SS Imperator Archival Collection
The SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line. Postcard c1912. GGA Image ID # 1d31119faf
Content Links
- Postcard of the SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line (Top)
- Imperator (1912) Hamburg-American Line Ship's History (Brief)
- Passenger Lists
- Brochures
- Posters
- Title Pages
- Senior Officers and Staff
- Wireless Technology
- Photographs
- Deck Plans
- Advertisements
- Other Ephemera
- Books Referencing the Imperator
- The "Imperator," the Largest Vessel in the World - 1912
- Cunard Purchases the Huge Imperator - 1921
- Imperator Bibliography
Imperator (1912) Hamburg-American Line
Built by Vulkan Werkes, Hamburg, Germany. Tonnage: 51,969. Dimensions: 883' x 98' (919' o.l.). Propulsion: Quadruple-screw, 23 knots. Four steam turbines. Masts and Funnels: Two masts and three funnels. Her huge funnels were 69 feet high from desk level. Had draft of 39 feet. Launched: May 23, 1912. Passengers: 700 first, 600 second, 1,000 third, 1,800 steerage class. Maiden voyage: Hamburg-Southampton-Cherbourg-New York, June 18, 1913. WW1 Event: She was ceded to Great Britain under treaty of Versailles after First World War. Renamed: Berengaria (1921). Similar ships: Vaterland and Bismarck.
Return to Content Links
1914-03-11 SS Imperator Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Hamburg Amerika Linie / Hamburg American Line (HAPAG)
- Class of Passengers: First and Second Cabin
- Date of Departure: 11 March 1914
- Route: Hamburg to New York via Southampton and Cherbourg
- Commander: Commodore Th. Kier
- Note: 110 Officers and Staff Listed
Return to Content Links
Hamburg-Amerika Linie Nordseebäder-Fahrplan - 1914
Viele Fotos der Schiffe, Innenansichten und Bilder der Wahrzeichen von Hamburg, Deutschland, machen diese Broschüre zu einer ungewöhnlich guten Broschüre der Hamburg- Amerika Linie von 1914. Zwei farbige Karten enthalten die Nordsee und die Umgebung.
Hamburg America Line North Sea Resorts Timetable - 1914
Many photographs of the ships, interior views, and images of Hamburg, Germany landmarks help to make this an unusually good brochure from the Hamburg America Line in 1914. Two color maps are included of the North Sea and Vicinity. Ships Featured: Königin Luise, Kaiser, and the Imperator.
Return to Content Links
1913 Poster of the SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line. World's Largest Ship: 919 Feet Long, 50,000 Tons, 98 Feet Beam. GGA Image ID # 1daef1866d
Return to Content Links
Title Page, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 205fc5f59b
Return to Content Links
Senior Officers and Staff, Part 1 of 2, SS Imperator Voyage of from Hamburg to New York, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 20600fc8d3
Senior Officers and Staff, Part 2 of 2, SS Imperator Voyage of from Hamburg to New York, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 20601a3d85
Return to Content Links
The Wireless Telegraph Service, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 20603402b2
Return to Content Links
Hamburg-American Line SS Imperator (1912). GGA Image ID # 1dbcf50005
The German Ocean Liner Imperator - Largest Ship Afloat at 65,000 Tons. The Unsinkable Titanic (1912) p. 159. GGA Image ID # 107c472c10
Shut up in Hamburg all through World War I, the Imperator was one of the German ships turned over to the Allies after the Armistice. She has recently been purchased by the Cunard Line and is now on their New York-Cherbourg-Southampton run. Shipping Magazine, 10 March 1921. GGA Image ID # 1421129a95
The Social Director on the SS Imperator Telling Stories to Children Gathered on Deck. Harper's Bazar, January 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbd364054
The Rotor or Rotating Element for One of the Turbines on the SS Imperator. An Unsinkable Titanic, 1912. GGA Image ID # 1dbd3a1444
The SS Imperator Near the Harbor. The huge steamers "Imperator" and "Vaterland" of the Hamburg-America line are expected to be 1st, 24th-26th, 3rd-5th, 14th-16th, 24th-26th June, 5th-7th ., 15th-21st, 26th-30th July, 9th-11th, 20th-25th, 30th, 31st August, 1st, 13th-15th, 20th-22nd September. On July 15, a special trip Norderney-Helgoland-Cuxhaven and after the SS "Vaterland" and back, from Norderney 5.30 Vm., return 6.40 Nm., instead of on the Elbe from the seaside resorts. North Sea Sailings, 1914. GGA Image ID # 127c209149
