u/Aggressive-City-9273

Launched in April 20 1905, SS Amerika was then Hamburg America Line’s flagship and perhaps the most luxurious German ocean liner of the decade. At over 22,000 gross tonnes she was the second largest ship afloat - notably bearing similarities to White Star Line’s Big Four, as they shared builders.

Amerika was touted as a modern ship, leveraging in being the first-ever to house facilities such as elevators and electric baths. She turned out to be quite popular, once more bringing the German lines back into the game against British rivals. While her peacetime career was largely smooth, 1912 happened to be Amerika’s most eventful career; being one of the ships sending ice warnings during Titanic’s only voyage and accidentally sinking a British submarine in a different incident.

Amerika was preparing to sail out from Boston at the time WWI broke out, the liner ended up staying in port for three years to avoid capture. Eventually just as the United States entered war she became one of many liners to be seized; becoming the troopship USS America. Often operating with former running mates, America made 9 voyages mainly transporting American assets to New York. While preparing for her 10th however, a compromising mistake caused the America to partially sink at her berth, rendering her inoperable for the rest of the war.

After being salvaged and spending 7 months on repatriation voyages, the war prize America was reconditioned into an Army transport ship in 1919, serving over a year participating in the many conflicts left in the wake of the Great War. Later on, the ship was retrofitted for transatlantic service once more. The SS America became the first ship of the fledgling United States Lines - then only comprised of war reparations like herself.

In her 11 years of American service, the ex-Amerika was nowhere near her past glory, despite lengthy war service. Though notable highlights included a devastating fire in 1926 which necessitated a complete rebuild, and her heroic rescue of all onboard the sinking SS Florida. Eventually, upon the completion of USL’s first purpose-built liners, America was laid up alongside aging former running mates.

Upon the outbreak of WWII, America would see herself serving the Armed Forces once again. Fully owned by the Army and renamed the USAT Edmund B. Alexander, the outdated liner soon saw a complete modernization between 1942-43, giving her a new look somewhat fitting of the era. Her second army transport stint was much longer than her first; as a battle star-laden, impromptu troopship in the European and Mediterranean theaters during the height of war, then another 4 years providing safe passage for military dependents. After another 8 years laid up awaiting another call that never came, the former SS Amerika - a once well established liner that had an astonishing 52-year long life, met the breakers at the dawn of 1957.

The SS L’Atlantique is quite known for her distinctly contrasting profile and tragically short career. Laid down in 1928 and completed by 1931, she was the flagship of the Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique - a subsidiary of CGT based on Southern Atlantic routes.

At over 42,500 GRT she was the largest liner to sail the Europe-South America route. Four sets of triple-expansion steam turbines drove the massive vessel up to 21 knots at most. The L’Atlantique had an unusually squat, compact profile; namely due to an obvious lack of sheer mixed with a tall but rather flat superstructure reaching all the way astern.

Despite the challenging impressions given by her exterior, her passenger accommodations, largely oriented for first class travelers, tell a completely different story. It is marked by massive public spaces, some revolutionary like the multi-story foyer and shopping centre-esque entry hall. And further enhanced with abundant use of art deco, albeit more subdued and not as overly complicated as some contemporaries from CGT. In fact, the decor of the L’Atlantique would be one of the biggest inspirations for those later found on superliner Normandie.

L’Atlantique began her service on September 29 1931. While somewhat popular among the wealthy, the grand liner far out-leveled the demand on her route, and eventually relied on subsidies to keep her in service. A major overhaul in 1932 included the raising of her decently short funnels in order to improve her profile.

Unfortunately, her passenger service only lasted for a little over a year; for she would suffer a fate that befell other French liners within the decade... While on the way for repairs with some 200 crew on board, the L’Atlantique was set ablaze. Starting from a stateroom, the flames quickly grew out of control and engulfed much of the ship quickly, taking 19 lives while yhe rest evacuated.

It took nearly a day to extinguish the fire, and by that time she was already a total loss; much of her interiors and upper decks completely gutted. The hulk of the liner was kept for some time in Cherbourg, with hopes that salvage may be possible. But eventually she was deemed uneconomically damaged, and sold for scrap in 1936.

Soon after the devastating Second World War, the Peninsular & Oriental Company sought to rebuild their fleet. The Himalaya would be the first stepping stone towards this. Built between 1946 and 1949, the 27,955 GRT liner was P&O's largest yet. Interestingly, she shared certain traits with the Orcades of the Orient Line that was built beside her.

Himalaya’s main route stretched from the UK to Australia, which began at October 1949. She sailed alongside a trio of rather similar fleetmates; Chusan, Arcadia and Iberia. They were considered among the best intermediate ocean liners of the era both in speed and style, proven so with Himalaya’s long history as a successful liner and early cruise ship.

