53 Merchant ships of Germany

Adolf Vinnen was a five-masted barquentine that was built by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, Germany. She was wrecked on her maiden voyage in 1923.

SMS Ägir was the second and final member of the Odin class of coastal defense ships (Küstenpanzerschiffe) built for the Imperial German Navy. She had one sister ship, Odin. Ägir was named for the norse god, and was built by the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig shipyard between 1893 and 1896. She was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns. She served in the German fleet throughout the 1890s and was rebuilt in 1901–1903. She served in the VI Battle Squadron after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but saw no action. Ägir was demobilized in 1915 and used as a tender thereafter. After the war, she was rebuilt as a merchant ship and served in this capacity until December 1929, when she was wrecked on the island of Gotland.

SMS Albatross was a gunboat of the Imperial German Navy launched and commissioned in 1871. SMS Nautilus soon followed as her sister ship. She served as a gunboat overseas until she became a survey vessel in 1888. Struck from the list on 9 January 1899, she was sold and used as a collier until she foundered in a storm in March 1906.

Barlind was a 1,453 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1938 as Süderau by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, Bremen, Germany for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Content. In 1946, she was allocated to Norway and renamed Svartnes. She was sold into merchant service in 1947 and renamed Barlind. In 1971, she was sold to Greece and renamed Ikaria. She served until 1972 when she was scrapped.

Blue Sapphire is a cruise ship owned and operated by ANEX Tour. She was originally built in 1981 by Bremer Vulkan of Germany for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises as Europa. In 1999, Europa was sold to Star Cruises and she was renamed SuperStar Europe and a year later, Superstar Aries. In 2004, she was sold to Pullmantur Cruises and renamed Holiday Dream. In May 2008, she was transferred to the fleet of CDF Croisières de France and renamed Bleu de France. In November 2010, she was sold to Saga Cruises, but retained on charter by CDF for a further 12 months. Following an extensive refit in Italy from November 2011 to March 2012, the vessel was renamed Saga Sapphire. Most recently, she was sold to ANEX Tour in June 2020 and renamed Blue Sapphire, scheduled for an official debut in 2021.

On 26 March 1997, the 300-ft merchant vessel MV Cita pierced its hull when running aground on rocks off the south coast of the Isles of Scilly in gale-force winds en route from Southampton to Belfast. The incident happened just after 3 am when the German-owned, Antiguan-registered 3,000 tonne vessel hit Newfoundland Point, St Mary's.

Crown Arun was a 2,372 GRT cargo ship which was built by Actien-Gesellschaft „Neptun“ Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik, Rostock as Hannah Böge. She was captured at sea on 3 September 1939 and declared a war prize. Taken into service by the British Government, Crown Arun was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 on 17 September 1940.

MV Doulos Phos is a retired cruise ship that held the record of being the world's oldest active ocean-faring passenger ship, serving from 1914 until December 2009. She is now owned by Eric Saw, director and chief executive of BizNaz Resources International Pte Ltd in Singapore. She was previously operated by the German charity Gute Bücher für Alle, and was used as a floating bookshop. The ship has previously been known as the SS Medina, the SS Roma, the MS Franca C, and the MV Doulos. The Doulos ended her final cruise in late 2009 at Singapore, with the ship being handed over to her new owners on 18 March 2010. The ship underwent a three year conversion into a luxury hotel that opened in June of 2019.

Empire Conveyor was a 5,911 GRT shelter deck cargo ship that was built in 1917 as Farnworth by Richardson, Duck and Company, Thornaby-on-Tees, England. After a sale in 1924 she was renamed Illinois. In 1926, she was sold to France, and in 1934 to Greece and was renamed Mount Pentelikon. In 1939, she was sold to Germany and was renamed Gloria.

Empire Conyngham was a 1,408 GRT cargo ship that was built as Marie in 1899 by Neptun AG, Rostock, Germany for German owners. A sale in 1923 saw her renamed Norburg. She was sold to Latvia in 1925 and renamed Gauja, serving until 1941 when she was captured by the Kriegsmarine in the Baltic Sea. In 1945, she was seized by the Allies, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Conyngham. In 1946, she was scuttled with a cargo of obsolete bombs.

Empire Defender was a 5,649 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1910 as Freienfels by Joh. C. Tecklenborg in Geestemünde, Germany. She was seized by the United Kingdom in 1914, passing to the Admiralty. In 1920, she was passed to the Secretary of State for India.

