Kevin Griffin writes a super piece here that I feel our readers will be very interested in . . .
A hundred years ago, the Hamburg America Line introduced the largest ship in the world when it christened the 52,117-ton Imperator, the first of a trio. And last month Royal Caribbean announced that it had ordered a third ship of its 225,000-ton Oasis class, for delivery in 2016. Meanwhile, Hamburg America’s successor is this year introducing its Europa 2, which if not the largest in the world may be the most luxurious for today’s generation, something that the Imperator boasted as well. Elsewhere, Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that it is floating on the NASDAQ and Costa Cruises commemorates the first anniversary of the loss of the 114,137-ton Costa Concordia, the largest passenger ship loss ever, at Giglio.
Two Trios of Mega-Ships A Century Apart
Just as Royal Caribbean Cruises ordered its third 225,000-ton mega-ship last month, so a hundred years ago another line was in the process of producing three gigantic ocean liners larger than any the world had yet seen. The line was Hapag, also known as Hamburg America Line, and the first of its mammoths was the 52,117-ton Imperator.
With dimensions of 906 x 98 feet, she was almost 6,000 tons larger than the White Star Line’s Titanic, lost in 1912. When introduced, the Imperator was the largest ship in the world.
A hundred years ago, Hapag’s 50,000-ton Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck were the largest in the world - Royal Caribbean’s 225,000-ton Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis 3 are the largest in the world today
The Imperator had originally been intended to carry the name Europa, but the Kaiser thought Imperator (meaning Emperor in German) was more fitting. The huge ship boasted public areas such as a winter garden, social hall, grill room and, in the era, a smoking room.
Continue to read Kevin Griffin's article at: cybercruises.com
