North Country Voyages (Nordlandfahrten) - 1908

Front Cover, Hamburg-Amerika Linie Nordland-Fahrten (North Country Voyages), 1908.

Front Cover, Hamburg-Amerika Linie Nordland-Fahrten (North Country Voyages), 1908. GGA Image ID # 1e239fde73

Hamburg-Amerika Linie cruise book, depicting visits to Norwegian ports and sights, such as Allesund, Bergen, Bellsund, Brontheim, Geirangerfiord, Gudvangen, Hammerfest, Stahlheim, and many stunning fiords and glaciers.

The roughly 200-page brochure offered exquisite images of several ships of The Hamburg-American Line, including the Auguste Victoria, Prinzessin Victoria Luise (wrecked off Jamaica in 1906), Oceana, Meteor, and Blücher.

The brochure was published by A. Wohlfeld Magdeburg, unpaginated (about 200 pages), with about 175 full-page black and white photos (Sepia). Undated, circa 1905.

 

Title Page, Hamburg-Amerika Linie Nordland-Fahrten (North Country Voyages), 1908.

Title Page, Hamburg-Amerika Linie Nordland-Fahrten (North Country Voyages), 1908. Handwritten Notation Reads: SS Meteor, August 2nd to 13th, 1908, Norway. Bottom Right Shows Four Autographs of the Original Passengers on this Voyage. GGA Image ID # 1e23b863bb

 

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SS Auguste Victoria

 

Augusta Victoria, later Auguste Victoria, placed in service in 1889 and named for Empress Augusta Victoria, wife of Emperor Wilhelm II, was the name ship of the Augusta Victoria series and the first of a new generation of luxury Hamburg America Line ocean liners.

She was the first European liner with twin propellers and when first placed in service, the fastest liner in the Atlantic trade. She was rebuilt and lengthened in 1897 and sold to the Russian Navy in 1904; they renamed her Kuban.

Albert Ballin commissioned Augusta Victoria and her sister ship Columbia in 1887, soon after joining the Hamburg America Line as head of passenger service. Augusta Victoria, the first to be placed in service, was originally to have been called Normannia but was renamed for the Empress after Wilhelm II became Emperor.

In the 1890s the line added the larger Normannia and Fürst Bismarck to the series. Augusta Victoria was the first European liner with twin screws, which made her both faster and more reliable. (The two previous twin-screw liners were the City of New York and City of Paris of the British Inman Line.) In May 1889, her maiden voyage to New York broke a record, taking only seven days.

She was also the first luxury liner at Hamburg America, introducing the concept of the "floating hotel"; she had "a rococo stairhall, illuminated by a milky way of pear-shaped prisms and naked light bulbs clutched by gilded cherubs, a reception court choked by palm trees and a dark and gothic smoking room."

Ballin had her interior design work done by Johann Poppe, the designer at Hamburg America's rival line, North German Lloyd, whose ships already had a reputation for elegance. She was immediately successful, but she and her sister ship were an economic drain on the line because they required more coal than slower ships and could not carry much freight or many steerage passengers and were therefore only profitable in the summer season, and it was risky to operate them at all from Hamburg in very bad weather, when the Elbe was packed with ice.

Off-season pleasure cruises were therefore instituted in 1891, and Augusta Victoria's cruise in the Mediterranean and the Near East from 22 January to 22 March 1891, with 241 passengers including the Ballins themselves, is often stated to have been the first ever cruise. Christian Wilhelm Allers published an illustrated account of it as Backschisch (Baksheesh). However, the British Orient Line had offered cruises in the late 1880s.

In 1897, the ship underwent a comprehensive rebuilding at Harland & Wolff in Belfast. She was lengthened, her tonnage increased, and her speed increased by half a knot, and the middle of her three masts was removed.[3] Her name was also changed to Auguste Victoria to correct an original inaccuracy; the Empress spelt her name with an e.

While Augusta Victoria was under construction, the Emperor persuaded both Hamburg America and its rival Norddeutscher Lloyd to make their future liners convertible to auxiliary cruisers in time of war. Like all German fast liners built from then until 1914, she therefore had reinforced decks which could support gun platforms.

