Baltimore Mail Line Passenger Lists 1932-1938
The Baltimore Mail Line (Baltimore Mail Steamship Company) was primarily a mail and cargo services line that also carried a limited number of passengers (passenger capacity was about 80 Tourist Class). They operated regular weekly service between the US Ports of Baltimore and Norfolk to the European Ports of Le Havre, France, and Hamburg, Germany. They had the misfortune of being in operation only during the depression years, 1931 until 1938.
1932-01-29 SS City of Hamburg Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 29 January 1932
- Route: Hamburg to Norfolk and Baltimore via Le Havre
- Commander: Captain John F. Jensen
1932-06-24 SS City Of Hamburg Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 24 June 1932
- Route: Hamburg and Le Havre to Norfolk and Baltimore
- Commander: Captain John F. Jensen
1934-03-17 SS City of Hamburg Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 17 March 1934
- Route: Hamburg and Le Havre to Norfolk and Baltimore
- Commander: Joseph Epps Lee, Lt. Cmdr., U.S.N.R.
1934-11-24 SS City of Hamburg Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 24 November 1934
- Route: Bremen to Norfolk and Baltimore via Le Havre
- Commander: Captain Joseph E. Lee
1935-01-12 SS City Of Newport News Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 12 January 1935
- Route: Hamburg and Le Havre to Norfolk and Baltimore
- Commander: Captain Robert H. Wright
1936-07-11 SS City of Norfolk Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 11 July 1936
- Route: Hamburg and Southampton to Norfolk and Baltimore
- Commander: Captain Reginald Rose, Lt. Cmdr., U.S.N.R
1937-07-24 SS City Of Baltimore Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 24 July 1937
- Route: Hamburg and Southampton to Norfolk and Baltimore
- Commander: Captain F. E. Cross, Lt. Cmdr., U.S.N.R
1937-08-15 SS City of Norfolk Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 15 August 1937
- Route: Bremen to Norfolk and Baltimore via Le Havre
- Commander: Captain Reginald Rose, Lt. Cmdr. USNR
1938-04-11 SS City of Newport News Passenger List
- Class of Passengers: Cabin (One Class)
- Date of Departure: 11 April 1938
- Route: Bremen to Norfolk and Baltimore via Southampton
- Commander: Captain Robert H. Wright, Lt. Cmdr., U.S.N.R
- Note: Annotated by the original owner (passenger)
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.
📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.
