mud banks at
Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent.OS Explorer Map, New Forest, Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey B4 edition (2013). History In 1539, Henry VIII order ...
on the Solent. She was pulled free by four tugs from Southampton. The vessel suffered no damage and the incident did not affect her sailing schedule. Despite her German heritage, ''Berengaria'' served as flagship of the Cunard fleet until replaced by her sister ship, (also German: ex-'' SS Bismarck''), in 1934 after the merger of Cunard with
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
. In later years, ''Berengaria'' was used for discounted
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
-dodging cruises, which earned her jocular nicknames like ''Bargainaria'' and ''Boringaria''. Toward the end of her service life, the ship suffered several electrical fires caused by aging wiring, and Cunard-White Star opted to retire her in 1938. She was sold to Sir John Jarvis, who had also purchased ''Olympic'', to provide work for unemployed shipbuilders in
Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...
,
County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
. ''Berengaria'' sailed for the
River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...
under the command of Captain George Gibbons to be
scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...
down to the
waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
. Due to the size of the vessel and the outbreak of the Second World War, the final demolition took place only in 1946.


Gallery

File:Imperator launch.jpg, The stern of the ''Imperator'' prior to launch File:First Class Main Staircase Imperator (ship, 1913).jpg, First Class Main Staircase of ''Imperator''. File:USS Imperator and USS Leviathan.jpg, USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080), at left, and USS ''Leviathan'' (ID-1326) at Hoboken, New Jersey. File:Turbines in AG Vulcan works for SS Imperator (1912).png, ''Imperator''s turbines under construction at Vulcan, Hamburg. Note workmen, center right, for size comparison. File:Hamburg-American Line Cruises, 1913.jpg, Advertisement by Hamburg-American Line in ''American Homes and Gardens'' magazine, 1913


References

*


Further reading


''The Hamburg-American Company's New 50,000-Ton Liner''
(''International Marine Engineering'' feature article, August 1912, pp. 301–305, with launch photos & engineering details.)
SS ''Imperator'' / RMS ''Berengaria''


* ''Ocean Liners'', by Oliver le Goff * ''The Beautiful and Damned'', by F. Scott Fitzgerald
''Imperator/Berengaria'', by Les Streater


External links


S.S. ''Imperator''
at
Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
via
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

S.S. ''Imperator'' (German Passenger Liner, 1913) – Served as USS ''Imperator'' (ID # 4080) in 1919. – Later the British passenger liner ''Berengaria''


*


Ship's page at ocean-liners.com



Chris' Cunard Page

Final sailing to Sir John Jarvis's scrapyard; Jarow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperator Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships built in Hamburg Ships of the Cunard Line Ships of the Hamburg America Line Steamships of Germany Steamships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United States Transports of the United States Navy World War I auxiliary ships of the United States 1912 ships Passenger ships of Germany Imperator-class ocean liners Maritime incidents in 1932