Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

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

with Images and Information

Sort by

German Passenger Ships and Boats

(Another )

Cap Arcona, SS — German ocean liner
Her sinking was one of the biggest maritime losses of life during World War II. Only 350 of the 4,500 former concentration camp inmates aboard the ship survived. LAUNCHED: 1927, May 18 → FATE: Sank on May 3, 1945 after being attacked by an RAF squadron.

(Another )

Estonia, MS — German cruise ferry with bow opening car ramp
Worst maritime ship disaster in the European waters in peacetime after the Titanic, costing 852 lives. As the largest Estonian-owned ship of the time, she symbolized the independence Estonia regained after the collapse of the Soviet Union. LAUNCHED: 1980, April 18 → FATE: Capsized and sunk in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 1994.

Liberté, SS — German ocean liner; then American war prize; then French owned
Featured prominently in the movie The French Line, starring Jane Russell. She was taken as a US war prize at the end of World War II, then used to transport US servicemen back to the states, and finally turned over to the French as war reparations. LAUNCHED: 1928, August 18 → FATE: Retired in 1961 and scrapped in 1962.

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.

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.

Royal Clipper — German tall ship; steel-hulled five masted fully rigged design
The largest and only five-masted full-rigged sailing ship in service. Her design was based on the German ship Preussen, but was configured for passenger comfort rather than cargo carrying. LAUNCHED: 2001 → FATE: Still in service.

St. Louis, SS — German ocean liner
In 1939, her captain, Gustav Schröder, tried to find homes for 937 German Jewish refugees after denied entry to Cuba. She was the subject of a 1974 book, Voyage of the Damned, and adapted for a 1976 movie of the same name. LAUNCHED: 1928, August 18 → FATE: Scrapped in Hamburg, Germany, 1952.

Page 2

Wilhelm Gustloff, MV — German purpose-built cruise ship used as a hospital ship and troop ship in World War II
Greatest ship disaster in recorded maritime history with an estimated 9,400 people were killed in the sinking. It was sunk by a Soviet submarine while participating in the evacuation of civilians, military personnel, and Nazi officials who were surrounded by the Red Army in East Prussia. LAUNCHED: 1937, May → FATE: Torpedoed in the Baltic Sea January 30, 1945.

The number of German Passenger Ships and Boats listed is 8

The contents of this page are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL).

For a full list of all ships, select HERE

First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	Estonia, MS (German cruise ferry)

German Passenger Ships and Boats
1.	Estonia, MS German cruise ferry
2.	Liberté, SS German ocean liner
3.	Liemba, MV German ferry
4.	Prinzessin Victoria Luise German passenger ship
5.	Royal Clipper German tall ship
6.	St. Louis, SS German ocean liner
7.	Wilhelm Gustloff, MV German purpose-built cruise ship