Ships of yore

Luxury and opulence are, for the modern observer, the two defining characteristics of the old ocean liners. It might be true that the big shipping companies invested millions in securing that their ships would be stylier and more comfortable than their counterparts from the competition, but, in the end, most passengers never set eyes on these interiors. For millions of travellers the opulence of the first class accomodations was little more than a dream. These were the immigrants and refugees from all parts of Europe, which were hoping to escape the opression in their native countries, their lack of possibilities or their life in poverty. They went to America, to Australia and some even to Africa. For all of them, the ocean liners became a temporary home.

The immigrant trade was one of the principal sources of income for the big shipping companies. New York the most important destiny (although many immigrants travelled further west once they arrived in the US). Both, the company and the city, developed a series of mechanisms to deal with them. New York built a variety of facilities, which controlled everyone who was entering the US. The biggest and most famous one of all surely was located on Ellis Island. Before the ocean liners could dock at their company’s piers, they had to unload all the immigrants in Ellis Island were they underwent a series of tests. The federal government wanted to avoid the entry of people they considered a danger for the society. Sick persons, immigrants which were thought of being mentally unfit or of having a criminal background were sent back to the countries they came from (the authorities tended to use sometimes grotesque techniques to test the newcomers). The lucky ones were given a permanent permission to stay and could board one of the ferries which took them to Manhattan.

The costs of sending the refused immigrants back to where they came from had to be covered by the shipping companies which brought them to New York. This is why most companies, which specialized in the immigrant trade, built gigantic complexes in their European ports in which all immigrants, before boarding the liners, were tested to assure that, once in New York, they wouldn’t be refused. All liners had accomodations for these immigrants which varied in their confort decor. Typical immigrant ships didn’t even had cabins. They had big sleeping halls instead, in which dozen of high beds stood side by side. The passengers were separated depending on if they were men or women travelling alone or families. All these ships had a big lounge, which in most cases also served as dining room. The lounge usually was equiped with a piano, which the passengers could use to organize balls and dances. The day had a strict schedule, necessary to organize life on such a crowded ship. During the journey passengers often made connections, which would come in handy once they would arrive at their destiny. The liner also was the place the passengers left their past behind, wherever they were coming from.

The immigrant trade was dominated by british and german companies, since most immigrants came from countries located beside or near german or british ports (Ireland or Eastern Europe). Companies like HAPAG, the Norddeutscher Lloyd, Cunard or White Star built specialised ships for the immigrant trade, which began to operate in routes that were no where near the companies countries of origin, like from the Mediterranean to New York. Competing for passengers, the confort the ships offered slowly began to improve. In the eve of the outbreak of World War I, ships like the Aquitania (1914) or the Titanic (1912) no longer had big sleeping halls for their third class passengers. The immigrants on these ships slept in real cabins and had much more space availible. 

In 1924 the US - Congress sanctioned a new law regulating immigration. For some years now, more and more people had worried that an excess of newcomers could lead to socio - economic problems. The law established a system of quotas, which fixed a number of immigrants that could arrive to the US per year (164.667). The immigrant trade collapsed. Many liners became obsolete and were scrapped, whilst others lost there third class accomodations, which were replaced by the tourist class.

After losing most of its fleet in World War I, HAPAG was in urgent need of new ships. Following the policy the company’s legendary director Albert Ballin had adopted at the turn of the century, HAPAG wasn’t looking to acquire speedy ships, since their operational costs were to high and powerfull engines could cause annoying vibrations. The company ordered four more or less identical new ships at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg. The second one to be launched was the Deutschland, which in March 27th 1924 set sails for her maiden voyage to New York. She had a relatively low top speed (16 knots). Her interiors were designed rather to be confortable than luxurious and she had large compartments for immigrants travelling to the US. She was also fitted out with anti roll tanks, which made the Deutschland a very stable ship. 

Soon the Deutschland became a highy popular both amongst wealthy passengers and immigrants. She operated between Hamburg and New York via Southampton and Le Havre. New engines were installed in 1929, increasing her top speed to 19 knots. As an answer to the huge popularity of the Deutschland, HAPAG decided to extend her length by 14 metres, which increased her passenger capacity.