North German Lloyd - The SS Europa
by Published on 1st May 2016 01:47 PM
Europa.jpg
The Second World War had been devastating to German shipping lines. They lost everything. Revival and reconstruction in the late '40s, after the War, was sluggish and limited by severe Allied restrictions.
The great North German Lloyd, which had created and operated some of the greatest liners of the 20th century, was penalized as well -- they were not permitted to have a passenger ship for a full ten years, until 1955, following the Nazi surrender. Then it was limited to only a secondhand passenger ship. The Company bought the Swedish American Line's Gripsholm, a two-stacker dating from 1925. She was refitted as the Berlin, flying the West German colors. Symbolically, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer did the re-christening.
The Berlin soldiered on until joined, in 1959, by the far larger, more luxurious Bremen, which had been reconstructed from the French Pasteur and a ship dating from 1939.
But fifty years ago, in the winter of 1966, North German Lloyd jumped to three liners. They bought another Swedish American liner, the Kungsholm, dating from 1953, and refitted her as the Europa. Now, for about a year, North German Lloyd had three liners -- the Berlin, Bremen & Europa. Busy times!
PS: The attached photo shows the 600ft-long Europa during a summer cruise to the fabled Norwegian fjords.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 1st May 2016 at 09:25 PM.
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