Empire Endurance was a 8,514 GRT cargo liner that was built in 1928 as Alster by Deschimag Werk Vulkan, Hamburg, Germany for the shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd. In the years leading up to the Second World War Alster carried cargo and passengers between Germany and Australia. After the outbreak of war she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as a supply ship.

Empire Energy was a 6,548 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1923 as Grete by Neptun AG, Rostock, Germany. She was sold to an Italian firm in 1932 and renamed Gabbiano. She was seized by the United Kingdom in 1940, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Energy. She served until 5 November 1941, when she ran aground off Cape Norman, Newfoundland, and was wrecked.

Francisco Morazan was a 1,442 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1922 as Arcadia by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, for German owners. She was sold in 1924 and renamed Elbing. She was seized by the Allies in the River Elbe, Germany in May 1945, passed to the United Kingdom's Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Congress. In 1946, she was allocated to the Norwegian Government and renamed Brunes.

The MV Francop is a German-owned, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant cargo ship. In November 2009 the Israeli navy boarded the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, suspecting that it was carrying weapons destined for Hezbollah from the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Hundreds of tons of weapons were found on the ship, which was then directed to berth in Israel.

Frontier was a 1,000 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1922 as Cattaro by Memeler Schiffswerke, Lindenau & Co, Memel, Germany. After a sale in 1930 she was renamed Finkenau. In 1945, she was renamed Levensau and was seized later that year by the Allies at Brunsbüttel, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Convoy. She was allocated to the Netherlands in 1946 and renamed Grebburg. She was sold into merchant service in 1947 and renamed Echo. A sale to South Africa in 1952 saw her renamed Frontier. The ship served until 1957 when she ran aground and broke up.

SS General von Steuben was a German passenger liner and later an armed transport ship of the German Navy that was sunk during World War II. She was launched as München, renamed in 1930 General von Steuben, and renamed Steuben in 1938.

Gisela L M Russ was a 1,175 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1922 by Stettiner Oderwerke AG, Stettin, Germany for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Consort. In 1946, she was sold to the Greek Government and renamed Volos and then sold and renamed Marios II in 1948. She served until she sank in 1959 following a boiler explosion.

I.P. Suhr was a 1,649 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1926 by Ostseewerft AG, Stettin as Siegmund for German owners. After a sale in 1929 she was renamed Thielbek. A further sale in 1939 saw her renamed Ingrid Traber. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Condover. In 1946, she was passed to the Norwegian Government and renamed Fornes. She was sold into merchant service in 1948 and renamed I.P. Suhr, serving until December 1950 when she capsized and sank.

Ilse L.-M. Russ was a 1,600 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1926 by Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft, Flensburg. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945 at Kiel, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Conqueror. In 1946, she was allocated to the Norwegian Government and renamed Ekornes. She was sold into merchant service in 1947 and renamed Elfrida. She served until December 1959 when she sprang a leak and sank off the coast of Norway.

Iserlohn was a 4,667 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1909 by Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik, Hamburg, Germany. She was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1919, passing to the Admiralty. In 1921, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Union City. She was sold to Finland in 1924 and renamed Wasaborg. In 1935, she was sold to Italy and renamed Erica. In 1940, she was seized by the United Kingdom and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Renamed Empire Defiance, she served until June 1944, when she was sunk as a blockship at Sword, Ouistreham, France in support of Operation Overlord. She was salvaged in 1951 and scrapped at Antwerp, Belgium.

Jean Marie was a 964 GRT coaster that was built in 1922 by F Schichau GmbH, Elbing, Germany as Tertia for German owners. A sale in 1925 saw her renamed Hornland. In 1926, a further sale saw her renamed Taube. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Contour. In 1946, she was transferred to Belgium and renamed Jean Marie. She was sold into merchant service, serving until 1951 when she sank after her cargo shifted.

Kajama is a three-masted former cargo schooner, that currently operates on Lake Ontario as a cruise ship.

SS Lake Arthur (ID-2915) was a Design 1020 cargo ship that served in the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) of the United States Navy during World War I. Originally ordered and begun under the name SS War Plum, she was renamed SS Lake Arthur by the United States Shipping Board (USSB). After her naval service, she operated commercially under a variety of names, before being scuttled in the North Sea with a load of chemical weapons in November 1945.

Leander was a 989 GRT coaster that was built in 1925 by Atlas Werke AG, Hamburg, Germany. The British Royal Navy captured her in November 1939 and impressed her into service as Empire Crusader. She was bombed and sunk in 1940.

