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History 1918-1945
1923
Hapag commissions its first post-war passenger ship, the "Albert Ballin".
1924
The Lloyd steamship "Columbus", the largest and fastest vessel in the German merchant fleet, sails on her maiden voyage.
1926
Hapag again owns 118 oceangoing ships totalling 670,000 grt.
1929
The "Bremen" wins the "Blue Riband" for North German Lloyd again, for Germany it becomes a symbol for the golden twenties.
In contrast to Hapag, which after the war deployed smaller, more economical and above all more comfortable ships - the "Albert Ballin" was known as the "ship without seasickness" - Lloyd once again triumphed with superlatives. In 1929-30 Lloyd commissioned the fast turbine steamships "Bremen" and "Europa". With their unprecedented combination of size and speed these liners overshadowed all other ships that had sailed the oceans up to that time. When the "Bremen" won the "Blue Ribbon" again for Germany on her maiden voyage in 1929 it was given an enthusiastic welcome in New York. This was a triumph for Germany that could scarcely be imagined today - the comeback after the lost war.
1934
The German Reich becomes majority shareholder of both shipping lines.
1939-1945
The Second World War results in the total loss of fleets for the second time.