SS Saale Archival Collection
Saale (1886) North German Lloyd
Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 5,381. Dimensions: 428' x 47'. Propulsion: Single Screw, 18 knots. Compound engines. Masts and Funnels: Four masts and two funnels. Reduced to two masts in 1895. Note: The shipbuilder was formerly known as John Elder & Co. Commenced Bremen-Southampton-New York service in 1886. Passengers: 150 first, 90 second, 1,000 third. Dock Fire: The Saale was involved in the tragic North German Lloyd dock fire of June 30, 1900. She caught fire and was severely damaged, besides the awful loss of life that amounted to 109 lives. Aftermath: The gutted liner was sold to Luckenbach Line, which had it rebuilt as a freighter. They renamed her J. L. Luckenbach in 1902. New triple expansion engines installed. Subsequently renamed: (a) Princess (1921), (b) Madison. Fate: Scrapped in Italy, 1924. Sister ships: Aller and Trave.
North German Lloyd - Short Route to London - 1889
🎓 “A 19th-Century Ocean Travel Brochure Turned Educational Goldmine”
The 1889 North German Lloyd (NDL) brochure titled "The Short Route to London via Southampton and the Continent" is more than a promotional travel pamphlet—it is a remarkable cultural artifact that opens a window into late 19th-century transatlantic steamship travel. Created during the Paris Exhibition of 1889, this richly detailed guide was distributed by Oelrichs & Co., the line’s New York agents, and served as both a functional passenger handbook and a marketing showcase for NDL’s first and second cabin services.
Teachers, students, genealogists, and historians will find the brochure incredibly valuable for understanding the social, economic, and technological structures of the Gilded Age’s oceanic travel system.
Staircase Leading to the Dining Room on the Express Steamer SS Saale. Norddeutscher Lloyd History and Organization, 1908. GGA Image ID # 1ddc65539c
Sailing Schedule, Canada, Boston, and North American West Coast Services, from 11 April 1929 to 16 November 1929. Ships Included the Crefeld, Dresden, Havel, Isar, Karlsruhe, Köln, Lützow, Saale, Schwaben, Stuttgart, and Yorck. SS Columbus Passenger List, 13 April 1929. GGA Image ID # 1e641aa34d
Advertisement (1893): Norddeutscher Lloyd German Express Mail Steamship Connections Promoting the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. | GGA Image ID # 227ffc1844
I. Bremen and New York via Southampton.
Sailing twice a week of the magnificent express steamers: Havel, Spree, Lahn, Trave, Aller, Saale, Ems, Elbe.
The express steamers of die Norddeutscher Lloyd, universally known for die comfort of their accommodations, elegance in their fitting up. as well as for die reputation of their excellent cuisine, compare in speed with those of any other line. The express steamers - Havel- and - Spree- make the trip from New York to Scilly Islands in 6½ days, the -Lahn-, - Saale-, -Trave- and - Aller- in 7 days, and the -Ems- and -Elbe- in 7½ days. Sailings: From Bremen: Tuesday and Saturday. From Southampton: Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. From New York: Tuesday and Saturday.
II. Genoa and New York via Gibraltar.
Regular sailing (2-3 times a mouth) of the express steamers: Werra, Fulda and Kaiser Wilhelm II between New York and Genoa via Gibraltar.
With the comfort and elegance of the steamers is combined on this line the comfort of travelling in the southern ocean and the beauty of the islands and coasts which the steamers pass on this trip. The voyage is first to the Azores, then along the coast of Portugal. southern Spain and Africa. In Gibraltar the passengers are given opportunity of going on shore for a few hours, or also to remain 8—14 days in southern Spain or Tangiers and then continue the voyage to Genoa by one of the following steamers of the Norddeutscher Lloyd without additional fare.
The quickest and most comfortable connection between New York and Europe for visiting the Riviera and Switzerland, as well as Florence, Rome and Naples.
From Genoa connections every fortnight to Egypt in the one direction and to London, Southampton. Antwerp and Bremen in the other direction per the imperial mail steamers of the Norddeutscher Lloyd.
Sailings: From New York: Saturdays. — From Genoa: Wednesdays.
III. Bremen and Baltimore.
Weekly by the comfortable mad steamers (about 5000 tons).
Dresden, München, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart Darmstadt Gera, Oldenburg, Weimar.
Extra steamers during the Exposition.
For passage apply to the Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen.
