Hamburg Atlantic Line

Hamburg Atlantic Line (German: Hamburg Atlantik Linie) was an ocean liner and cruise ship operating company established in Hamburg, West Germany in 1958 by Axel Bitsch Christensen and Vernicos Eugenides, the latter being the adopted son of Home Lines' founder Eugen Eugenides.[1][2] In 1966, the company changed its name to German Atlantic Line (German: Deutsche Atlantik Linie). Liner services were abandoned in 1969, after which the company's ships concentrated solely on cruising. Due to the 1973 oil crisis, German Atlantic Line closed down in December 1973.[2]

In 1991 Dirk Moldenhauer, the captain of the last German Atlantic Line ship in service, acquired the rights to the Hamburg/German Atlantic Line logo and established Hanseatic Tours which used the same livery and ship names as the German Atlantic Line. In 1997 Hapag-Lloyd acquired Hanseatic Tours, and their operations were merged to those of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The last Hanseatic Tours vessel, MS Hanseatic retained the Hanseatic Tours livery in Hapag-Lloyd service until 2011.

History

1958–1966: Hamburg Atlantic Line

Hamburg Atlantic Line was the brainchild of Axel Bitsch Christensen, a Dane who had been living in Hamburg since 1952, who wanted to establish a new company to offer liner service from West Germany to New York. Christensen convinced his friend Vernicos Eugenides, the chairman of Home Lines,[3] to invest 6 million DM in the new company, making it possible for Christensen to raise enough loan to purchase a ship.[1][2] Hamburg Atlantic Line acquired their first ship in January 1958 when they purchased the 1930-built RMS Empress of Scotland from Canadian Pacific Steamships. After substantial rebuilding, the ship re-emerged as the first TS Hanseatic in June 1958, and was placed in service connecting Cuxhaven, Germany to New York, United States via Le Havre (France), Southampton (United Kingdom) and Cobh (Ireland). During the winter season she was also used for cruising out of New York to the Caribbean.[4] Coinciding with Hamburg Atlantic beginning transatlantic service, Home Lines ceased transatlantic service so that the two companies in which Vernicos Eugenides had large investments would not compete with each other. After a good year in the transatlantic service in 1959, passenger numbers begun to drop due to competition from air traffic. By 1965 the Hanseatic made only eight round crossings, spending the rest of the year cruising.[2]

Already in 1962 Axel Bitsch Christensen had begun planning for a new ship to replace the Hanseatic. He had trouble securing a loan to fund the new building, but was not discouraged and drew up an unusual plan for gathering funds. A new company, German Atlantic Line, was established; shares of the new company were offered to past Hamburg Atlantic passengers, and enough funds for the new ships were gathered using this method.[1][2] However, before an order could be placed for the new ship, the Hanseatic caught fire on 6 September 1966 while in New York harbour. There were no casualties, but after the hulk of the ship was towed back to Germany, she was deemed too expensive to repair and was sent to scrappers.[2][4] An order for the new TS Hamburg was placed with Deutsche Werft during the following month, but the company needed another ship to operate until the new ship would be completed.[2]

1966–1973: German Atlantic Line

Hamburg Atlantic Line was without a ship from the loss of the first Hanseatic until November 1967, when the three-year-old SS Shalom was purchased from the Israel-based ZIM Lines.[5] By this time the decision was made to abandon the name Hamburg Atlantic Line, and the company began to be marketed as the German Atlantic Line.[2] The former Shalom, that had been renamed TS Hanseatic, set on a crossing from Hamburg to New York on 16 December 1967 with invited guests on board. After the initial crossing she began making cruises out of New York.[6] In 1968 the German Atlantic Line decided to abandon transatlantic service, concentrating solely on cruising. The Hanseatic did still cross the Atlantic twice a year on repositioning trips between Europe and America.[2][5]

The new TS Hamburg was delivered to German Atlantic Line on 20 March 1969, entering service on 28 March 1969 with a cruise from Hamburg to

1991–1997: Hanseatic Tours

In 1991 Dirk Moldenhauer – the last captain of the third Hanseatic – purchased the rights to the logo used by Hamburg/German Atlantic Line, as well as the right to use the name "Hanseatic", and founded a new expedition cruise operator Hanseatic Tours.[2] Initially the new company made an agreement to charter the MS Renaissance Five, at the time still under construction, from Renaissance Cruises. Before delivery the ship was renamed MS Hanseatic Renaissance and entered service in Hanseatic Tours colours in May 1991. The Hanseatic Renaissance remained in Hanseatic service until 1992, when she was returned to her owners.[2][9]

On 23 March 1993 Hanseatic Tours chartered the 1991-built MS Society Adventurer and renamed her MS Hanseatic.[10] Although built two years previously, the ship has never seen active service as the company that had ordered her went bankrupt before she was completed, and the ship had been laid up until chartered to Hanseatic Tours.[11]

industry	Ocean liner and cruise ship traffic
fate	Acquisition
successor	Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
founded	1958
defunct	1997 (2nd time)
hq location	Hamburg, West Germany
key people	Axel Bitsch Christensen Vernicos Eugenides Dirk Moldenhauer Suhail Ahmed Gaibi

Hamburg Atlantic Line

History

1958–1966: Hamburg Atlantic Line

1966–1973: German Atlantic Line

1991–1997: Hanseatic Tours

Ships

External links

References