Ljusneälf was a 1,391 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1917 as Tilburg by L Smit & Zoon, Kinderdijk for Dutch owners. She was sold to German owners in 1922 and renamed Ljusneälf. A sale in 1938 saw her renamed Hubert Schröder. She was seized by the Allies in April 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Conquest.

Mi Amigo was originally a three-masted cargo schooner, that later gained international recognition as an offshore radio station. She was built as the schooner Margarethe for German owners. A sale in 1927 saw her renamed Olga and she was lengthened in 1936. During the Second World War, she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and served as an auxiliary ship between 1941 and 1943. In 1953, the ship was again lengthened to 133 feet 9 inches (40.77 m). In 1959, she was sold for conversion to a floating radio station and was renamed Bon Jour. Subsequently, she was renamed Magda Maria in 1961 and Mi Amigo in 1962. She served, intermittently, as a radio ship, until 1980, when she sank in a gale.

Monte Pascoal was a Monte-class ocean liner built in 1930 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg for the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft (HSDG). She managed to reach Germany after the outbreak of World War II and was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as an accommodation ship. She was sunk in 1944 during an Allied air raid on Wilhelmshaven. Subsequently refloated, she was seized by the Allies post war and was scuttled in the Skaggerak with a cargo of gas bombs in 1946.

The MS Morska Wola,, was a Polish freighter during the Second World War. She was purchased in Norway by the Polish shipping company Gdynia America Line and named after a Polish emigrants settlement in Brasil.

MSC Flaminia is a German container ship which caught fire on 14 July 2012, claiming three lives and forcing the crew to abandon ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After the fire had been brought under control, the stricken container ship was towed to Europe and arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on 9 September 2012. In March 2013, she departed Wilhelmshaven for Mangalia, Romania for repairs which were finished in July 2014.

Otto Hahn was one of only four nuclear-powered cargo vessels built to date. Planning of a German-built trade and research vessel to test the feasibility of nuclear power in civil service began in 1960 under the supervision of the German physicist Erich Bagge. Launched in 1964, her nuclear reactor was deactivated fifteen years later in 1979 and replaced by a conventional Diesel engine room. The ship was scrapped in 2009.

Parma was a four-masted steel-hulled barque which was built in 1902 as Arrow for the Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd, London. In 1912 she was sold to F. Laeisz, Hamburg, Germany. During the First World War she was interned in Chile, and postwar was assigned to the United Kingdom as war reparations. She was sold back to Laiesz in 1921. She was sold in 1931 to Ruben De Cloux & Alan Villiers of Mariehamn, Finland. Following an accident in 1936, she was sold and hulked at Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel, for two years before being scrapped.

Passat is a German four-masted steel barque and one of the Flying P-Liners, the famous sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. She is one of the last surviving windjammers.

Paula was a barque built in 1876 in Hammelwarden, Germany.

Peking is a steel-hulled four-masted barque. A so-called Flying P-Liner of the German company F. Laeisz, it was one of the last generation of cargo-carrying iron-hulled sailing ships used in the nitrate trade and wheat trade around Cape Horn.

Pinnau was a 1,198 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1922 by Nobiskrug Werft GmbH, Rendsburg, Germany for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Constructor. In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Estkon. She served until 1959 when she was scrapped.

Potosi was a five-masted steel barque built in 1895 by Joh. C. Tecklenborg ship yard in Geestemünde, Germany, for the sailing ship company F. Laeisz as a trading vessel. As its shipping route was between Germany and Chile, it was designed to be capable of withstanding the rough weather encountered around Cape Horn.

Priwall was a four-masted steel-hulled barque with royal sails over double top and topgallant sails. The windjammer was ordered by the F. Laeisz shipping company of Hamburg and launched at the Blohm & Voss yard, Hamburg, on 23 June 1917. After delays arising from a shortage of materials during and after First World War, she was completed on 6 March 1920. Priwall was used on the nitrate trade route to the west coast of South America; she also made several voyages from South Australia’s Spencer Gulf grain ports to Europe. Her code Letters were RWLN; in 1934 they were changed to DIRQ.

RC Rickmers was a German five-masted steel clipper barque with auxiliary engine built in 1906 by the firm Rickmers Rice Mill, Freight and Shipbuilding Company of Bremerhaven, Germany for the company's Rickmers Line. She was the largest sailing ship in the world from 1907 to 1911 and the second German five-masted barque.

