SS ''Blücher'' was a built by Blohm & Voss Shipbuilders,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, in 1902 for the

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent Germ ...

, to sail under German flag. She measured 12,334 gross register tons and was 550 (bp) feet long by 62 feet wide. Steam quadruple-expansion engines powered twin screws. Her service speed was 16 knots. She originally carried 2,102 passengers, including 333 first class, 169 second class, and 1,600 third class, on four decks with a steel hull, and was served by a crew of 252. She was fitted with two masts and two funnels. She saw Hamburg-New York and Hamburg-South America service. She was the sister ship to the SS ''Moltke''.Arrival of the Moltke
" New Haven, Connecticut: ''New Haven Morning Journal and Courier'', March 21, 1902, p. 7 (subscription required).

History

The ''Blücher'' was launched on November 23, 1901. She set out on her maiden voyage on June 7, 1902, proceeding from Hamburg to Boulogne to Southampton, then finally to New York, where she arrived at

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

on June 28. She serviced this route until 1911. In 1912, she was rebuilt, with luxury suites added to her boat deck. She was interned at

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

, Brazil in August 1914. On June 1, 1917, she was seized by the Brazilian government, who renamed her ''Leopoldina''. On February 27, 1918, she was chartered to the French government. On March 11, 1920, she began her first voyage for

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, and commonly named "Transat"), typically known overseas as the French Line, was a French shipping company. Established in 1855 by the brothers Émile and Issac Péreire under the name ''Compagnie ...

(CGT, "French Line") from New York to Le Havre. In December 1921, she was laid up. In March 1923, she was sold to CGT and renamed ''Suffren'', as which on May 8, 1923, she made her first voyage, Le Havre to New York. At this time, she could accommodate 500 passengers in first class and 250 in third class. She was laid up again in 1928 and scrapped in Genoa in 1929.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blucher 1901 ships Ocean liners Steamships of Germany Passenger ships of France Passenger ships of Germany Ships built in Hamburg Ships of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique Ships of the Hamburg America Line Barbarossa-class ocean liners