hohenzollern royal yacht

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Meteor - The German Royal Yachts

Note: This article handles not the 52m schooner yacht by Royal Huisman from 2007.

Meteor were the names of five German royal racing sailing yachts owned by Wilhelm II, German Emperor .

Wilhelm II (in English: William II) governed the German Empire from 1888 to 1918 and was also the King of Prussia and belonged to the  House of Hohenzollern . His grandmother was  Queen Victoria  of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Not much known: Wilhelm II was an enthusiastic yachtsman. He owned several sailing yachts and enjoyed yacht races in Germany and United Kingdom. He owned not only sailing yachts. Two of his yachts were the  H.M.S. Hohenzollern I (88 meters) and H.M.S. Hohenzollern II (120 meters).

The original name of the first  Meteor   was  Thistle . This yacht was designed by  George Lennox Watson  launched in 1887 at  D. and W. Henderson & Company  at the Clyde river in Scotland and had a length of 33.05 meters. The order was given by some members of the  Royal Clyde Yacht Club . Her Mission: Challenging the American defender yacht  Volunteer  at the 7.  America’s Cup . Unfortunately, she lost 0-2 against  Volunteer  from the  New York Yacht Club . However, she was very successful when she was back in her home waters. That’s why Wilhelm II bought the yacht because he was looking for a promising regatta yacht.

Meteor I (ex Thistle) in drydock before 1899

Meteor I (ex Thistle)

Main Specifications METEOR I

Wilhelm II wanted a faster racing yacht. He charged the yacht designer George Lennox Watson to construct the new one. The yacht was also built by D. and W. Henderson, like her predecessor. She served until 1902. This yacht was similar to H.M.Y. Brittania

Main Specifications METEOR II

1902 – new yacht, new designer and new shipyard. Not British, not German – Wilhelm II decided to the American designer Cary Smith and the American shipyard Townsend & Downey Shipbuilding Co.

Alice Roosevelt – the daughter of the U.S. president  Theodore Roosevelt  – christened the yacht. That was the beginning of the German-American sailing friendship.

In 1909  Dr. Carl Dietrich Harries  (the husband of  Werner von Siemens ‘ daughter – Hertha) bought the yacht and renamed her in  Nordstern   (North Star) and converted to cruise with her in German and Mediterranean seas.

The launch of Meteor III in New York, 25 February 1902

Main Specifications METEOR III

Meteor IV  was a complete German yacht. She was designed by Max Oertz and was built by  Germaniawerft  in Kiel.

Postcard of the Meteor IV by the Imperial German Post Office

Wilhelm II on SMY Meteor IV

Oil Painting of Yacht Meteor IV

Main Specifications METEOR IV

She was the last and biggest sailing yacht belongs to Wilhelm II. Like Meteor IV also designed by Max Oertz and built in 1914 by Germaniawerft in Kiel.

Main Specifications METEOR V

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70 Yacht Hohenzollern Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures

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Deck of the German royal yacht SMY Hohenzollern, New York City, undated [c.1902]

Creators/Contributors

• Creator: Stonebridge, George Ehler

Date Created

Part of collection.

This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. Please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions for more information.

Local Subjects

• Yachts--New York (State)--New York--Photographs
• New York (N.Y.)--Photographs
• Hohenzollern (Steamship)--Photographs
• Glass negatives
• Negatives (photographic)

Photographer Note: George Ehler Stonebridge (d. 1941) was an amateur photographer who lived and worked in the Bronx, New York. He left little record of himself, but an invaluable one of his surroundings and interests. Stonebridge lived at several locations in the Bronx with his wife Bella, and their three children Grace, George, and William. He worked at the Northern Gaslight Company, although the position he held is unknown. In addition to taking photographs, Stonebridge wrote poetry and prose about his love of the Bronx, his children, and in honor of military victories. Some of Stonebridge's photographs appeared in local papers. In 1898, he was an authorized reporter and photographer for the North Side News; in 1905 he was an authorized reporter for the Bronx Borough Record and Times, and probably took photographs for that paper as well. Stonebridge was fascinated with the subject of military preparedness. Training rituals and staged battles were one of his favorite photographic subjects. His 1898 poem, "Remember the Maine," celebrates the United States' victory in the Spanish-American War. He was especially proud of soldiers from the Bronx, and photographed historical tablets throughout the Borough commemorating previous military victories. Stonebridge also used his photographs to illustrate lectures. In 1907, he gave several lectures on "The Training of War," using colored lantern slides.

