Hamburg America Line

Not to be confused with Hamburg Atlantic Line.

The HAPAG flag.

The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft (HAPAG for short, often referred to in English as Hamburg America Line (sometimes also Hamburg-American Line, Hamburg-Amerika Linie or Hamburg Line); literally Hamburg American Packet-shipping Joint Stock Company) was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during 1847. Among the initiators were prominent citizens such as Adolph Godeffroy, Ferdinand Laeisz, H. J. Merck, Carl Woermann, August Bolten and others. It soon developed into the largest German, and at times the world's largest, shipping company, serving the market created by the German immigration to the United States and later immigration from Eastern Europe. On September 1, 1970, after 123 years of independent existence, HAPAG merged with the Bremen-based North German Lloyd to form Hapag-Lloyd AG.

Ports served

A postcard of the view from the water of the Hamburg-American Steamship Lines docks in Hoboken, New Jersey during about 1910.

In the early years, the Hamburg America Line exclusively connected European ports with North American ports, such as Hoboken, New Jersey or New Orleans, Louisiana. With time, however, the company established lines to all continents.

Notable journeys

• During 1858, its liner Austria sank, killing 449 people.
• During 1900, 1901 and 1903 its liner Deutschland won the Blue Riband taking the prize from the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
• During 1906, Prinzessin Victoria Luise ran aground off the coast of Jamaica. No lives were lost by the grounding, however, the ship's captain committed suicide after getting all the passengers safely off the ship.
• During 1912, its liner Amerika was the first ship to warn Titanic of icebergs.
• During 1939, its liner St. Louis, was unable to find a port in Cuba, the United States, or Canada willing to accept the more than 950 Jewish refugees on board and had to return to Europe.

Later years

Hamburg America Line lost almost the entirety of its fleet twice, as a result of each of World War I and World War II. During 1970, the company merged with longtime rival Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) of Bremen to establish the current-day Hapag-Lloyd, which itself is owned by the corporation TUI AG.

See also

• Holland America Line
• Norwegian America Line
• Scandinavian America Line
• Swedish America Line
• USS President Lincoln

External links

• The history of the Hamburg-America Line
• Historic photos of Hoboken and Hamburg America Line ports
• Passenger Lists from the Hamburg-Amerika Linie