SS Burdigala was an ocean liner that was built and operated by Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) before then serving under Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) and subsequently Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT). The ship was built as Kaiser Friedrich in 1898 for NDL, a German shipping line. Designed to break the speed record for a transatlantic liner and thereby win the Blue Riband, Kaiser Friedrich never achieved the necessary speeds. After a short career with NDL and an equally short period of service with NDL's main German competitor, HAPAG, the ship was mothballed for a decade. After being sold to the French shipping line CGT, the vessel re-entered service as Burdigala. In 1916, while from Thessaloniki to Toulon, the liner struck a naval mine laid by the German U-boat in the Aegean Sea and sank near Kea, Greece.
Construction and design
Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) first ordered with the goal of breaking the North Atlantic speed record (then held by the Cunard Line's ), thereby claiming the Blue Riband for Germany. Soon thereafter, the company ordered a second "Atlantic greyhound" from the Schichau-Werke shipyard at Danzig. The goal of cementing their control of the Blue Riband was built into the terms of the contract NDL signed with Schichau. The specifications demanded a speed of at least for at least six hours and a guaranteed minimum speed of , figures intended to ensure that transatlantic trips would not exceed six days.
Kaiser Friedrich, built by Schichau as Number 587, was powered by two quadruple-expansion reciprocating steam engines that drove two three-blade propellers. These five-cylinder engines were fed by ten boilers, whose fumes were exhausted through three large funnels. The entire plant was designed to generate at full power. Contrary to common shipbuilding practices of the era, the engineers placed the engines slightly forward, between the second and third boilers. The boilers were grouped into three separate watertight compartments.
By the end of her completion, the 21,000-ton Kaiser Friedrich had cost £525,000, surpassing by far the initial budgeted cost. The flush-deck design, coupled with relatively low freeboard and a long forecastle were distinctive, as was the ship's curvilinear bridge. In addition to these features, Kaiser Friedrich (like some other German steamers of her time) was designed and constructed to operate as an armed merchant cruiser in the event of war, being intended to serve as an ancillary unit in the Imperial German Navy.
A floating palace
Although in terms of the technical characteristics Kaiser Friedrich was inferior to Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, in terms of interior design and lavishness she was much more sophisticated, with a harmonious blend of high quality and good taste. All the 180 first-class and 111 second-class cabins were placed on higher decks, offering their occupants remarkable views. Some of the first-class cabins were also convertible into large seating areas. In addition to the 420 crew, the ship could accommodate 1,350 passengers out of which 400 in first class, 250 in second and 700 passengers in third-class. Like the most sumptuous transatlantic ships of her time, Kaiser Friedrichs main dining and living rooms were lit by extravagant chandeliers and the surrounding walls dominated by the hanging Caryatids representing the art and sciences and decorated with painted panels portraying Kaiser Friedrich III's family and their respective coat of arms. The walls were painted in a shade of ivory, adorned by gold ornaments, while the carpets were all red. The most prominent feature though was the ship's promenade deck, especially in the first class areas where the deck was open so as not to obstruct the view and extended along the highest point of the ship's admit for . The ship was also equipped with smoking lounges, bars, music room and a library.
Career Short maiden voyage The construction work was completed in May 1898 and Kaiser Friedrich embarked on its maiden voyage on 12 May 1898 from Danzig to Bremerhaven, the home port of NDL. During sea trials, the engineers of NDL, which were present on board, discovered with disappointment that even with the greatest of efforts she could only reach the speed of and by no means exceed it. Upon the ship's arrival at the port and due to its poor performance with respect to the low speed she had achieved during the trials, NDL categorically denied receiving the ship, adhering strictly to the explicit terms of the contract. Only after F. Schichau had confirmed that he would significantly improve the ship's speed and performance did NDL agree to include Kaiser Friedrich in its fleet, planning its first transatlantic voyage from Bremerhaven to Southampton and from there onward to New York City.
Improvements Since both companies had titles of ownership of the ship, one can say with certainty that they were both interested in finding a solution for the speed problems. The fact that the larger share of ownership, 62% belonged to F. Schichau, which at that point was trying to penetrate the global shipping market, combined with the explicit terms of the contract that made the return of the NDL ship not only possible but also likely in case it deviated from the terms of agreement, brought F. Schichau in a rather difficult and defenseless position. In order to preserve the prestige of the company, it was essential that a solution should be found, a solution satisfactory to all. The first step involved sending the ship off to Southampton where it underwent some "structural adjustments" whose principal objective was to improve the speed. The ship remained for several days in the dry dock yards "Prince of Wales", during which time the length of its two propeller blades was shortened by . On 1 June 1898 the ship sailed back to Bremerhaven.
