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The 'Hamburg America Line' (also known as the 'Hamburg-Amerika Linie' and the 'Hamburg Line') was an enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany in 1847 under the name ''Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft (HAPAG)'' for shipping across the Atlantic Ocean. It soon developed into the largest German, and at times the world's largest shipping company, serving the market created by the German immigration to the United States.

Contents

Ports served

Notable journeys

Later years

See also

References

External links

Ports served

In the early years, the Hamburg America Line exclusively connected European ports with North American ports, such as Hoboken, New Jersey or New Orleans, Louisiana. With time, however, the company established lines to all continents.

Notable journeys

★ In 1858, its liner the SS ''Austria'' sank, claiming 449 lives.

★ In 1900, 1901 and 1903 its liner the SS ''Deutschland'' won the Blue Riband.

★ In 1906, the ''Prinzessin Victoria Luise'' was destroyed by fire off the coast of Jamaica, but no lives were lost.^[1]

★ In 1912, its liner the SS ''Amerika'' was the first ship to warn the RMS Titanic of icebergs.

★ In 1939, its liner the SS ''St. Louis'', was unable to find a port in Cuba, the United States, or Canada willing to accept the over 950 Jewish refugees on board and had to return to Europe.

Later years

Hamburg America Line lost its entire fleet twice, as a result of each of World War I and World War II. In 1970, the company merged with the Norddeutscher Lloyd (''North German Lloyd'') of Bremen to establish the current-day Hapag-Lloyd, which itself is owned by TUI AG.

See also

★ Holland America Line

★ Norwegian America Line

★ Scandinavian America Line

★ Swedish America Line

★ USS President Lincoln (1907)

References

1.

External links

★ The history of the Hamburg-America Line

★ Historic photos of Hoboken and Hambur America Line ports

★ Passenger Lists from the Hamburg-Amerika Linie