In 1904 she and the other three ships in the series were sold to the Russian Navy; she was renamed Kuban and became a cruiser, but was assigned to be a scout ship. She sailed in the Far East with Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky's fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, but did not see action. She was broken up at Stettin in 1907.

 

SS Auguste Victoria at Advent Bay (Adventfjorden), Spitsbergen, Norway.

SS Auguste Victoria at Advent Bay (Adventfjorden), Spitsbergen, Norway. Toumbs of the Shipwrecked Marked by Crosses in the Foreground. GGA Image ID # 1e23cf2f60

 

Passengers Watching the Sea on the Boat Deck of the SS Auguste Victoria.

Passengers Watching the Sea on the Boat Deck of the SS Auguste Victoria. GGA Image ID # 1e242f9279

 

The SS Auguste Victoria at Bellsund in Spitsbergen, Norway.

The SS Auguste Victoria at Bellsund in Spitsbergen, Norway. Passengers or Guests Standing at the Shoreline While a Tender Approaches the Ship. GGA Image ID # 1e2442a7b1

 

A Large Group of Passengers at Bellsund, Spitzbergen, Wait on the Shoreline to Ride on the Tender That Will Take Them to the Ss August Victoria.

A Large Group of Passengers at Bellsund, Spitzbergen, Wait on the Shoreline to Ride on the Tender That Will Take Them to the Ss August Victoria. GGA Image ID # 1e24bab7ac

 

The SS Auguste Victoria at Geirangerfjord, Sunnmøre, Møre og Romsdal, Norway.

The SS Auguste Victoria at Geirangerfjord, Sunnmøre, Møre og Romsdal, Norway. Tender is Transporting Passenger to the Shore from the Ship. GGA Image ID # 1e254f647b

 

The SS Auguste Vicgtoria at Hammerfest, Finnmark, Norway. The Meridian Column Is Shown Above at Hammerfest, Norway.

The SS Auguste Vicgtoria at Hammerfest, Finnmark, Norway. The Meridian Column Is Shown Above at Hammerfest, Norway. The Meridianstotta, Surrounded by Iron Railings, Is on the Fuglenes Peninsula to the North of the Harbor. The Marble Column Commemorates the First Survey (1816–52) By Russian Scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve to Determine the Arc of the Global Meridian and Thereby Calculate the Size and Shape of the Earth. GGA Image ID # 1e25760125

 

Several People are Watching the SS Auguste Victoria in the Molde Fjord, Møre og Romsdal, Norway.

Several People are Watching the SS Auguste Victoria in the Molde Fjord, Møre og Romsdal, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e259a0ed0

 

View of the SS Auguste Victoria in Advent Bay, Spitzbergen.

View of the SS Auguste Victoria in Advent Bay, Spitzbergen. A Tender and a Small Group of People Appear in the Foreground. GGA Image ID # 1e260fd753

 

The SS Auguste Victoria on the Norwegian Coast.

The SS Auguste Victoria on the Norwegian Coast. GGA Image ID # 1e26578b73

 

A Whaling Ship Appears Alongside the SS Auguste Victoria as Some Passengers Look On.

A Whaling Ship Appears Alongside the SS Auguste Victoria as Some Passengers Look On. GGA Image ID # 1e2694c256

 

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SS Blücher

 

Some of the best photographs (interior and exterior) from the turn of the century document the SS Blücher of the Hamburg America Line as she visits various ports of western Norway at the turn of the twentieth century.

SS Blücher was a Barbarossa-class ocean liner built by Blohm & Voss Shipbuilders, Hamburg, Germany, in 1902 for the Hamburg America Line, to sail under German flag. She displaced 12,334 gross tons and was 550 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.

 

The SS Blücher at Advent Bay, Spitzbergen, Norway.

The SS Blücher at Advent Bay, Spitzbergen, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e26ac871c

 

Two Children Sit by the Meridian Column at Hammerfest with the SS Blücher in the Background.

Two Children Sit by the Meridian Column at Hammerfest with the SS Blücher in the Background. GGA Image ID # 1e26bedd5d

 

Departure from Cuxhaven of the SS Blücher.

Departure from Cuxhaven of the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 16640bfca9

 

First Class Dining Salon on the SS Blücher.