The ship herself saw a deal of changes throughout her life, but left kept her appearance the same. In 1958, the Himalaya became the first ship to sail in a new 49,000-mile ‘Round-the-World cruise. So far, she had a largely undisrupted yet storied career, having earned a significant number of loyal travelers. In 1963, the liner was refitted with a single-class configuration, with considerably modernized interior spaces and giving her another decade in service.

By the 1970s Himalaya, like many during the advent of jetliners, became a full-time cruise ship mostly operating in the same waters she’d sail along in her liner days. Though still aptly popular, she’s becoming increasingly obsolete. Hence on October 18 1974 the much loved cruise ship departed for her farewell cruise from Sydney, 13 days later arriving at her final port of call in Hong Kong. After 25 years of service the aged Himalaya met the breakers’ torch at the start of 1975 in Taiwan.

The final ship built for the Orient Line, and one of the final true luxury liners, the Oriana is beloved by many, considered one of the last classic liners to be built. The sleek liner was launched in November 3 1959; being 41,910 GRT and reaching impressive speeds up to 30.5 knots in trials, the Oriana was briefly the largest - and the fastest ever - liner to run the UK-Australia route.

A trait that made her stand out from her contemporaries is her radically ‘modern’ design, highly controversial to some enthusiasts - especially with the odd arrangement prevalent in her superstructure and lifeboats, clearly meant to evoke a streamlined profile. Her interiors also bore this trend, with spacious elegant rooms with not as overly ornate as preceding contemporaries.

Oriana would only spend 6 years with her original operator the Orient Line, complete with major mishaps such as a collision with an aircraft carrier in 1962. When the line was absorbed into P&O, Oriana quickly joined the latter’s fleet. Her speed earned her great distinction as a liner, but her life as a cruise ship; full time since 1973, would be just as meaningful. She enjoyed a well-recounted 20-year long career, eventually retiring in 1986.

Soon after being put up for sale, the Queen of the Sea started a new life as a hotel ship and tourist attraction, though frequently changing ownership. Her last years were spent in the port of Dalian in China, faring remarkably better than previous stints with a bright future ahead. Sadly, tragedy would strike when the port city suffered a severe typhoon in 2004; the Oriana was not spared, left half-sunk at her berth and uneconomically damaged. The former liner and cruise ship was refloated, towed off, and dismantled in 2005.

Just a possible thread to talk about two underrated fan series

Age of Skibidi by https://www.youtube.com/@TVconstantine

Skibidi Demolition by https://www.youtube.com/@H4untSFM37

Joint discord server (leaks posted there): https://discord.gg/QchUDkWjd

SS Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America Line’s first superliner and a beloved ship of state, lived a rather fulfilling career rivaling the likes of stars like Queen Mary; while nowhere near as large (tonnage settling within 36,000 GRT) nor speed (maximum speed reaching 21.5 knots), the Nieuw Amsterdam appealed with prioritizing passenger comfort and reliable service.

The liner was constructed a little over two years; her launch commenced in April 10 1937. At the time of completion, she was the largest and swiftest Dutch vessel ever built, as well as the flagship of HAL. The dominating Art Deco style was greatly reflected in and out the ship, agreed upon as one of the most graceful-looking ocean liners of the 1930s or even of all time. Her interiors across every class are remarkably stunning and modern, incorporating recent innovations with luxuries reaching standards of liners like Normandie.

Her career kicked off with a maiden voyage from home port Rotterdam to Hoboken on May 10th, 1938. She quickly gained a sizable fame, voted as ship of the year at that time and became the most profitable liner for her owners; the “Darling of the Dutch” faced growing passenger numbers per crossing. Besides the seasonal liner service, she also made occasional cruises to fill in the gaps.

While crisis unfolded in Europe, the Nieuw Amsterdam continued peacetime service for her owners, running winter cruises for the first year. But eventually, she too was requisitioned to join the war effort; converted into a troopship by late 1940. Many of her earlier duties transporting thousands of troops were done in tandem with fellow former liners - including the Cunard Queens, Île de France, and Aquitania. Throughout the war, Nieuw Amsterdam performed a lengthy yet uneventful service - over 370,000 people across 530,000 miles of crossings.

A massive yearlong refit exceeding her building in cost followed the war’s end. Nieuw Amsterdam resumed service as the flagship of HAL in 1947, doing just as well, if not, even better than her pre-war era. Her number of routes increased, and soon enough she frequently experienced overhauls modernizing her many facilities. In 1959, her dominance in the line was partly relegated to her brand new and larger running mate Rotterdam.