Renown was a barque used as a sailing cargo ship built in 1842 by R. & H. Green in Blackwall, London. She survived a cyclone at Calcutta in 1864, and was sold to German owners in 1882. In 1887 or 1888 she foundered off Den Helder on the Dutch coast.

SS Saale was an ocean liner for North German Lloyd in the late 19th century, which was severely damaged in the 1900 Hoboken Docks Fire. On 30 June 1900, Saale was moored at the North German Lloyd piers in Hoboken, New Jersey, preparing to depart on a transatlantic crossing when some cotton on a nearby pier caught on fire and spread to the ship. Saale and several other ships were soon engulfed in flames; 99 passengers and crew on Saale were killed in the fire and subsequent sinking.

USS Saturn (AK-49) was a German cargo ship, built in 1939 as ES Arauca. In 1941 before the US entered World War II, US authorities seized her and started converting her into a United States Navy stores ship. She was the sole ship of the US Navy's Saturn class. She was laid up in 1946 and scrapped in 1972.

Sovereign of the Seas, a clipper ship built in 1852, was a sailing vessel notable for setting the world record for fastest sailing ship—22 knots.

Spreewald was a German passenger-carrying freighter built in 1922 by Deutsche Werft at Hamburg for the Hamburg America Line. The ship was renamed Anubis in 1935, but reverted to Spreewald in 1939. On 31 January 1942 when returning to Germany in disguise, she was sunk by U-333.

Stettin is a steam icebreaker built by the shipyard Stettiner Oderwerke in 1933. She was ordered by the Chamber of Commerce of Stettin. The economy of the city of Stettin strongly depended on the free access of ships to and from the Baltic Sea. Therefore, icebreakers were used to keep the shipping channels free from ice during the winter.

The Motorschiff Stubnitz e.V., a registered non-profit association, is the operator of an 80-metre former freeze & transport vessel of the German Democratic Republic high seas fishing fleet based in Rostock. Since 1993 it has been transformed into a mobile platform for music, cultural production, documentation and communication. Inside this listed historical monument, the former cargo holds are used as venues for live music, exhibitions, performances and media art. Artists and co-workers are lodged and fed on board.

MS Togo was a German merchant ship that was launched in 1938. Requisitioned by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine as Schiff 14, in April 1940 she participated in the invasion of Norway; in August 1940 was converted to a minelayer as part of the German plan to invade England; then from June 1941 she began conversion to the armed auxiliary cruiser (Hilfskreuzer) HSK Coronel.

SS Uhenfels was a steam merchant ship operated initially by the German shipping firm Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft Hansa, and then shortly after the start of the Second World War by the British Elder Dempster Lines Ltd, as SS Empire Ability. She was sunk under this name in 1941 by a German U-boat.

Wahehe was a 4,690 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1922 as Wadigo by Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte und Maschinenfabrik, Hamburg for Woermann Linie AG. She was converted to a refrigerated cargo liner in about 1934.

SS Westfalen was a German ship launched on 14 November 1905 at Joh. C. Tecklenborg in Geestemünde.

S.S. Ypiranga was a German-registered passenger/cargo steamer owned and operated by Hamburg-America Line (Hapag-Lloyd) shipping company. It was built in 1908 by Germaniawerft and was 448.4’ x 55.3’, and measured 8,142 gross register tons. After launch Ypiranga was found to be notoriously unsteady at sea. This was remedied by installing two water tanks near the fore and after masts on the upper deck, connected by a flying bridge. The flow of water between the tanks, controlled by regulating the movement of the air in the side branches, served to steady the ship in rough water, and it gained the reputation of being particularly steady after installation. Ypiranga's sister ship Corcovada was similarly outfitted.

YWAM Koha is a New Zealand-registered Medical Aid Ship, built in 1968 as the buoy tender Konrad Meisel for the German Government and later owned in South Africa as Isibane. As the Claymore II she provided the essential transport links to the remote Pacific territory of Pitcairn Island from New Zealand and French Polynesia, part-funded by the British Government until 2018 when she was replaced by the Silver Supporter.

USS Zeppelin was a passenger liner launched in 1914 as SS Zeppelin by Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany, for Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL). Due to the First World War she never entered NDL service. She had a career after the war first under White Star Line control, then briefly as the troop ship USS Zeppelin, next as the Orient SN Co liner SS Ormuz and finally back with NDL as SS Dresden.