First Class Dining Salon on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 1664fe81b5

 

The First Class Grill Room on the SS Blücher.

The First Class Grill Room on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 166510fcb7

 

Another View of the First Class Grill Room on the SS Blücher.

Another View of the First Class Grill Room on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 16651fe71c

 

First Class Ladies Salon on the SS Blücher.

First Class Ladies Salon on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 166476c09c

 

First Class Music Salon on the SS Blücher.

First Class Music Salon on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 16647b0d68

 

The SS Blücher Seen from the Shoreline in Trondhjem harbor - Norwegian Sailor in Foreground.

The SS Blücher Seen from the Shoreline in Trondhjem harbor - Norwegian Sailor in Foreground. GGA Image ID # 1665d77bdf

 

The SS Blücher Anchored at Bellsund Fjord, Spitsbergen - Passengers Loading onto Tender.

The SS Blücher Anchored at Bellsund Fjord, Spitsbergen - Passengers Loading onto Tender. The Women on the Left Foreground Appears to Be Hold a Ticket. GGA Image ID # 16661e4e28

 

The SS Blücher in Bellsund. The Item Sticking Out in the Water Is Not Identified.

The SS Blücher in Bellsund. The Item Sticking Out in the Water Is Not Identified. GGA Image ID # 1e26c50fae

 

The SS Blücher Anchored at Bellsund Fjord, Spitsbergen.

The SS Blücher Anchored at Bellsund Fjord, Spitsbergen. GGA Image ID # 166603d487

 

The SS Blücher in Geirangerfjord Shown With Unidentified Coastal Steamer (the One-Funnel Steamship on the Right).

The SS Blücher in Geirangerfjord Shown With Unidentified Coastal Steamer (the One-Funnel Steamship on the Right). GGA Image ID # 1666dd5ceb

 

The SS Blücher in Geirangerfjord (Geirangerfjorden), Romsdal, Norway.

The SS Blücher in Geirangerfjord (Geirangerfjorden), Romsdal, Norway. GGA Image ID # 16667af6b8

 

SS Blücher Anchors in the Harbor at Hardangerfjord.

SS Blücher Anchors in the Harbor at Hardangerfjord. GGA Image ID # 1665a62a3d

 

The SS Blücher in Raftsund, Lofoten, Digermulen, Norway.

The SS Blücher in Raftsund, Lofoten, Digermulen, Norway. GGA Image ID # 166671763c

 

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen.

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen. Two Couples Can be Seen in the Foreground. GGA Image ID # 16666e668a

 

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen. Passengers Awaiting to Board Tender at the Dock.

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen. Passengers Awaiting to Board Tender at the Dock. GGA Image ID # 16665be2c4

 

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen. Passengers Awaiting to Board Tender at the Dock.

The SS Blücher in the Advent Bay, Spitsbergen. Passengers Awaiting to Board Tender at the Dock. GGA Image ID # 1666638b15

 

Light Shaft on the SS Blücher.

Light Shaft on the SS Blücher. GGA Image ID # 1664af8176

 

View of Harbor at Trondhjem with the SS Blücher of the Hamburg American Line Visible in the Background.

View of Harbor at Trondhjem with the SS Blücher of the Hamburg American Line Visible in the Background. GGA Image ID # 1665b2526b

 

The SS Blücher on the Quay in Hammerfest, Norway. A Small Croud Waits at the Pier.

The SS Blücher on the Quay in Hammerfest, Norway. A Small Croud Waits at the Pier. GGA Image ID # 1e272b50f7

 

Passengers for the SS Blücher on Nærøyfjorden at Gudvangen. GGA Image ID # 1666eea377

 

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SS Meteor

 

View Incredible Large Format Photographs of the Hamburg American Line SS Meteor (1904), including Interior and Exterior views and scenes from piers of western Norway from the 1908 Book Northland Fahrten - Hamburg-Amerika Linie.

The Meteor is exclusively devoted to pleasure cruises as a cruising steamship. In this new enterprise, the chief objective of the company has been to place at the disposal of the traveling public a vessel which, without in any way diminishing the comfort invariably offered by the Hamburg-American Line to its passengers, will yet, in consequence of her type of build and somewhat simpler fittings, decrease the expenses of working and maintenance, and thus enable the company to reduce to a minimum the fares for cruises by the Meteor.