4 x 5"

Related Resource

George E. Stonebridge Photograph Collection, 1897-1918 (bulk 1899-1904)

Local Identifier

nyhs_PR066_2673

• Articles containing German-language text
• Articles needing clarification from April 2014
• Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia
• Ships built in Kiel
• Auxiliary ships of the Imperial German Navy
• House of Hohenzollern
• Royal and presidential yachts
• Steam yachts

SMY Hohenzollern

• View history

SMY Hohenzollern (German language: Seiner Majestät Yacht Hohenzollern ) was the name of several Yachts used by the German Emperors between 1878 and 1918, named after their House of Hohenzollern.

• 1 SMY Hohenzollern I
• 2 SMY Hohenzollern II
• 3 SMY Hohenzollern III
• 4 Philately
• 5 References
• 6 External links

SMY Hohenzollern I [ ]

The first Hohenzollern was built 1876–1878 by Norddeutschen Schiffbau A.G. in Kiel. Her interiors were designed by architect Heinrich Moldenschardt . In 1892 she was renamed Kaiseradler and scrapped in 1912.

SMY Hohenzollern II [ ]

Hohenzollern II   (by Willy Stöwer, in Die Gartenlaube , 1900 )

Hohenzollern II was built by AG Vulcan Stettin . She was 120 metres (390 ft) long, had a beam of 14 metres (46 ft) and drew 5.6 metres (18 ft), with 9,588 hp. [ Clarification needed ]

She was used as the Imperial Yacht and aviso from 1893 to July 1914. From 1894 to 1914, with the exception of 1906, Emperor Wilhelm II used her on his annual prolonged Nordlandfahrt trips to Norway. In total he spent over four years on board.

In June 1914 Hohenzollern II attended the Kiel regatta and on 25 June the last state banquet was held on board to entertain officers of the British fleet whose ships had been invited to attend. [1]

At the end of July 1914 Hohenzollern II was put out of service in Kiel, the last captain being Kapitän zur See Johannes V. Karpf. The ship became property of the Weimar Republic in 1918. Struck on 27 February 1920, she was scrapped in 1923 in Wilhelmshaven.

SMY Hohenzollern III [ ]

Hohenzollern III was launched in September 1914 in Stettin but never finished due to war. She was struck in 1919 and scrapped in 1923 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel.

Philately [ ]

The imperial yacht was the subject of the Yacht issue produced for postal use in German colonies.

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References [ ]

• ↑ George von Hase (c. 1921). Kiel and Jutland . Skeffington and son Ltd.  

External links [ ]

• Klaus Kramer - S.M.Y. Hohenzollern

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The German royal yacht SMY Hohenzollern, New York City, undated [c.1902].

George E. Stonebridge Photograph Collection, 1897-1918 (bulk 1899-1904)

In Collection(s)

• George E. Stonebridge photographic negatives, 1897-1918 (bulk 1899-1904)

Descriptive Metadata

Stonebridge, George Ehler

4 x 5 inches

nyhs_PR066_2675

Yachts--New York (State)--New York--Photographs

Hohenzollern (Steamship)--Photographs

New York (N.Y.)--Photographs

Glass negatives Negatives (photographic)

This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at  http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

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• Re: Hohenzollern - German Imperial Yacht 1892

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Dear Greg: Would the book you are refering to be" "The Golden Century: Classic Motor Yachts-1830 to 1930" by Ross MacTaggart, published in 2001? If not, it has a wonderful section on the German Imperial Yacht "Hohenzollern" on pages 33-39, with excellent pictures of the interiors and decks. Hope this is helpful.