Immigrants and Luggage Fill the Decks of the Hamburg-American Liner SS Imperator, 19 June 1913. GGA Image ID # 1dbde01ea6
The Ever Popular Flower Shop On Board the SS Imperator. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbdfe9ab6
View of the Ritz Restaurant on the SS Imperator. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbe03d7cd
Scene on the SS Imperator Where Passengers Play Games on the Promenade Deck. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbe59cd90
Women Relaxing in the Corner of the Tea Room of the SS Imperator. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbe6c4bb9
First Class Passengers Enjoy the Luxurious Smoking Room on the SS Imperator with All the Comforts of Home. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbe79cb35
Children Enjoy Sandboxes on the Deck of the SS Imperator. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbe94729d
The First Class Lounge on the SS Imperator. The Dance Floor is In the Center of the Room. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbeaf138a
The First Class Roman Bath and swimming Pool on the SS Imperator. Munsey's Magazine, June 1914. GGA Image ID # 1dbf111cf2
The Phenomenal Winter Garden on the SS Imperator. Travelling Palace, 1913. GGA Image ID # 1dbf11a982
Docking the SS Imperator in the North River. Port of New York, 1920. GGA Image ID # 1dbf479ce2
The Large SS Imperator Shown Beside the Smaller Express Liner SS Deutschland. The Port of Hamburg, 1911. GGA Image ID # 1dbf7d18c8
First Class Grand Foyer on the SS Imperator, 1913. GGA Image ID # 1dc3e0afc3
The Ritz-Carlton Restaurant on the Imperator. The Newest Ocean Liners Supply Every Luxury to Be Found in the Best Hotels. The Great Length of the Imperator Admits Charming Vistas through the Various Halls. Travel Magazine, July 1914. GGA Image ID # 20621a4f76
The New Hamburg-American Liner Imperator. Cassier's Magazine, January 1912. GGA Image ID # 2062db58a3
Hamburg-American Line SS Imperator (1912). Photo by Byron of New York. Detroit Publishing Company, Library of Congress LCCN 2016816726. GGA Image ID # 1e196b6f16
The SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line Approaching Their Pier in New York, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service. Library of Congress LCCN 2014693328. GGA Image ID # 1e19ce89b6
Passengers Looking Towards the Hamburg-American Line Pier as the SS Imperator Arrives in New York, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service. Library of Congress LCCN 2014693331. GGA Image ID # 1e19d1939e
Immigrants and Their Luggage on Board the SS Imperator, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service. New York Times, 20 June 1913. Library of Congress LCCN 2014693332. GGA Image ID # 1e1a25cc94
Return to Content Links
Longitudinal Section and Plan of the Imperator. The Unsinkable Titanic (1912) p. 163. GGA Image ID # 107c66582b
Return to Content Links
Promotion: Pleasure Cruises. Ships Included the Victoria Luise, Meteor, America, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Moltke, Kronprinzessin Cecilie, and Fürst Bismarck. SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 2060dd631a
Advertisement: Winter Cruises 1914, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 2060f5d5fe
Riviera Service, 1914, Pleasure Tour on the Nile, and Cruise Around the World, 1915. SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 20610d7873
Advertisement for Summer Cruises 1914, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 20611bd151
Hamburg-American Line Travel Bureau, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 2061264c78
Hamburg-American Line Travelers' Checks, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 206187a339
Advertisement: Passenger Trips by Zeppelin Airships. SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914. GGA Image ID # 2061b862b0
Return to Content Links
The New Steamer of the Hamburg-Amerika Linie "Imperator" of 50,000 Tons -- The Largest Ship in the World. SS Patricia Passenger List, 28 September 1912. GGA Image ID # 1dbfd071e4
The "Imperator," now building at the Vulcan Shipyards in Hamburg, was launched on the 23rd of May 1912 and will enter the Hamburg-New York passenger service in the spring of 1913. This vessel will surpass all standards for size, having nine decks above the water line.
The Frahm Anti-Rolling Tanks will be installed, which, in cooperation with the great bulk of the ship, will counteract the motion of the most violent sea, assuring even very susceptible passengers of a pleasant crossing.
Information Sheet on the SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line, 1913. SS Pretoria Passenger List, 25 October 1913. GGA Image ID # 17839858f7
Length: 919 Feet. Breadth: 98 Feet. Depth: 63 Feet. Horsepower: 62000. Capacity: 50 000 Tons Gross Register.
Some of the Advantages Offered by the Steamer:
Safety - Arrangements guarantee the most extraordinary measure of safety that today's engineering science can devise. Steel Double-bottom over the whole length of the vessel. Longitudinal and Transverse Bulkheads reach far above the water line. Submarine Bell Signalling System.
Searchlights of 34 000 candle-power. Lifeboats for a considerably larger number of passengers than the Imperator has on board when full. In addition, two motor launches with their wireless telegraphy on board. Four Propellers so that if the rudder of the steamer is disturbed, one can still steer the steamer.
Gyro-compass. One Commander and four Captains (for Navigation, Public Safety, and General Superintendence) watch day and night over the ship's course. Wireless Telegraphy carries the longest distance, separate apparatus for the latest news of the day and navigation signals.
Three Telegraph Operators on duty in turn, keeping the steamer day and night in constant communication with other steamers. Her large dimensions and Frahm's anti-rolling tanks ensured the vessel's regular smooth running.
Passenger-staterooms of unsurpassed size with metal bedsteads. Marble Wash-stands with hot and cold fresh water. Imperial and numerous other suites, in all 150 staterooms with private bath and toilet, or shower and toilet. All rooms are supplied with electric current for lighting, heating, bells, ventilators, etc.
Social Rooms: Dining-room extending through two decks, Ritz-Carlton Restaurant, Grill Room, Grand Ball Room with stage, Smoking Room, Private Dining-room, Ladies' Saloon, Verandah Cafe.
Other Features Deserving of Notice: Gymnasia both in First and Second Cabin. Swimming-Pool in Pompeian style, reaching through two decks. Seawater is constantly renewed by cascades. Electric, Turkish, and Vapor Baths. Covered and Open Promenade-decks. Promenade- concerts, Trained Band, and Table-music. Telephone system. Office of the Representative of the Passenger-Department, Office of the Baggage Officer. Passenger-lifts.
The sister ship of the Imperator, the Vaterland, was launched on the 3rd of April 1913. This steamer will enter the Hamburg- New York passenger service spring of 1914. In addition to these steamers, a third vessel of the same type is in construction.
Return to Content Links
Classic Ocean Liners, Volume 1: Berengaria, Leviathan, & Majestic
An absorbing and detailed account of the three ships: Berengaria, Leviathan, & Majestic, 50,000-ton dinosaurs of the transatlantic lines in the years before World War I.
Cunard -- few names in the maritime industry are more redolent of the great days of ocean-going passenger liners and cruise ships. This book recalls the era when ocean travel by liner was at its height and the 'Queens' ruled the waves with page after page of beautiful photographs that tell its story. Glory Days: Cunard provides a vivid reminder of the lost grandeur of ocean travel.