Maiden voyage to New York On 7 June 1898, Kaiser Friedrich began its sea journey from Bremen to Southampton under the helm of an experienced NDL captain, Ludwig A. Störmer. The next day, on 8 June 1898, the ship's first transatlantic trip to New York City commenced, carrying 209 passengers in the first and second classes, and 183 in the third, of which the majority were immigrants. The journey had started off well, but very quickly the bad weather and a number of mechanical problems significantly reduced the speed of the ship. Afterwards, the left engine ceased operating for 20 hours and 26 minutes, shortly followed by the right engine, which stopped running for 11 hours and 42 minutes. Fortunately for the passengers and the crew, the engines halted separately, not simultaneously. The cause of mechanical problems was later considered by ship specialists to be overheating of bearings or as it was formally stated in The Marine Engineer Magazine "the failure of the slide valves to work smoothly and to the breakage of studs on the air pump brackets, so that a proper vacuum could not be maintained".
The result was disastrous: it took 7 days, 10 hours and 15 minutes for Kaiser Friedrich to cover the classic route from Southampton to Sandy Hook, New York City, where it arrived on 16 June 1898. Further hours of delay were added to its already poor time count, since the ship had to stay outside the New York City harbor and wait for entry allowance because of the mines that were placed to guard the harbour after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898.
The next day, NDL hosted a press conference in the ship's foyer, which was attended by media representatives, shipbuilders, engineers and ship-owners. As publicized by The New York Times in an article dated 17 June 1898 and headlined "The Kaiser Friedrich – The Fine Big Steamship Makes Her Maiden Trip in Over Seven Days – Engines Easily Overheated", the average vessel speed during its first transatlantic crossing was , pointing out that "nobody knows the actual maximum speed of the vessel", as the average speed had been lowered due to mechanical problems.
Return home and future voyages On 25 June 1898, Kaiser Friedrich set off on its return voyage, without passengers, which lasted 9 days, 2 hours and 30 minutes to Southampton. Given the very low average speed of and a new set of mechanical problems which arose again during her return, NDL cancelled Kaiser Friedrichs next two scheduled trips and the ship was sent to F. Schichau's shipyard at Danzig for repairs, always with the aim to improve her speed limit to exceed 20 and reach 22 knots. On 4 September 1898 the ship was given back to NDL.
On 14 September 1898, Kaiser Friedrich embarked on her second transatlantic trip from Southampton to New York City, where she arrived after 6 days and 12 hours on 21 September 1898, traveling at an average speed of 19–20 knots. The corrections made by F. Schicha's engineers slightly improved the ship's speed performance, but not enough to cover the most important term of the contract which had set the service speed of the ship at 22 knots. Over the next three journeys Kaiser Friedrich had sailed by the end of travel season in December 1898, the speed remained at these levels without significant change. In the winter of 1898–1899 the ship remained for three months at Schichau's shipyard in Danzig for corrections and repairs, always with the aim to increase its service speed. In addition to installing new air pumps in the engine and boiler rooms, the three funnels were extended by resulting in a noticeable change in appearance.
With the start of the new season, the mended ship set off to its first transatlantic voyage in the year 1899, from Southampton to New York City on 5 March 1898. The crossing, which took 7 days and 40 minutes before reaching the Sandy Hook lighthouse, after the ship had lost two blades from its propellers, extinguished the last bit of hope that the ship with any new changes would ever approach the 22-knot threshold. Because NDL did not own any other ship of Kaiser Friedrichs size, to cover the gap which Kaiser Friedrichs removal from their fleet would cause, and also because NDL did not want to return a ship 38% owned by them to the manufacturers, they patiently decided they would give Schichau's engineers yet another chance to finally put it right. Eight more transatlantic trips followed, the shortest of which was 6 days, 22 hours and 30 minutes which finally and irrevocably classified the ship as belonging to the 19 knots class.
NDL's farewell On 27 June 1899, during the ship's return from New York City, the company returned Kaiser Friedrich to its manufacturer on the grounds that the ship did not cover the terms of the contract which set its service speed at 22 knots. At the same time NDL ordered a new ship, bigger and faster but with the (tested) specifications same as those of Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, by A.G. Vulcan. The new ship was , which claimed and won the Blue Riband trophy two years later in 1902, reaching the average speed of . Until the delivery of this new ship, which bore the name of Kaiser Wilhelm II's son, NDL temporarily replaced Kaiser Friedrich with (former SS Spree), which sank in May 1905, during the Russian-Japanese War.
Immediately after the delivery of the new ship, a long legal battle between NDL and F. Schichau began, which ended in 1908 with NDL's victory. The press of the time, from both sides of the Atlantic, was widely involved in this unprecedented event. The New York Times in their article dated 28 June 1899, captioned "Kaiser Friedrich Rejected", extensively analyses the underlying facts and causes. The general manager of F. Schichau, vigorously objected to the court decision, claiming that the culprit was the poor quality of coal used as fuel by NDL. On 7 August 1899, he wrote a letter to the chief editor of the magazine The Marine Engineer, which reads:
Hamburg-America Line