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Hohenzollern II

The second smy hohenzollern was built by ag vulcan stettin, it was 120 m long, 14 m wide and 5.6 m deep, with 9,588 hp.   it was in use as imperial yacht and aviso from 1893 to july 1914. from 1894 to 1914, with the exception of 1906, emperor wilhelm ii used it on his annual prolonged nordlandfahrt trips to norway. in total he spent over four years on board.   in june 1914 the ship attended the kiel regatta and on 25 june the last state banquet was held on board to entertain officers of the british fleet whose ships had been invited to attend.   at the end of july 1914 it was put out of service in kiel, the last captain being kapitän zur see johannes v. karpf. the ship became property of the weimar republic in 1918. it was struck on 27 february 1920 and scrapped in 1923 in wilhelmshaven.   an excerpt from "castles of steel" by robert k. massie, random house, 2003: "...despite her gold and white paintwork (“gleaming swan plumage,” one passenger called it), the top-heavy hohenzollern, with her ram bow and bell-mouthed funnels, was the unloveliest royal yacht in europe. her navigation officer, erich raeder, described her as a “lumbering monstrosity . . . [that] rolled in rough weather to a point uncomfortable even for old sailors. her watertight integrity would not have met the safety requirements of even an ordinary passenger ship.” none of this troubled the kaiser, who used her only in the baltic, the north sea, and the mediterranean, never in the heavier seas of the north atlantic. in any case, his cruises to norway were spent mostly at anchor in a spectacular fjord. there, surrounded by sparkling blue water, granite cliffs and dark green forests, plunging waterfalls wreathed in mist, and patches of sloping meadow dotted with farmhouses, william felt completely at ease. some rules were always observed—no one ever spoke to the kaiser unless he had spoken first—but now, at fifty-five, he was more mature and composed than the youthful prince hal of a quarter century before. when he embarked on the first of his all-male yachting trips to norway, taking with him a dozen friends whom he referred to as his “brother officers,” the atmosphere resembled that of a rowdy junior officers’ mess. by 1914, the atmosphere had become more correct, but the guest list remained all male. william’s wife, empress augusta, whom he called dona, remained in berlin. “i don’t care for women,” he said. “women should stay home and look after their children.”   the kaiser’s day on the yacht was rigidly scheduled: mild exercises before breakfast; in good weather, an hour in his small sailboat; in the afternoons, shore excursions or rowing contests between the crews of the hohenzollern and the escorting cruiser rostock. these activities, however, were not allowed to interfere with the kaiser’s afternoon nap. to get the most from this hour and a half of rest, william always removed all of his clothing and got into bed. “there’s nothing like getting in between two clean, cold sheets,” he declared. at seven, the company sat down to dinner, where the kaiser drank only orange juice sipped from a silver goblet. every evening after dinner, the party gathered in the smoking room. this summer [1914], along with songs and card games, william and his guests listened to lectures on the american civil war..."   technical and operational descriptions can be found at: www.german-navy.de/hochseeflotte/ships/misc/hohenzollern/....

Category : Hohenzollern (ship, 1892)

• Stapellauf 1892 (launched),
• in Dienst gestellt 1893 (commissioned),
• Modernisierung 6. Mai 1906 - 15. April 1907 (Kesselanlage erneuert, Randkappen der Schornsteine entfielen),
• außer Dienst 31. Juli 1914 (Decommissioned)

Auslandsreisen http://www.reichskolonialamt.de/sonstiges/auslandsreisen/auslandsreisen.htm

Source: Miramar Ship Index

Subcategories

This category has only the following subcategory.

• SMY Hohenzollern on stamps ‎ (10 C, 2 F)

Pages in category "Hohenzollern (ship, 1892)"

This category contains only the following page.

• SMY Hohenzollern

Media in category "Hohenzollern (ship, 1892)"

The following 75 files are in this category, out of 75 total.

• Ships built at Stettiner Maschinenbau AG "Vulcan", Bredow
• Ships built in 1892
• Steam yachts
• Dedications to the House of Hohenzollern
• Royal yachts of Germany
• Ships of the Imperial German Navy
• Ships named Hohenzollern
• Uses of Wikidata Infobox
• Ships by name (flat list)

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The German royal yacht SMY Hohenzollern, New York City, undated [c.1902].

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