1911 GERMAN SHIP “BERLIN” CABIN PLANS (REPURPOSED 1914 FOR WWI LATER, SS ARABIC)
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:17630010 |
Cabin plans open to large 23” x 34” with folds as shown. The following is a compilation of various articles.Repurposed for WW1, the German passenger ship “Berlin” wasbuilt in 1908 for the North German Lloyd shipping line. Initially it sawservice on the Genoa to New York City route prior to the outbreak of WWI. InAugust 1914, a month after the war started, the Berlin was undergoing repairs atBremerhaven, Germany but was taken over by the Imperial German Navy for serviceas an aux...iliary cruiser.Within two months Berlin was equipped with minelaying equipmentand 200 mines, two 105mm guns, and several heavy machine guns. She was Commissionedin October 1914 and served as a minelayer as part of Germany’s Kleinkriegcampaign. The goal was to wear down Britain’s numerical advantage by usingmines and other devices to sink warships, or to divert them from fleetoperations into trade protection. The ship's first mission was laying a minefield off the north-west coast of Ireland against British trade. She laid 200mines on 23 October off Tory Island.Four days later on October 27, five vessels of the main fleet of Britain’sRoyal Navy sailed into Berlin’s minefield. The new dreadnought battleship HMSAudacious was struck and damaged, sinking later as efforts were made to tow herto safety. The trans-Atlantic liner RMS Olympic, carrying only 153 passengers, wasalso in the area and took onboard 250 of Audacious's crew, but did not hit anyof Berlin’s mines.Berlin sought to return to Germany, but put in at Trondheimwith storm damage. Having outstayed her 24 hours grace and unfit to leave port, she was interned by the Norwegians on November 18, 1914. Despite her shortcareer Berlin was one of the more successful of Germany’s raiders, accountingfor the single most grievous loss to the Royal Navy’s strength in the early Kleinkriegcampaign.In December 1919 she was given to the Shipping Controllerunder control of P&O. About a year later in 1920 she was purchased by the WhiteStar Line, based in Liverpool and was refitted in Portsmouth, it was then shewas renamed the SS Arabic. In September 1921 she made her maiden voyage as aWhite Star Line ship, via the Southampton to New York route. Afterwards, shesailed on the Mediterranean to New York service until 1924 when she was movedto the Hamburg to New York route, later that year her passenger accommodationwas modified, and on 29 October 1926 Arabic made her first voyage under charterto the Red Star Line and resumed doing so until 1930 when she reverted to theWhite Star Line and her passenger accommodation was again modified. Less thanone year later she was sold for scrap at Genoa.
