SS Cuba (1920)
The steamship Coblenz was the Blohm & Voss for the Brazil - service of the North German Lloyd (NDL ), Bremen built.
Her sister ships were supplied by the Tecklenborg shipyard and the Seebeck Shipyard, both in Geestemünde.
South America service of the NDL
The South America service of the NDL was opened on 1 March 1876 ordered for this service Hohenzollern of Strasbourg class. 1878 was the division into Brazil and La Plata service for Argentine quarantine regulations that prevented a consistent traffic. The 1893 delivered Mark and her sister ships were the first ships of the NDL for the Brazil service, which then was followed by the four ships of the class Crefeld 1895. The Coblenz and her sisters were the last ships of the NDL (1897 /98) until the 30s that were purchased specifically for this trade lane from the NDL.
Use the NDL
The Coblentz began in May 1897 on her maiden voyage from Bremen to Santos. On September 1, 1900 for the first time was a voyage from Bremen to Baltimore.
In 1903 she was employed from Bremen to Antwerp, Corunna, Villa Garcia or Vigo to Havana, Cienfuegos and Manzanillo. All three sister ships sailed from time to time this line.
In 1907, the Coblenz, moved to conversion of passenger facility to Australia along with its sister ships Prince Waldemar and prince Sigismund the Austral Japan service from Sydney via Brisbane, Rabaul, Friedrich- Wilhelm- port, Maron ( Hermit Islands - every 2nd travel ), Yap, Angaur (each second trip), Manila, Hong Kong to operate to Kobe. It fit better than all vessels previously used for the two " princes " and thus knew the service of empire postal steamer.
At the start of the First World War, the Coblenz was in Manila and was launched.
The ship under U.S. flag
1917 Coblenz was confiscated and was renamed in Sachem as a transporter moving.
On February 6, 1920, the Pacific Mail purchased the ship for $ 400,000 and called it Cuba. At first they drove with passengers and cargo between San Francisco, California, and Havana, Cuba, later only to Cristóbal.
On September 9, 1923 she ran aground on a reef near the island of San Miguel in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, in dense fog. All persons on board were rescued. On the same day were still running nine destroyers of the U.S. Navy to close. This incident became known as a maritime disaster at Honda Point.
Sister ship Mainz
The Mainz ( 3,204 GRT) was on 15 May in 1897 the shipyard Tecklenborg as building no. 151 from the stack and was delivered on 8 July 1897 the NDL.
In August, she sailed on her maiden voyage to Brazil. In August 1900, she ran for the first time from Bremen to Baltimore, and on November 10, 1900 for the first time from Bremen to New York. 1903 drove the Mainz as the Coblenz to Cuba. Basically drove the Mainz but to South America.
With the Mainz under Captain Max Dietrich (1870-1916) an expedition to Spitsbergen to explore a possible Polflugs a Zeppelin was undertaken in the summer of 1910. Participants in the trip were Prince Henry of Prussia, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin and the polar explorer Erich von Drygalski, and Professors Hugo Hergesell and Adolf Miethe. We inspected including the Wellmann hangar in Danskøya. The participants of the trip came to the opinion that the pole with a Zeppelin probably can not be achieved on site.
In 1912 she was sold to Antwerp and renamed in Dieppe. In 1928, the former Mainz was canceled.
Sister ship Trier
The Trier ( 3168 BRT) was launched on June 5, 1898 at the Seebeck Shipyard as a building no. 122 from the stack and was delivered on 15 June 1898 the NDL.
In June 1898 she sailed on her maiden voyage to Brazil. On October 10, 1900, she ran for the first time from Bremen to New York.
On July 6, 1902, she was stranded on a trip to Cuba before Corunna and had to be abandoned.