The Nieuw Amsterdam faced another major refit in 1961, slightly reducing her accommodation and further expanding on more entertaining facilities among others; this is done to facilitate a more flexible service across different climates, as cruises became more prevalent. Later that decade, the Nieuw Amsterdam had become more of a cruise liner than an ocean liner. A revitalization on her machinery gave her a new lease on life, soon she would outlast much of her contemporaries.

Sadly, well into the 1970s, it became increasingly uneconomical to continue operating the veteran liner. Her final transatlantic crossing began on November 8th of 1971, while her final cruise ended on December 17 two years later. Soon after retirement the Darling of the Dutch was sold for scrapping; she arrived at the breakers in Kaohsiung on March 2 1974. Dismantling began on May that year and was wrapped up within 5 months.

Faced with a need to complement their two-ship roster, the Swedish America Line ordered the construction of the Gripsholm; named after her predecessor retired shortly prior.

The motor liner Gripsholm was christened and launched in April 8 1956, ready for her maiden voyage a little over a year later. Originally intended to be a sister ship to the Kungsholm of 1952, she ended up being marginally larger at over 23,000 GRT; the largest SAL liner then, though with a slower service speed of 18 knots.

The Gripsholm, like many passenger liners of that era, served as both a dedicated transatlantic liner and a cruise ship known for around-the-world voyages. Her stately interiors reflected upon this era; as elegant inside as she is outside. Striking highlights included the smoking room with a view upfront and the outdoor pool.

Gripsholm spent a comfortable 18 year-long career with SAL, retiring from liner service in 1971 and finally sold four year laters. She sailed as a cruise ship once again, becoming the Navarino of Karageorgis Line. Cruising the Mediterranean, life as the Navarino turned out to be a lot rougher; first suffering a major grounding incident in August 1981, then getting damaged by fire only two months later and nearly overturning whilst on drydock.

After a difficult salvage operation and two years’ worth of an uncertain future, the laid up cruise ship was bought by the newly formed Regency Cruises, overhauled, and renamed Regent Sea. Despite the rather varied career, the sleek profile from her SAL days was surprisingly mostly kept. The ex-Gripsholm spent another decade sailing g for her new owners without any major mishap, until the cruise line went bankrupt in 1995.

Laid up in Freeport, the Regent Sea was bought in 1997 with intentions to transform her into a casino ship. Although conversion work just started on the liner - now simply called Sea, the plan fell through. 4 years later in 2001, the ship was at last sold to Indian shipbreakers.

Leaving Tampa under tow, the Sea faced a precarious and eventful long voyage, even getting raided and looted by pirates. On July 6th, she faced heavy seas and was forced to brave the storm when requests to seek refuge at a nearby port were denied. Eventually, with the battered liner listing to the port and quickly taking in water , the former Gripsholm slipped under the waves; some 83 miles off the Cape of Good Hope under about 4,200m of sea.

One of the most iconic ocean liners in history, the RMS Olympic stands as a testament to the White Star Line and the Edwardian golden age of sea travel. Built to rival the era’s “superliners,” especially Lusitania and Mauretania, she surpassed them in size—over 880 feet long and nearly 46,000 gross tons. Although her speed - an impressive 22-24 knots delivered by a combination of reciprocating triple-expansion engines and a steam turbine - remained inferior.

Her true distinction, however, lay in her luxury: state of the art first-class spaces blurring the line between ocean liners and 5-star grand hotels, while even third class offered unmatched comfort, establishing the Olympic-class reputation for quality and reliability.

Ordered in 1908 as part of a trio of record-breaking liners, Olympic was constructed at Harland & Wolff in Belfast alongside her ill-fated sister Titanic. Launched on October 20, 1910, before a massive crowd, she underwent final fitting and sea trials before beginning her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on June 14, 1911. The voyage drew global attention, quickly cementing her status as a premier transatlantic liner.

Her early career soon faced trouble. On September 20, 1911, during her fifth voyage, she collided with HMS Hawke, sustaining serious damage but causing no casualties; repairs took eight weeks. Aside from a lost propeller blade, service remained uneventful until April 1912, when Olympic received distress calls from Titanic. Too distant to assist, she witnessed the tragedy’s aftermath, which prompted sweeping safety reforms. Initially fitted with additional lifeboats, she later underwent a major five-month refit in October, gaining extended bulkheads, a double hull, and updated interiors—briefly reclaiming her title as the world’s largest ship.

With the outbreak of World War I, Olympic continued passenger runs before being requisitioned in 1915 as a troopship. Stripped of luxury fittings and lightly armed, she served in campaigns such as Gallipoli, valued for her speed and capacity to carry over 6,000 troops per voyage. Over four years, she transported around 210,000 soldiers across 160,000 nautical miles, earning the nickname “The Old Reliable.” Her most dramatic wartime moment came on May 12, 1918, when she rammed and sank the German U-boat U-103—the only troopship to achieve such a feat.