The SS Meteor offers short and inexpensive cruises in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Seas, starting from Genoa and Venice. Cost $70 upward with excellent connections made by the Hamburg-American Line's Atlantic service.

 

View of the SS Meteor Looking Towards the Shoreline at Aalesund.

View of the SS Meteor Looking Towards the Shoreline at Aalesund. GGA Image ID # 1e27a04e17

 

The SS Meteor at the Sea Port of Aalesund, Møre Og Romsdal, Norway.

The SS Meteor at the Sea Port of Aalesund, Møre Og Romsdal, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e27e05fbc

 

A Crowd Gathers at the Pier Watching the SS Meteor at the Pier at Aalesund.

A Crowd Gathers at the Pier Watching the SS Meteor at the Pier at Aalesund. GGA Image ID # 1e2811c83d

 

Passengers Boarding the Tender Heading to the SS Meteor at the Village of Merok, Geiranger Fjord, Norway.

Passengers Boarding the Tender Heading to the SS Meteor at the Village of Merok, Geiranger Fjord, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e28522ef0

 

First Class Dining Salon on the SS Meteor.

First Class Dining Salon on the SS Meteor. GGA Image ID # 1e285ecd5e

 

First Class Drawing Room on the SS Meteor.

First Class Drawing Room on the SS Meteor. GGA Image ID # 1e289f4f68

 

First Class Smoking Room on the SS Meteor.

First Class Smoking Room on the SS Meteor. GGA Image ID # 1e293c5745

 

The SS Meteor in Geiranger Fjord View of Immigrants and Tourist Passengers on Deck. Incredibly Detailed Photograph of Its Day.

The SS Meteor in Geiranger Fjord View of Immigrants and Tourist Passengers on Deck. Incredibly Detailed Photograph of Its Day. GGA Image ID # 1e29643127

 

The SS Meteor in Naerofjord near Gudvangen, Sognefjord, Norway.

The SS Meteor in Naerofjord near Gudvangen, Sognefjord, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e2965b2cb

 

Lifeboat Drills on the SS Meteor.

Lifeboat Drills on the SS Meteor. GGA Image ID # 1e29672761

 

The SS Meteor at Bergen Showing Three Norwegian Women at the Dock Relaxing.

The SS Meteor at Bergen Showing Three Norwegian Women at the Dock Relaxing. GGA Image ID # 1e29b652d2

 

View of the SS Meteor and Two Well-Dressed Women in the Foreground on the Pier in Bergen, Norway.

View of the SS Meteor and Two Well-Dressed Women in the Foreground on the Pier in Bergen, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e29fd6f5b

 

The SS Meteor in the Nordfjord District Near Loen, Vestland, Norway.

The SS Meteor in the Nordfjord District Near Loen, Vestland, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e2a13ea30

 

The SS Meteor Anchored in the Fjord at the Village of Merok.

The SS Meteor Anchored in the Fjord at the Village of Merok. GGA Image ID # 1e2a2e76da

 

Two Women in Foreground Wearing Traditional Norwegian Folk Costumes. The SS Meteor in the Background is Near Oie Nordangsfjorden.

Two Women in Foreground Wearing Traditional Norwegian Folk Costumes. The SS Meteor in the Background is Near Oie Nordangsfjorden. GGA Image ID # 1e2a316bd8

 

Exterior View of the SS Meteor on the High Seas.

Exterior View of the SS Meteor on the High Seas. GGA Image ID # 1e2a51a74a

 

A Cozy Corner of the Promenade Deck of the SS Meteor.

A Cozy Corner of the Promenade Deck of the SS Meteor. GGA Image ID # 1e2a5b4e1d

 

The SS Meteor in Geiranger Fjord with View of Stave Church in the Foreground.

The SS Meteor in Geiranger Fjord with View of Stave Church in the Foreground. GGA Image ID # 1e2a8e827f

 

View of the SS Meteor While Anchored at Naes.

