SMY Hohenzollern

SMY Hohenzollern (Seiner Majestät Yacht Hohenzollern) was the name of several yachts used by the German Emperors between 1878 and 1918, named after their House of Hohenzollern.

SMY Hohenzollern I
The first Hohenzollern was built 1876–1878 by Norddeutsche Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in Kiel. Her interiors were designed by architect Heinrich Moldenschardt. In 1892 she was renamed Kaiseradler (Imperial eagle) and scrapped in 1912.

SMY Hohenzollern II
Hohenzollern II was launched on 27 June 1892, the build completed the same year by AG Vulcan Stettin. She was 120 m long, had a beam of 14 m and drew 5.6 m, with 9588 ihp.

She was used as the Imperial Yacht and aviso from 1893 to July 1914. From 1894 to 1914, with the exception of 1906, Emperor Wilhelm II used her on his annual prolonged Nordlandfahrt trips to Norway. In total he spent over four years on board.

In June 1914 Hohenzollern II attended the Kiel regatta and on 25 June the last state banquet was held on board to entertain officers of the British fleet whose ships had been invited to attend.

At the end of July 1914 Hohenzollern II was put out of service in Kiel, the last captain being Kapitän zur See Johannes V. Karpf. The ship became property of the Weimar Republic in 1918. Struck on 27 February 1920, she was scrapped in 1923 in Wilhelmshaven.

SMY Hohenzollern III
Hohenzollern III was launched in September 1914 in Stettin but never finished due to war. She was struck in 1919 and scrapped in 1923 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel.

Philately
The imperial yacht was the subject of the Yacht issue produced for postal use in German colonies.