Distinguished Liners from The Shipbuilder - 1907-1914 Volume 2
Distinguished Liners, Volume 2 features 53 famous ships from 1907-1914. Read how the liners were constructed and launched. Lavishly illustrated, each carries many photographs, including the ships, their interiors, machinery, fittings, construction, and launching.
Doomed Ships: Great Ocean Liner Disasters
Naval historian William H. Miller, Jr. recounts the dramatic stories behind various ill-fated passenger ships. He takes readers beyond the newspaper headlines and formal inquiries, offering firsthand accounts of heroic rescues, daring escapes, and tragic losses.
The Fabulous Interiors of the Great Ocean Liners - 1984
Some 200 superb photographs—in long shots and close-ups—capture exquisite interiors of world's great "floating palaces"—1890s to 1980s: Titanic, Île de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more. Informative captions provide key details.
The First Great Ocean Liners in Photographs - 1983
Sumptuous volume recalls the glorious early years of elegant transatlantic travel. Over 190 historic photographs depict exterior and interior views of 101 great ocean liners, including the Virginian, Imperator, Vaterland, Bismarck, Lusitania, Mauretania, Balmoral Castle, Titanic, Olympic, Aquitania and dozens more. Full captions.
The Great Liners: The Seafarers, Volume 4
A history of the world's famous luxury liners provides portraits of the ships. It examines such great disasters as the sinking of the Titanic. This edition explores the grand hotels that traversed the Atlantic between 1840 and 1930.
Great Passenger Ships of the World 1913-1923
The period 1913-1923 is dealt with in this second volume. Although it was only a decade, it was one of the most turbulent passenger ships in history. Competition to produce ever-larger vessels declined between leading North Atlantic shipping companies. For 20 years, the ships of the Imperator Class were the largest in the world.
Leviathan: "The World's Greatest Ship" Volume 1
The first volume takes us from the construction of the VATERLAND to the end of World War One when the VATERLAND, now the U.S.S Leviathan, was used as a troop transport and packed with fabulous photographs and reproductions of newspaper articles.
Leviathan: "The World's Greatest Ship" Volume 2
Volume 2 picks up the LEVIATHAN saga during her monumental conversion from a troop ship to a luxury liner and carries the ship’s tempestuous life up through her first round trip as a U.S. express liner. The book finishes with the SS Leviathan's triumphant return to the Atlantic.
Liverpool and the Mersey, Vol. 1: Gladstone Dock and the Great Liners
More than 190 rare archive photographs and maps, many never before published, recount the story of this most famous dock and the Great passenger Ships that were once a regular sight there.
Lost Liners, Titanic to the Andrea Doria
Maps, charts, and diagrams make this handsome volume a valuable reference tool and a compelling evocation of that glorious era when floating palaces ruled the sea lanes.
Majesty at Sea: The Four Stackers
The opulent and luxurious four-funnel passenger liners, of which only fourteen have ever been built, are unsurpassed in maritime history. Built between 1897 and 1921, these great vessels vied with each other in their standards of comfort, spaciousness, and speed, and great was the rivalry between their owners.
Ocean Steamers: A History of Ocean-Going Passenger Steamships 1820-1970
A history of the steam-powered passenger ship that details its story from the SS Savannah of 1819 to the SS Hamburg of 1969. It contains historical details of all civilian vessels built in the intervening years, with numerous illustrations and previously unpublished material.
Passenger Ships of the World - 1963
Passenger Ships of the World, 1963, represents an incredible resource covering passenger ships that are Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Trans-Pacific via Panama Canal, Latin American, Africa and the Eastern Oceans, and California-Hawaii.
Picture History of British Ocean Liners: 1900 to the Present
Over 200 rare black-and-white illustrations provide views of the ships at sea and in port, glimpses of lavish staterooms, lounges, dining areas, onboard photos of celebrities and royalty, and much more.
