USS Mercury (ID-3012)

Mercury

The Reichspostdampfer Barbarossa came as the second ship of the Barbarossa class for Reichspostdampfer lines of the North German Lloyd to Australia and East Asia in service. Ship classes are usually referred to by the first finished ship. This seems to have created the Great Vulkan yard in Stettin surpassed the Schedule the sister ship Friedrich; or Blohm & Voss came the construction of Barbarossa in time delay. The class is usually referred to by the on January 3, 1897 at Blohm & Voss finished Barbarossa, more rarely by the built in Schichau Bremen.

Use NDL

The Barbarossa began on January 8, 1897 on her maiden voyage to Australia ( a total of 12 trips to 21 October 1910) On the Reichspostdampfer line came to Australia the first four steamers of the class ( Frederick the Great, Barbarossa, Queen Luise and Bremen from 1896/97 ) are used. As of 1900, the increased half-sister was added Great Elector, on this route, the largest ship was used there until the end of their service life.

A second series of four steamers of the class came 1899/1900 for the Reichspostdampfer line to East Asia in service that was operated at the time not only from the NDL but also by Hapag. There were King Albert and Princess Irene at NDL and at Hapag Hamburg and Jiaozhou Bay, the latter from 1904 when Princess Alice at the NDL. A replacement of the steamer between the post lines did not exist.

Two other very similar ships were built in 1901 sister ships Moltke and Blücher Hapag that were given with regard to the participation in the Reichspostdampfer line to East Asia in order, but there were never used.

In summer, the Barbarossa (all steamers of this class as ) ( the first time on 24 May 1897 for the last time on July 18, 1914 New York ) was used regularly on the North Atlantic; from September 4, 1912 after Galveston, April 30, 1914 Baltimore ( 3 trips) and other U.S. ports were started. In August 1914 the ship was interned in the United States. From March 1906 to November 6, 1913, Barbarossa was at 18 trips on the line New York - used Genoa. On this line the NDL sat from 1903 to 1914 a little by five ships of the Barbarossa class.

Use USA

Confiscated in 1917 by the U.S., it came to repair damage on 3 August 1917 in service as soon as USS Mercury (ID -3012 ) for use as a troop transport and transported from January 1918 to seven trips over 18000 soldiers to France. On April 4, 1918, it was here attacked by a German submarine. After the Armistice, more than 20,000 soldiers were returned to the United States at 8 trips.

In September, Mercury retired from the service of the U.S. Navy and was kept on by the Army Transport Service. In 1920 the ship for a new line of Baltic Steamship Co. of America from New York to Gdansk was provided on which the former Hamburg as New Rochelle from the August 5, 1920 was used three times before the line ceased operations.

Then, the Mercury was launched in 1921 and discontinued the lead ship of the class Barbarossa in 1924.