SS Bremen (1929)

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For other ships named Bremen, see Bremen.

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 Liberté. The German pair sparked the building of the large (and very expensive) express liners of the 1930s.

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. 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.<ref name="SV">Huchthausen, Peter A. (2005). Shadow Voyage: The Extraordinary Wartime Escape of the Legendary SS Bremen. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. ISBN 0471457582.</ref>[1] The Bremen lost the westbound Blue Riband 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 July 26, 1935 a group of demonstrators boarded Bremen just prier to sailing and torn the Nazi party flag from the jackstaff and tossed it into the Hudson River. On September 15th, 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.<ref name="SV"> </ref>[2][3]

On August 26th, 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 August 30th, 1939. She made use of bad weather, and high speed to avoid Royal Navy cruisers, arriving in Murmansk on September 6th, 1939. On December 10th, 1939, the "Bremen" made a dash to Bremerhaven, arriving on December 13th. On the way she was sighted and challenged by the S class submarine HMS Salmon. 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.[4] Bickford's decision not to fire on Bremen likely delayed the start of unrestricted submarine warfare. <ref name="SV"> </ref>

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.

[edit] Specifications

51,656 gross tons.
938.6 ft (286.1 m) overall length,101.7 ft (31 m) beam.
Engines: steam turbines geared to four screws, designed speed 27 knots.
2139 passengers (811 first class, 500 second class, 300 tourist class, 617 third class), 966 crew.