Founded in 1856, the Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) line had gained a reputation for fast -- if not especially comfortable -- passenger crossings.

The first ship to carry the name Bremen was constructed in 1857 and was only 2,500 GRT. She had steam engines but carried sails as well.

The second Bremen was constructed in 1896.

The second Bremen

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The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

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The first four-stacked liner was completed in 1897 was the largest and -- for a time -- the fastest at sea. Making 22 knots, she won the Blue Riband in 1897 in both directions.

By 1913, however, her speed had been eclipsed and her first-class accommodation was removed. She was taken over by the military at the beginning of WW1, but was attacked by a British warship off Africa and scuttled by her crew in 1914.

In 1900, the slightly larger Kronprintz Wilhelm joined the fleet. She was of similar configuration, with accommodation for about 1,700 passengers in three classes (367 first 340 second, 1,054 steerage).

She was requisitioned by the German navy and enjoyed a short but successful naval career before being laid up in still-Neutral America. In 1917, the US Army converted her into the troop transport Von Steuben. She was laid up after the war and scrapped in 1923.

The Kronprintz Wilhelm

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Completed in 1903, the Kaiser Wilhelm II was again slightly larger. The success of her predecessors in drawing wealthy clients can be seen in her larger (700 passenger) first class accommodation.

In 1906 the Kaiser Wilhelm II took the Blue Riband for an eastbound crossing, averaging 23.6 knots. From 1914, she was laid up in New York, until she was seized by the US military in 1917 and reconstructed as the troopship Agememnon. At war's end, she was offered first to American shipping lines, then the British, but never returned to passenger service. She was broken up in 1940.

The Kaiser Wilhelm II

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Johannes Poppe's crowning achievement was the Kronprincessen Cecelie, completed in 1907. At 19,000 GRT, she was a splendid mix of Poppe's traditional leanings with a nod to the styles coming into favour at the time. The first-class "saloon" was three decks high, with white carved balconies overlooking the at-the-time newfangled arrangement of round tables with six cushioned wooden armchairs at each, crowned with a large rectangular skylight with stained-glass insets.

The Kronprincessen Cecelie

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When war erupted between Germany and Britain, the Kronprincessen Cecelie was enroute from New York to Bremerhaven with tons of gold and silver aboard. Upon orders from Berlin, she reversed course and raced to Bar Harbor, ME, where a yachtsman passenger acted as pilot to guide her in. She was seized by the Americans and renamed the Mount Vernon. She survived a torpedo attack, and after the war was laid up. She was also scrapped in 1940.

The George Washington

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Built in 1908, for five years the George Washington was one of the most reliable and popular -- while not among the fastest -- on the North Atlantic. Aimed squarely at American tourists, her first class was outfitted in a clean-lined style influenced by the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright, with oil paintings of American heritage scenes. She was Germany's largest liner when built, and carried nearly 2,900 passengers in four classes, including a large steerage.

The Washington was taken over by the Americans as a troopship at the beginning of World War 1. She survived the war and carried President Wilson to the Versailles Peace Conference and back. She was then given to the United States Lines, who used her in passenger service until 1931.

She was again laid up, and remained so until World War 2, when she again served as a trooper. A fire broke out aboard in 1947, leading to her layup once more. She burned at her Baltimore pier in 1951 and was scrapped.

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