Following the Kaiser came the second of the four North German Lloyd steamers, the Kronprinz Wilhelm. She snatched back the record late in 1900 with a speed of 24.73 knots. She was then succeeded by the Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Kronprinzessin Cecilie, all slightly faster than the last. However, the most dramatic episode in the Kronprinz Wilhelm’s career was not the gaining of the Blue Riband it was even more dramatic than that!

At the outbreak of war she was converted to a stalking cruiser and let loose in the north Atlantic, well armed as a swift raider, sinking some 60 000 tons of British shipping in a year.

In the Spring of 1915, with scurvy rife on board, her fuel supplies low and her engines in need of urgent repair, it was decided to run her into an American port (neutral at this stage of the war) for internment. As she steamed for the safety of Hampton Roads it soon became clear that the entrance was blockaded by six British warships, stationed at half mile intervals covering all possible approaches.

As darkness fell a great head of steam was built up in the boiler room as the last of the fuel was shovelled into the furnaces. her speed increased steadily to 25 knots, faster than ever before and, with the entire hull trembling under the pressure and engines breaking up under the load, she came belching black smoke out of the pitch black night steaming directly between two of the British ships before their crews could bring their guns to bear. The effort had been heroic but ultimately worthless as her engines were found to be totally beyond repair and she remained at dock until 1923 when she was sold for scrap.

Kronprinz Wilhelm was the last of the reciprocating engined steamers, from now on turbines would be powering the record breakers.

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