Picture History of German and Dutch Passenger Ships
Picture History of German and Dutch Passenger Ships is a superbly illustrated volume that documents a long line of great ships--from "floating palaces" such as the Imperator (1913) and the Vaterland (1914) to such luxurious cruise ships as the Statendam (1957), Hamburg (1969), the remodeled Bremen (1990), and the new Deutschland (1998).
Picture History of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth
Powerful and fast Atlantic liners of the 1930s, this volume is packed with high-quality vintage photographs of the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth, from construction to heyday to eventual decline and their successor ships bearing the same name.
The uninterrupted progress of the Cunard Line, without retrogression and almost without mishap, stands beyond the possibility of envy as a matchless human achievement. F. Lawrence Babcock presents an early history of the Cunard Line with the social and cultural history of the passengers, officers, and crew.
Sway of the Grand Saloon: A Social History of the North Atlantic
History of the ocean liners of the North Atlantic crossings. A comprehensive history of Trans-Atlantic passenger ships covering 1818 - 1968, with 55 b/w illustrations, photos, and drawings.
The Only Way to Cross: The Golden Era of the Great Atlantic Express Liners
The book profiles the opulent lifestyles aboard such floating palaces as Normandie, Rex, Olympic, Amerika, Queen Mary, France, Mauritania, Queen Elizabeth II, Imperator, and Titanic.
US Steamships: A Picture Postcard History
Over many years, Postcards were collected for the message, history, and the scene. As a result of these collecting interests, we have a valuable source of information relating to many subjects, including steamships, from a historical, technical, and artistic perspective. The Postcards in this book provide a chronological history of U.S. Steamships.
Return to Content Links
The Imperator, Largest Vessel in the World - 1912
The S.S. Imperator of the Hamburg America Line, the Largest Vessel in the World. Leslie's (6 June 1912), p. 638. GGA Image ID # 103401189d
The largest vessel in the world, the Hamburg America Line's new steamship Imperator,” was launched from the Vulcan Yard at Hamburg, Germany, on May 23.
The ceremony was witnessed by tens of thousands of spectators, including hundreds of German military, and naval officers and civil officials. A “baptismal" oration was delivered by Johannes Burchard, chief Burgomaster of Hamburg, and Emperor William christened, the vessel, breaking a bottle of German champagne against her bows as she glided down the ways.
Throughout Germany, the event was considered of national significance, as the “Imperator” is expected to bring back to the fatherland the laurels wrested away by the prominent English, transatlantic liners.
The Imperator − which has been built in conformity with the German laws said to be the most rigid in the world—is 900 feet long, and will have a tonnage of 50,000.
She is more than four city blocks in length, and as she has a beam of 96 feet, her deck Space is acres in area. She will be driven by Parsons quadruple turbine, engines which will develop 70,000 horse-power and ensure an average speed of 22 1/2 knots.
These will be the most powerful marine engines ever constructed. The ship will be equipped with Frahm anti-rolling tanks, which will render her steady in the roughest seas.
The mammoth Yessel has a double bottom, and also, will have coal bunkers at the sides, virtually giving her a double skin. She is also equipped with many transverse bulkheads, with doors, worked by hydraulic power from the bridge, and quickly closable.
There will be electrical communication throughout the ship, and she will carry sufficient lifeboats to accommodate all her passengers, and crew-her passenger capacity is 4,400, and her crew will number 1,100. The most powerful wireless apparatus will be in service on board at all hours of the day and night.
If she were standing on end, the "Imperator” would be higher than the highest skyscraper in the world. Her essential structure weighs more than 100,000,000 pounds.
Besides, there will be an enormous weight of ſurniture, pictures, dishes and other objects. It would require a train 45 miles long to carry the material used in her construct. When the passengers and crew go aboard 750,000 pounds will be added to her weight.
