Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

War ships, ship tragedies, steam ships, yachts, and more

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German Ships; First, Last, Oldest

Daimlier — German motorboat
The first commercial motor boat. Based upon a boat powered by a petrol engine tested on the Neckar river in Germany in 1886 by Daimler and Maybach. LAUNCHED: 1886 → FATE: Unknown.

Deutschland, SMS — German battleship
First of five Deutschland class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Kaiserliche Marine between 1903 and 1906. With the launching of the big-gun English HMS Dreadnought battleship, the SMS Deutschland became obsolete. LAUNCHED: 1904, November 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1920.

Deutschland, submarine — German submarine
First submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was a blockade-breaking German merchant submarine used during World War I. LAUNCHED: 1916, March 28; converted 1917 June → FATE: Broken up at Morecambe, England in 1922.

Goeben, SMS — German battlecruiser
Last surviving ship built by the Imperial German Navy, and the longest-serving battlecruiser or dreadnought-type ship in any navy. During World War I, she and light cruiser Breslau were transferred to the Ottoman Empire, August of 1914, and became the flagship Yavuz Sultan Selim. LAUNCHED: 1911, March 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1973.

Liemba, MV — German ferry, passenger and car
The last vessel of the German Imperial Navy still sailing. She was the inspiration for the German gunboat in the novel and movie The African Queen. LAUNCHED: 1915, February → FATE: Scuttled July 26, 1916; raised in 1927, still in service on Lake Tanganyika.

Pamir — German barque, four-masted steel-hulled windjammer
Last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn in 1949. Over her life at various times, she flew under the flags of Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Finland. LAUNCHED: 1905, July → FATE: Caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, September 21, 1957.

Prinzessin Victoria Luise — German passenger ship
First purpose-built cruise ship. Not only did she look more like a private yacht, she had 120 first class cabins, a library, gymnasium, and darkroom. LAUNCHED: 1900, June 18 → FATE: Declared a loss December 19, 1906 after running onto rocks at Kingston.

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U-234 — German submarine
Hitler's last submarine; ironically, there is an isotope of uranium designated U-234. While attempting to deliver uranium to Japan near the end of World War II, she surrendered to the United States on May 14, 1945. LAUNCHED: 1943, December → FATE: Sunk by torpedo November 20, 1947.

U-480 — German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine
The first stealth submarine; she was covered with a special rubber coating making it difficult to detect with SONAR. She sank two warships and two merchantmen ships and was never detected by the British until it was discovered by divers in 1998 south of Isle of Wight. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 14 → FATE: Sunk in February 1945 in an English Channel minefield with the loss of its crew.

The number of German Ships; First, Last, Oldest listed is 9

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First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	Deutschland, SMS (German battleship)
2.	U-234 (German submarine)

German Ships; First, Last, Oldest
1.	Deutschland, SMS German battleship
2.	Deutschland, submarine German submarine
3.	Goeben, SMS German battlecruiser
4.	Liemba, MV German ferry
5.	Pamir German barque
6.	Prinzessin Victoria Luise German passenger ship
7.	U-234 German submarine
8.	U-480 German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine