View source for SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

{{Short description|German ocean liner}}
{{For|the World War I battleship of the same name|SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 | image = Kaiser wilhelm der grosse 01.jpg
 | image_caption = ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
 | hide_header = 
 | country = [[German Empire]]
 | flag = {{shipboxflag|German Empire}}
 | name = ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''
 | namesake = [[William I, German Emperor]]
 | owner = [[Norddeutscher Lloyd|North German Lloyd]]
 | operator = 
 | registry = {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Bremen]], Germany
 | route = Hamburg, German Empire — New York City, United States
 | ordered = 
 | builder = [[AG Vulcan Stettin|Stettiner Vulcan]], [[Stettin]]
 | original_cost = 
 | yard_number = 
 | way_number = 
 | laid_down = 1896
 | launched = 4 May 1897
 | completed = 
 | christened = 4 May 1897
 | identification = *[[Code letters]] QGLF
                    *{{ICS|Quebec}}{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}
                    *1913: [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] DKW
 | acquired = 
 | maiden_voyage = 19 September 1897
 | refit = 1913
 | in_service = 1897–1914
 | out_of_service = 26 August 1914
 | fate = Scuttled [[Battle of Río de Oro|in battle]], 26 August 1914
 | notes = First Four-Funnelled liner
 }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 | hide_header = 
 | header_caption = 
 | class = {{sclass2|Kaiser|ocean liner}}
 | tonnage = {{GRT|14349}}, {{NRT|5521}}
 | displacement = {{cvt|24300|LT|t}}
 | length = *{{cvt|649|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|overall]]
            *{{cvt|627.4|ft|abbr=on}} registered
 | beam = {{cvt|66.0|ft|abbr=on}}
 | draft = {{cvt|27|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}
 | depth = {{cvt|35.8|ft|abbr=on}}
 | decks = 4
 | power = 3,094 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]], {{cvt|33000|ihp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
 | propulsion = *2 [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple expansion engines]]
                *2 screw propellers
 | speed = {{cvt|22.5|kn|lk=in|abbr=on}}
 | capacity = 1,506 passengers
 | crew = 488
 | armament = *''In World War I''
              ** 6 × {{cvt|105|mm|abbr=on}} guns
              ** 2 × {{cvt|37|mm|abbr=on}} guns
 | notes = 
 }}
}}

'''''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''''' ("Emperor William the Great") was a German transatlantic [[ocean liner]] in service from 1897 to 1914, when she was scuttled in battle. She was the largest ship in the world for a time, and held the [[Blue Riband]] for the fastest passenger liner crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, until Cunard Line’s {{RMS|Lusitania}} entered service in 1907. The vessel’s career was relatively uneventful, despite a refit in 1913.

The liner was built in [[Stettin]] for [[Norddeutscher Lloyd]], and entered service in 1897. She was the first liner to be a [[Four funnel liner]] and is considered to be the first "super liner."<ref>Miller (1987), pp. 11–13.</ref> The first of four [[sister ship]]s built between 1903 and 1907 for Norddeutscher Lloyd (the others being {{SS|Kronprinz Wilhelm||2}}, {{SS|Kaiser Wilhelm II||2}} and {{SS|Kronprinzessin Cecilie|1906|2}}), she marked the beginning of a change in the way maritime supremacy was demonstrated in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.

The ship began a new era in ocean travel and the novelty of having four funnels was quickly associated with size, strength, speed and above all luxury. Quickly established on the Atlantic, she gained the Blue Riband for Germany, a notable prize for the fastest trip from Europe to America which had been previously dominated by the British.

In 1900, she was damaged in a massive and lethal multi-ship [[1900 Hoboken Docks fire|fire]] in the port of New York. She was also in a collision in the French port of [[Cherbourg]] in 1906. With the advent of her sister ships, she was modified to an all-third-class ship to take advantage of the lucrative immigrant market travelling to the United States.

Converted into an [[auxiliary cruiser]] at the outbreak of World War I, she was given orders to capture and destroy enemy ships.  She destroyed several before being defeated in the [[Battle of Río de Oro]] by the British cruiser {{HMS|Highflyer|1898|6}} and scuttled by her crew, just three weeks after the outbreak of war. Her wreck was discovered in 1952 and partly dismantled.

==Origin, concept and construction==
[[File:Teutonic leaving Liverpool.jpg|thumb|left|[[White Star Line]]'s [[RMS Teutonic|RMS ''Teutonic'']], the inspiration for the "[[Kaiser-class ocean liner|Four Flyers]]"]]
[[File:Front cover of North German Lloyd Steamship passenger book (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Front cover of North German Lloyd Steamship Company passenger book]]
At the end of the 19th century, the United Kingdom dominated maritime trade with the ocean liners of the principal maritime companies such as the [[Cunard Line|Cunard]] and the [[White Star Line]]. Having gained more influence in Europe after [[William I, German Emperor]], his grandfather, had created the [[German Empire]] in 1871, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Emperor Wilhelm II]] wished to consolidate German influence on the sea and thus decrease that of the British.<ref>Mars, p. 36</ref> In 1889, the Emperor himself had attended a naval review in honour of the jubilee of his grandmother [[Queen Victoria]]. There he saw the strength and size of these British ships, notably the latest and then-largest liner owned by White Star, {{RMS|Teutonic}}. He particularly admired the fact that these ships could easily be converted to auxiliary cruisers in time of conflict. Leaving a lasting impression, the emperor was heard to say that "We must have some of these..."<ref>[http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/teutonic.html « ''Teutonic'' »] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007014931/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/teutonic.html |date=7 October 2011 }}, ''The Great Ocean Liners''. 15 July 2010</ref>

''[[Norddeutscher Lloyd]]'', commonly called NDL, or in English, North German Lloyd, was one of only two German maritime companies which had any influence in the hugely profitable North Atlantic shipping market. Neither of these lines had shown any interest in operating large liners. NDL, however, was the first company to name any of their liners in honour of members of the Imperial family, purely to flatter the emperor. The company also had important links with the naval architects [[AG Vulcan Stettin|AG Vulkan]] of [[Stettin]]. NDL then approached Vulkan and commissioned them to build a new "superliner", which was to be named ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''. The new ship would set a new style for ocean liners. She was the largest and longest liner afloat and would have been the largest ever had it not been for {{SS|Great Eastern||2}} of 1860.<ref>Ferulli, p. 117</ref> She was the first liner to have suites with sleeping quarters including a private parlor and bath. She was built with decks strengthened to mount eight {{cvt|15|cm|abbr=on}} guns, four {{cvt|12|cm|abbr=on}} guns, and fourteen [[machine gun]]s; although fewer and smaller guns were actually mounted in her ultimate wartime conversion.<ref name=fwh>{{cite book |last=Halsey |first=Francis Whiting |title =History of the World War |publisher =Funk & Wagnalls Company |volume =Ten |date =1920 |location =New York |pages =15–17 }}</ref>

The launching of the ship took place on 4 May 1897 in the presence of the Imperial family; it was the emperor who baptised the ship whose name honoured his grandfather Emperor William I, "''the Great''". The liner was completed and internally decorated at [[Bremerhaven]]. Her maiden voyage was scheduled for September the same year.<ref>Ferulli, p. 116</ref> ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was the first ship to have four funnels. For the next two decades they were a symbol of size and safety.

==Characteristics==
===Technical aspects===
''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''{{'}}s registered length was {{cvt|627.4|ft|abbr=on}}, her [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{cvt|66.0|ft|abbr=on}} and her depth was {{cvt|35.8|ft|abbr=on}}. Her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|14349}}, {{NRT|5521}}<ref name=LR98>''Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping'', 1898, KAI–KAL</ref> and {{cvt|24300|LT|t}} displacement.<ref>Schmalenbach, p. 48</ref> Her dimensions were similar to those of the 1860 ''Great Eastern'', which was the largest ship of its time.<ref name="Ferulli, p. 118">Ferulli, p. 118</ref> As already noted, her four funnels were her most unusual feature. People associated the safety of an ocean liner with the number of "stacks" or funnels they had. Some passengers would in fact refuse to board ships if they did not have four funnels.<ref name="Miller, p. 4"/> In an age when ocean travel was not as safe as today, it was important to ensure that passengers felt at ease.<ref>Ferulli, p. 119</ref>

The special improvement in the arrangement of this steamer, as compared with other express steamers previously built by the NDL or other companies, consisted in the entire upper deck.<ref name="Miller, p. 2"/> Like many four-funnelled liners, ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' did not actually require that many. She had only two uptake shafts from the boiler rooms, which each branched into two to connect to the four funnels—this design is the reason for the funnels being unequally spaced.<ref name="Miller, p. 4">Miller, p. 4</ref>

''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' became the first liner to have a commercial wireless telegraphy system when the Marconi Company installed one in February 1900.<ref name="Ferulli, p. 118"/> Communications were demonstrated with systems installed at the Borkum Island lighthouse and Borkum Riff lightship {{cvt|30|km|nmi mi}} northwest of the island, as well as with British stations,<ref name="Ferulli, p. 118"/> and the first ship-to-shore message was sent on 7 March.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1900/03/08/archives/messages-from-a-vessel-experiments-made-by-the-kaiser-wilhelm-der.html |title=Messages from a Vessel |date=8 March 1900 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=5 March 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1911 her [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] was DKW.<ref>The Marconi Press Agency Ltd, p. 238</ref>

The ship was propelled by two {{cvt|22|ft|3.75|in|m|1}} [[propeller]]s,<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://archive.org/stream/monetarytimes31torouoft#page/351/mode/1up |title=The Monetary Times |publisher=Toronto}}</ref> each powered by a four-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple expansion engine]]. Between them her two engines were rated at 3,094 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]<ref name=LR98/> and gave her a speed of more than {{cvt|20|kn}}.<ref name=TGOL/> The engines were noted for their stability.<ref name=NH>[http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=kaiwi « SS ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'', Norddeutscher Lloyd »], ''Norway Heritage''. Consulté le 15 July 2010</ref> The engines were balanced on the Schlick system, which prevented movement being transferred to the body of the ship, thus reducing vibration.

===Interiors===
[[File:First Class Restaurant of the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.jpg|thumb|''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''{{'}}s First Class dining saloon]]
''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was built to carry a maximum of 1,506 passengers: 206 first class; 226 second class; 1,074 third class. When she was completed, her crew numbered 488. However, after her refit in 1913, her crew space was increased to 800. The décor of ship was in the style of [[Baroque Revival architecture|Baroque revival]], overseen by [[Johann Poppe]], who carried out all of the interior decoration. This was unique as usually a ship would have several interior designers.<ref name="Le Goff, p. 22"/>

The interiors were graced with statues, mirrors, tapestries, gilding, and various portraits of the Imperial family. The interiors of her sister ships were also placed in the hands of Poppe. The first class salon was noted for its tapestries and its blue seating.<ref>Server, p. 19</ref> The smoking room, a traditionally male preserve, was made to look like a typical German inn.<ref>Piouffre, p. 108</ref> The dining room, capable of holding all passengers in one sitting, rose several decks and was crowned with a dome. The room also had columns and had its chairs fixed to the deck, a typical feature of ocean liners of the era.<ref>Piouffre, p. 110</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Colour drawing of the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse by an unknown painter.jpg|thumb|Painting of ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' by an unknown artist]]
''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' set out on her maiden voyage on 19 September 1897, travelling from [[Bremerhaven]] to [[Southampton]] and thence to New York.<ref name="Miller, p. 2">Miller, p. 2</ref> With a capacity of 800 third-class passengers, the NDL had ensured that they would profit greatly from migrants from Europe to the United States. From her maiden voyage, she was the only superliner to cross the Atlantic with such speed and such media attention. In March 1898,<ref name="Miller, p. 2"/> she successfully gained the [[Blue Riband]] with an average crossing speed of {{cvt|22.3|kn|lk=in}}, thus establishing the new German competitiveness.<ref>Mars, p. 47</ref> The Blue Riband, an award given for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic, east and westbound, had previously been held by the Cunard liner {{RMS|Lucania}}.<ref>Mars, p. 39</ref> This turn of events was closely watched by the maritime world of the era, who were eager to see how the British would retaliate.<ref>Piouffre, p. 109</ref> However, the NDL soon lost the riband in 1900 to the new German superliner, {{SS|Deutschland|1900|2}} of the [[Hamburg America Line]].<ref>Le Goff, p. 25</ref> This change in events was acceptable to Germans, who were able to relax in the knowledge that they were still the owners of the fastest liner; however, NDL promptly ordered that ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' undergo a refit to ensure that they were the dominant German company.<ref>Burgess, p. 36</ref> This refit included the installation of [[wireless telegraphy]], then new technology which allowed ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' to transmit telegraphic messages to a port, emphasising her image of security.<ref>Le Goff, p. 23</ref>

[[File:The Four Flyers.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Advertisement for [[Norddeutscher Lloyd|NDL]]'s "Four Flyers"]]
The NDL took the competition even further. 1901 saw the addition to their fleet of another four-funnel liner, named {{SS|Kronprinz Wilhelm||2}} in honour of [[William, German Crown Prince|Crown Prince William]], heir to the German throne, and they subsequently commissioned another two superliners, {{SS|Kaiser Wilhelm II||2}} and {{SS|Kronprinzessin Cecilie||2}} of 1903 and 1907 respectively.<ref>Ferulli, p. 121</ref> From 1904 to 1907 the east-bound speed rekord was held by SS ''Kaiser Wilhelm II''. The company stated that the four liners were of the renowned Kaiser class and decided to market them as the ''Four Flyers'', a reference to their speed and associations with the Blue Riband.<ref>[http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/kpc.html SS ''Kronprinzessin Cecilie'' »] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191954/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/kpc.html |date=3 March 2016 }}, ''The Great Ocean Liners''. 15 July 2010</ref>

In June 1900 at her [[quay]] in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was the victim of [[1900 Hoboken Docks Fire|a fire]] which killed one hundred staff who were trying to remove the threat<ref>Server, p. 43</ref> as the ship was towed to safety in the Hudson River.<ref name=fwh/> Six years later, on 21 November 1906, she was in collision with the [[Royal Mail Steam Packet Company]] liner {{RMS|Orinoco}} in [[Cherbourg-en-Cotentin|Cherbourg]] Harbour. Five passengers aboard ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' and three crewmen aboard ''Orinoco'' were killed, and ''Orinoco''{{'}}s [[Bow (watercraft)#Types|clipper bow]] made a {{cvt|8|m|ft|adj=on}} tear in the starboard side of ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''{{'}}s hull.<ref name="Le Goff, p. 22">Le Goff, p. 22</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Orinoco |url= http://clydeships.co.uk/view.php?official_number=&imo=&builder=&builder_eng=&year_built=&launch_after=&launch_before=&role=&type_ref1=&propulsion=&category=&owner=&port=&flag=&disposal=&lost=&ref=3917&vessel=ORINOCO |work=Clyde Built Ships |publisher= Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=26 February 2017}}</ref> A court of inquiry found ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' wholly responsible for the collision.<ref>Nicol, p. 226</ref> [[New York City]] mayor [[William Jay Gaynor]] was embarking on a European vacation when he was shot aboard the ship on 9 August 1910.<ref name=fwh/>

A technological evolution of steamships soon made NDL's express steamers outdated. Cunard's {{RMS|Lusitania}} and {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|6}} outmatched their German rivals in all fields, and when the future White Star's {{RMS|Olympic}} entered service in 1911, luxury on the high seas was taken one step further. As a result, ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was rebuilt in 1913 to carry third-class passengers only. It seemed that her glory was fading regardless of her career as the first "four stacker".<ref name="TGOL">{{cite web |url= http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/kwdg.html |title= SS ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'', ''The Great Ocean Liners'' |work= The Great Ocean Liners |access-date= 15 July 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091010100752/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/kwdg.html |archive-date= 10 October 2009 |url-status= dead }}</ref> From 26 January 1907, she was charged with carrying passengers between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and New York, effectively ending the public career of the first of the "four flyers".{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

===World War I===
From 1908, German naval captains had been receiving orders to make preparations in the event of a sudden war. In fact, ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was soon fitted with cannons and thus transformed into an [[auxiliary cruiser]].<ref name=TGOL/> Across the world, supply ships carrying weapons and provisions were ready to convert merchant vessels into armed auxiliary cruisers. On 4 August 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany after the Germans invaded Belgium and Luxembourg. ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' was requisitioned and turned into an armed cruiser, painted in grey and black. Her commander at the time, Captain Reymann, operated not only under the rules of war, but also the rules of mercy.<ref name=TGOL/>{{dead link|date=May 2018}}
[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse fight painting 1914.jpg|thumb|right|Painting depicting the battle between ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' and HMS ''Highflyer'' in August 1914. Viewed from the Highflyer]]
[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse's Wreck.jpg|thumb|The wreck of ''Kaiser Wilheim der Grosse'' off Africa]]
Reymann soon sank three ships, ''Tubal Cain'', ''Kaipara'', and ''Nyanza'', but only after taking their occupants on board. Further south in the Atlantic, ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' encountered two passenger liners: ''[[HMHS Glenart Castle|Galician]]'' and {{RMS|Arlanza|1911|2}}.<ref name=TGOL/> Reymann's first intention was to sink both vessels, but, discovering that they had many women and children on board, he let them go. In this early stage of the war, it was thought that it could be fought in a chivalrous fashion. However, soon it was to become a total war and ships would no longer be warned before being fired upon. As ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' approached the west coast of Africa, her coal bunkers were almost empty and needed refilling. She stopped at [[Río de Oro]], ([[Villa Cisneros]], former Spanish Sahara) where German and Austrian colliers started the task of refuelling her.<ref name=TGOL/><ref>Ferulli, p. 120</ref>

The task of coaling was still going on on 26 August, when the British cruiser {{HMS|Highflyer|1898|6}} appeared. Reymann quickly prepared his ship and crew for battle and steamed out to engage the enemy after disembarking his prisoners of war. A fierce battle took place, but came to a dramatic end when ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' ran out of ammunition.<ref name=TGOL/> According to the Germans, rather than let the enemy capture the onetime pride of Germany, Reymann ordered the ship to be [[scuttling|scuttled]] using dynamite, which was already in position should this situation ever arise. On detonation, the explosives tore a massive hole in the ship, causing her to [[capsize]]. This version of events was disputed by the British, who stated that ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'' had been badly damaged and sinking when Reymann ordered it to be abandoned. The British firmly believed that it was gunfire from HMS ''Highflyer'' which sank the German ship.<ref>''Kludas' Great Passenger Ships of the World''</ref> Reymann managed to swim to shore, and he made his way back to Germany by working as a [[Stoker (occupation)|stoker]] on a neutral vessel. Most of the crew were taken prisoner and held in the [[Amherst Internment Camp]] in [[Nova Scotia]] for the remainder of the war.

The downfall of such great liners in the event of war was their huge fuel consumption. Most liners were subsequently converted from cruisers to [[hospital ship]]s or troopships.<ref>Burgess, p. 231</ref>

==Wreck==
On 6 September 2013, the [https://web.archive.org/web/20131126062101/http://www.dakhla.org/ Salam Association] for the Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development in Morocco captured [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t1oqxOhg1k underwater footage] of what was left of the wreck, whose identification was possible due to the ship's name on the hull visible.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=UNESCO – CMAS Dive for Peace Day on 24th October in Dakhla |url=https://archives.cmas.org/science/unesco-cmas-dive-for-peace-day-on-24th-october-in-dakhla#:~:text=The%20Ship%20%E2%80%9CKaiser%20Wilhelm%20der,Navy%20in%20World%20War%20I. |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=archives.cmas.org |language=en}}</ref> This was confirmed by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture on 8 October 2013.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Burgess. Douglas D. ''Seize the Trident: The race for superliner supremacy and how it altered the Great War''. McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999. {{ISBN|9780071430098}}
* ''[https://archive.org/details/HECROS1899ST/page/n497/mode/1up Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping]''. Volume I. – Steamers. London, [[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping, 1898.
* The Marconi Press Agency Ltd ''The Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony''. London, The St Katherine Press, 1913.
* Miller, William H. ''The First Great Ocean Liners in Photographs''. Courier Dover Publications, 1984. {{ISBN|9780486245744}}
* Miller, William H. ''Famous Ocean Liners''. Patrick Stephens, 1987.  {{ISBN|0 85059 876 1}}.
* {{in lang|fr}} Ferulli, Corrado. ''Au cœur des bateaux de légende''. Hachette Collections. 1998. {{ISBN|9782846343503}}
* Nicol, Stuart. ''MacQueen's Legacy; A History of the Royal Mail Line''. Volume One. Brimscombe Port and Charleston, SC: Tempus Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7524-2118-2}}
* {{in lang|fr}} Le Goff, Olivier ''Les Plus Beaux Paquebots du Monde''. {{ISBN|9782263027994}}
* {{in lang|fr}} Mars, Christian. ''Paquebots''. Sélection du ''Reader's Digest''. 2001. {{ISBN|9782709812863}}
* {{in lang|fr}} Piouffre, Gérard. ''L'Âge d'or des voyages en paquebot''. Éditions du Chêne. 2009. {{ISBN|9782812300028}}
* {{in lang|fr}} Server, Lee. ''Âge d'or des paquebots''. MLP. 1998. {{ISBN|2-7434-1050-7}}
* {{in lang|de}} Trennheuser, Mattias  ''Die innenarchitektonische Ausstattung deutscher Passagierschiffe zwischen 1880 und 1940''.  Hauschild-Verlag, Bremen 2010. {{ISBN|978-3-89757-305-5}}.

==External links==
* [http://www.navegar-es-preciso.com/news/el-trasatlantico-kaiser-wilhelm-der-grose-un-express-steamer-imperial-de-finales-del-siglo-xix/ El trasatlántico "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" un express liner del siglo XIX] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225084811/http://www.navegar-es-preciso.com/news/el-trasatlantico-kaiser-wilhelm-der-grose-un-express-steamer-imperial-de-finales-del-siglo-xix |date=25 December 2017 }} (Spanish)
{{Commons category-inline|Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse (ship, 1897)|SS ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse''}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|rec}}
{{S-bef|rows=2|before={{RMS|Lucania|3=2}}}}
{{S-ttl|title=Holder of the [[Blue Riband]] (Westbound record)|years=1898–1900}}
{{S-aft|rows=2|after={{SS|Deutschland|1900|2}}}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Blue Riband]] (Eastbound record) |years=1897–1900}}
{{s-end}}

{{Four funnels}}
{{Kaiser class ocean liners}}
{{Largest passenger ships}}
{{Norddeutscher Lloyd ships}}
{{1900 shipwrecks}}
{{1906 shipwrecks}}
{{August 1914 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse, Ss}}
[[Category:Ships of Norddeutscher Lloyd]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Germany]]
[[Category:World War I commerce raiders]]
[[Category:Auxiliary cruisers of the Imperial German Navy]]
[[Category:World War I passenger ships of Germany]]
[[Category:Blue Riband holders]]
[[Category:Kaiser-class ocean liners]]
[[Category:Four funnel liners]]
[[Category:1897 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Stettin]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1900]]
[[Category:Ship fires]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in August 1914]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels of Germany]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]