While she is the largest, the “Imperator” will also be the most up-to-date of ocean liners. Her main dining salon will be spacious, and her public cabins will be the largest ever built.
Her main lounge can be converted into a ballroom, and at one end of this will be a stage for concerts and other performances. A unique feature of the vessel will be a magnificent swimming pool, reproducing a luxurious Roman bath.
The vessel will have handsome suites of rooms for those desiring exclusive privacy, squash courts, a winter garden, a tennis court, and a gymnasium.
The commander of the “Imperator” will be the line's veteran captain, Hans Ruser. No captain is better known to transatlantic passengers or enjoys a fuller measure of confidence than he.
He will superintend her completion and bring her to America in the spring of 1913. Two sister ships of about the same size are also to be constructed.
Return to Content Links
Cunard Purchases the Huge Imperator - 1921
BY PURCHASING THE huge Imperator, the largest passenger carrying steamship in commission, the Cunard Line has in service a trio of sea giants unparalleled in the maritime history of the world, the other two being the Aquitania and the Mauretania.
The Imperator was given a long tryout by the Cunard Line before she was finally purchased. She entered the company’s passenger service in December, 1919, and has been almost constantly in the service ever since.
Return to Content Links
"Cunard Purchases the Huge Imperator." Reported by the Shipping Magazine, 10 March 1921, p. 17.
"The 'Imperator,' the Largest Vessel in the World," in Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Newspaper, Vol. CXIV, No. 2961, 6 June 1912, p. 638.
Hamburg-American Line, SS Imperator First and Second Cabin Passenger List, 11 March 1914.
SS Patricia Passenger List, 'The New Steamer of the Hamburg-Amerika Linie "Imperator" of 50,000 Tons -- The Largest Ship in the World,.' 28 September 1912.
SS Pretoria Passenger List, Information Sheet on the SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line, 25 October 1913.
Photographs
- The German Ocean Liner Imperator
The Unsinkable Titanic (1912) - Rotor or Rotating Element for One of the Turbines on the SS Imperator
The Unsinkable Titanic (1912) - Imperator Turned Over to the Allies After the Armistice
Shipping Magazine, 10 March 1921 - The SS Imperator Near the Harbor
North Sea Sailings, 1914 (Brochure) - Social Director on the SS Imperator Telling Stories to Children
Harper's Bazar, January 1914 - Flower Shop On Board the SS Imperator
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Ritz Restaurant on the SS Imperator
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Passengers Play Games on the Promenade Deck
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Women Relaxing in the Corner of the Tea Room
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Luxurious Smoking Room
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Children Enjoy Sandboxes on the Deck of the SS Imperator
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - First Class Lounge
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - First Class Roman Bath and swimming Pool
Munsey's Magazine, June 1914 - Winter Garden on the SS Imperator
Travelling Palace (1913) - Docking the SS Imperator in the North River
Port of New York (1920) - Large SS Imperator Shown Beside the Smaller Express Liner SS Deutschland
The Port of Hamburg (1911) - Ritz-Carlton Restaurant on the Imperator
Travel Magazine, July 1914 - The New Hamburg-American Liner Imperator
Cassier's Magazine, January 1912 - Hamburg-American Line SS Imperator (1912). Photo by Byron of New York. Detroit Publishing Company
Library of Congress LCCN 2016816726 - The SS Imperator of the Hamburg-American Line Approaching Their Pier in New York, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service.
Library of Congress LCCN 2014693328 - Passengers Looking Towards the Hamburg-American Line Pier as the SS Imperator Arrives in New York, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service.
Library of Congress LCCN 2014693331 - Immigrants and Their Luggage on Board the SS Imperator, 19 June 1913. Photo by Bain News Service. New York Times, 20 June 1913.
Library of Congress LCCN 2014693332 - Longitudinal Section and Plan of the Imperator.
The Unsinkable Titanic (1912) - Other Images Without Source are Public Domain Images of Unknown Origin.
Return to Content Links
