SS Potsdam (1899)

SS Potsdam was a steam ocean liner that was launched in Germany in 1899 for Holland America Line. In 1915 Swedish American Line acquired her and renamed her Stockholm.

In 1929 Norwegian owners acquired her, had her converted into a whaling factory ship, and renamed her Solglimt. In 1941 a German auxiliary cruiser captured her and she was renamed Sonderburg. She was scuttled in 1944, and raised and scrapped in 1947.

When new, Potsdam was the largest ship in the Holland America Line fleet. She was the only Holland America Line ship ever to be named after the German city of Potsdam. She was the first of four Swedish American liners to be named after the Swedish capital city Stockholm.

Building
Blohm+Voss built Potsdam in Hamburg as yard number 139. She was laid down on 4 May 1899, launched on 15 December 1899 and completed on 5 May 1900. Her length overall was 174.65 m and her registered length was 550.0 ft. Her beam was 62.0 ft and her depth was 34.6 ft. Her tonnages were, and. Her passenger accommodation had berths for 282 first class, 208 second class and 1,800 third class passengers. Her holds had cubic capacity of 612000 cuft for grain and 559000 cuft for cargo in bales.

Potsdam had twin screws, each driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine. The combined power of her twin engines was rated at 1,355 NHP or 7,600 ihp, and gave her a speed of 15 kn.

Potsdam
Holland America Line registered Potsdam at Rotterdam. Her Dutch code letters were PQLF.

Her regular route was between Rotterdam and New York via Boulogne. She began her maiden voyage on 17 May 1900.

At first, Potsdam's speed was unsatisfactory, and she was found not to steam well enough. In her winter overhaul of 1900 to 1901 her funnel was increased in height by 23 ft to improve the draught through her furnaces and boilers. The modification succeeded in improvingher steaming and her speed. Her taller funnel earnt her the nickname "Funneldam".

Holland America Line ordered two sister ships for Potsdam, built by Harland & Wolff in Ireland. USS Rijndam was launched in May 1901 and completed that October. Noordam was launched in September 1901 and completed in March 1902.

By 1910 Potsdam was equipped for submarine signalling, and the Marconi Company had equipped her for wireless telegraphy. By 1913 her wireless telegraph call sign was MHM, but by 1914 it had been changed to PEE.

On 15 April 1912 White Star Line's RMS Titanic sank with the loss of 1,517 lives. Under public scrutiny after the disaster, other companies admitted that their passenger ships carried too few lifeboats. Holland America Line was one of them, and the company duly had two more pairs of lifeboats installed aboard Potsdam, positioned aft on a deckhouse.

Early the First World War, the ship's name and home port "Potsdam Rotterdam" were painted on her side in large capital letters to identify her as a neutral ship. But passenger numbers declined, and Holland America Line laid Potsdam up in Rotterdam and advertised her for sale.

Stockholm
In September 1915 Swedish America Line acquired Potsdam, renamed her Stockholm, and registered her in Gothenburg. Her passenger accommodation was improved, particularly in Third Class, to appeal to Swedish emigrants to the USA. Her Swedish code letters were JVMC, and by 1918 her call sign was SGL. She began her first voyage from Gothenburg to New York on 11 December 1915.

At first Stockholm prospered. However, on 1 February 1917 the Imperial German Navy resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. This increased the danger for neutral shipping, so Stockholm was laid up in Gothenburg from May 1917 until June 1918.

In 1919 the United States chartered Stockholm to repatriate troops from France. She brought 1,000 members of the Afro-American 369th Infantry Regiment home from Europe to New York.

In 1922 Götaverken converted Stockholm from coal to heavy fuel oil. This improved the performance of her furnaces and boilers, so the height of her funnel was reduced by 7 ft.

Stockholm began her final transatlantic voyage for Swedish American Line on 29 September 1928.

Solglimt
In November 1928 Hvalfangerstakjeselskabet 'Atlas' ("The Atlas Whaling Company") acquired Stockholm and had her refitted as a whaling factory ship. Her tonnages were revised to and. Atlas registered her in Larvik and appointed Christian Nielsen & Co to manage her. She entered service in her new role on 12 September 1929.

By 1930 her Norwegian code letters were LHNB, and she was equipped with wireless direction finding. In 1930 A/S Odd acquired Solglimt, registered her in Sandefjord, and appointed A/S Thor Dahl to manage her. By 1934 her call sign was LDMD.

On 14 January 1941 the GERMAN AUXILIARY CRUISER Pinguin captured a Norwegian fleet of 11 whalers and three factory ships in the Southern Ocean. They included Solglimt, which was laden with whale oil. On 25 January Pinguin sent Solglimt to German-occupied France under a German prize crew. She reached Bordeaux on 16 March.

Sonderburg
The Kriegsmarine kept the ship as a prize, renamed her Sonderburg, after Sønderborg in North Schleswig, and registered her in Hamburg.

In 1941 the Erste Deutsche Wahlfang Gesellschaft ("First German Whaling Company") managed Sonderburg. By 1942 the Trossschiffverband ("Supply Ship Association") was her manager. Also in 1942, she was in Cherbourg Harbour during a RAF Bomber Command. At least two bombs hit and damaged her.

In June 1944, German forces scuttled Sonderburg in the English Channel at Cherbourg. In August 1946 the French used explosives to demolish part of the ship to clear the port. In January 1947 the remains of her wreck were raised and towed to Britain, where the British Iron & Steel Corporation scrapped her.