After the war, Olympic returned to civilian service in 1920 following modernization. With her sisters lost, she was joined by Homeric and Majestic. Though eventually outclassed, she thrived during the 1920s, carrying celebrities and adapting to changing travel trends.

The Great Depression, however, dealt a severe blow. Passenger numbers collapsed, and despite her remarkably sound condition, Olympic became unprofitable amid newer, faster liners. In 1934, she suffered her third collision - with the lightship Nantucket, which killed over half the smaller ship’s crew. That same year, White Star merged with Cunard, and aging liners—including Olympic—were retired. Withdrawn from service in April 1935, she was laid up at Southampton before being sold for scrap at Jarrow. Her final voyage took place on October 11, within three years, the once-magnificent and still well-loved Old Reliable was dismantled—though many artifacts survive worldwide today.

Launched in April 23 1925 and embarking on her maiden voyage almost 7 months later, the SS Conte Biancamano is the first in a pair of ~24,000 GRT intermediate liners, along with the Conte Grande; completed two years later.

The Conte Biancamano and Grande were known to house all the innovative luxury amenities from her period, establishing major prominence for her owner Lloyd Sabaudo. Arguably the most opulent liners of the line that became apart of the Italia di Navigazione in 1932, which the Conte Biancamano sailed for afterward.

Her career with the two companies - as well as Lloyd Triestino in 1936-1940, is largely uneventful. Save for a brief period in 1934 when she carried troops and gear for the at the time imminent war in Ethiopia. At the start of World War II she took refuge in Panama… until the United States Navy seized the Italian ship in 1941.

By August the next year, she began wartime duties as the USS Hermitage (AP-54); able to carry over twice her maximum capacity and complete with a small group of anti-aircraft artillery. In her over 3-year long military career she transported nearly 130 thousand troops & POWs across roughly 230,000 sailed miles, having participated in several noteworthy naval operations including Operation efforts in the Pacific Theatre.

She spent the entirety of her post-war service in the Italian Line, starting off with a modernization in 1948, overhauling and remodeling her passenger accommodation as well as giving her a more raked bow - increasing her length and tonnage. The new Conte Biancamano proved to be even more impressive and luxurious than ever, with several notable artists in charge of decorative works.

After 12 years of service encompassing 364 crossings, the Conte Biancamano sailed her final crossing beginning on March 26, 1960. The 35-year old ocean liner would be sold for scrapping in La Spezia, which began the following year.

In 1964, while demolition was still underway, an entire piece of the Conte Biancamano’s forward superstructure - including the bridge, along with the grand ballroom and some first class staterooms, are dismantled and shipped away, and later on reassembled to become apart of the National Science and Technology Museum in Milan. Leaving behind a very unique case of a whole liner’s section and interiors fully preserved to this day.

The Columbus was a 32,354 GRT ocean liner built for the NDL (North German Lloyd). Originally she was to be called Hindenburg; until her sister ship - the original Columbus, was handed over to become the White Star liner Homeric.

She was launched in 1922 after a war-delayed construction, becoming Germany’s then-largest and fastest ocean liner upon completion almost 2 years later; being over 30,000 gross tons and reaching up to 18 knots with her triple-expansion steam engines.

The new liner would quickly prove to be popular with many passengers. Primarily due to her superb, luxurious first class amenities; which included several innovations such as an outdoor swimming pool, as well as exceptional stability in the Atlantic; also shared with her sister ship.

Columbus remained flagship of NDL until the looming arrival of the superliners Bremen and Europa. She was promptly given a modernization in 1929; her propulsion replaced with steam turbines - letting her reach 20 knots, and her twin funnels replaced by shorter, wider ones, giving her a similar appearance to her running mates. This also increased her tonnage by over 200.

She continued on with her uneventful career until the outbreak of WW2, 1939. At the time in the middle of a crossing, the Colombus had her passengers disembarked and sought refuge from the British at Veracruz, Mexico. Two months later, along with an American escort, she went for a blockade run to germany through the neutral zone.

Midway through, her luck finally ran out. She was sighted by a patrolling British destroyer on December 19th. Rather than surrendering the ship, however, the crew decided to set the ship ablaze and opened the sea valves upon safely evacuating all 576 persons onboard - they’d be picked up and sheltered aboard the accompanying, neutral USS Tuscaloosa.

Columbus, the former flagship of NDL, was scuttled about 400 miles off Virginia, her wreck remains undiscovered to this day.