View of the SS Meteor While Anchored at Naes. On the Left Is Arne Mjelva - A Carriage Proprietor with a Parking Lot Full of the Traditional Two-Wheel Buggies Called Stolkjaerre. GGA Image ID # 1e2a994779

 

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SS Oceana

 

Passengers could avoid seasickness by traveling on the magnificent, fast, twin-screw Transatlantic liner "Oceana" of 14,000 Tons, 535 Feet in length. It's the largest, fastest, most luxurious, and only First-Class passenger ship. It features electric fans in every room or steam heated when necessary. The Oceana also has a ship's orchestra, promenade dances, gymnasium, wireless, submarine safety signals, magnificent staterooms with brass beds, suits with private baths, and the finest promenade deck in the world.

 

SS Oceana Side View.

SS Oceana Side View. GGA Image ID # 1e2ac63adf

 

Part of the Upper First Class Dining Hall on the SS Oceana.

Part of the Upper First Class Dining Hall on the SS Oceana. GGA Image ID # 1e2ac8c24b

 

View of the First Class Dining Room Looking Down Through the Light Shaft of the SS Oceana.

View of the First Class Dining Room Looking Down Through the Light Shaft of the SS Oceana. GGA Image ID # 1e2af241ec

 

First Class Gymnasium on the SS Oceana.

First Class Gymnasium on the SS Oceana. GGA Image ID # 1e2b1a891e

 

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SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise was a passenger ship of the Hamburg-America Line of some 4,409 gross register tons (GRT). She is credited with having been the first purpose-built cruise ship. Launched on June 29, 1900, she served with HAPAG until December 16, 1906, after being accidentally grounded off Jamaica. She was a magnificently appointed twin-screw cruising yacht, 450 feet in length,

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise was constructed to be used exclusively for cruises. Its size and incredible arrangements add materially to the pleasure of Around the World cruises and shorter cruises.

The ship typically leaves Hamburg to Cherbourg, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Nice, Genoa, Athens, Constantinople, Jaffa, Port Said, Ismailia, Bombay, Columbo, Calcutta, Singapore, Manilla, Hong Kong, Yokohama, Honolulu, Mile, and San Francisco.

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon. GGA Image ID # 16683b75a7

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon Showing Light Shaft.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon Showing Light Shaft. GGA Image ID # 16680cbe80

 

Side View of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon.

Side View of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Conversation Salon. GGA Image ID # 1667eeeb73

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Gymnasium.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Gymnasium. GGA Image ID # 1668867c87

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Smoking Room.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise First Class Smoking Room. GGA Image ID # 16677d43f9

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Inner Promenade Space.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Inner Promenade Space. GGA Image ID # 1668c948dd

 

Lifeboat Drills on the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise.

Lifeboat Drills on the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise. GGA Image ID # 1e2b866fec

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Bergen With Tenders Along Side.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Bergen With Tenders Along Side. GGA Image ID # 1669a10dc4

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Næs (Nes), Akershus, Norway.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Næs (Nes), Akershus, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e2c0470d8

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Approaches the Harbor at Tromsø.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Approaches the Harbor at Tromsø. Great View of Passengers on the Deck Watching the Ship. Note the Height of the Railing on the Upper Deck. GGA Image ID # 1669774e1d

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Near Balestrand, Sogndal, Norway.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise Near Balestrand, Sogndal, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1e2c0585f9

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Molde Norway.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Molde Norway. Note the Fashions Worn by the Women at the Pier, They Appear to Be Waiting for Passengers From the Ship to Arrive via a Tender. GGA Image ID # 16694f05a0

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise is Anchored at Næs (Nes), Romsdal, Norway.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise is Anchored at Næs (Nes), Romsdal, Norway. GGA Image ID # 1669727802

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Odda.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Odda. People, Possibly Immigrants, Waiting at the Pier for the Tender to Arrive From the Steamer. GGA Image ID # 166922bf78

 

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Odda Fjord.

The SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise at Odda Fjord. GGA Image ID # 166912bffb

 

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise (1900).

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise (1900). GGA Image ID # 166722b4c3

 

View of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise From the Shore With Two Women and Eight Children in the Foreground.

View of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise From the Shore With Two Women and Eight Children in the Foreground. GGA Image ID # 1669dcff46

 

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