Hamburg-Atlantic Line

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Logo of the Hamburg-Atlantic line
The Hanseatic (I) , around 1963

The Hamburg-Atlantic-Linie GmbH was a shipping company based in Hamburg , which was founded on January 6, 1958 by the Danish Axel Bitsch Christensen , who had lived here for six years . From August 15, 1958 it was registered as Hamburg-Atlantik Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH , but kept the old name in business dealings. Philipp Fürchtegott Reemtsma was involved in the company with more than four million DM.

The transatlantic line with the only managed Hanseatic became a great success. Therefore, a second passenger ship should be laid on the keel . For this purpose, the Deutsche Atlantik-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. was founded on December 1, 1965 : 212 private investors - mostly former Hanseatic passengers - subscribed around 30 million DM, although the promise of a state guarantee was still outstanding. This took place in February 1966. From then on the shipping company was called Deutsche Atlantik-Linie (DAL).

Large losses due to the appreciation of the D-Mark against the US dollar as well as drastically rising personnel costs led the company into difficult waters. In addition, after the fire of TS Hanseatic on September 7, 1966 in the port of New York , the shipping company was suddenly without a ship. After being transferred to the Hamburg shipyard, it was scrapped there. The cruises already booked could alternatively be carried out with the chartered French Renaissance .

In September 1966, the Hamburg Senate agreed to a new guarantee, and in October the shareholders' meeting of the Deutsche Atlantik-Linie approved a new building that was commissioned by Deutsche Werft .

At the beginning of 1967 a new owner company was founded, the Hanseatic Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH , whose capital was again provided by former Hanseatic passengers. These funds were used to purchase the Israeli Shalom in May 1967, which was put into service in November - also under the name Hanseatic .

The second ship, the Hamburg , was able to start her maiden voyage at the end of March 1969. Under the planning of the Munich architect Georg Manner, it was launched in February 1968 as the shipping company's only new building at Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG .

In 1970 more than eight million euros could be earned, compared to only seven million euros in 1971. With increasing cost pressure ( oil crisis 1973 ) the negotiations for a connection with Hapag-Lloyd failed , and in July 1973 Hanseatic (ex Shalom ) had to be sold to Home Lines for the purpose of liquidity . After an eventful history, it sank on July 26, 2001 on the way to the scrapping yard off South Africa.

The debts of the Deutsche Atlantik-Linie continued to rise; in September 1973 they were estimated at 25 to 35 million euros. On September 25, 1973, the Hamburg was renamed Hanseatic (III) and offered for sale by the shipping company.

Further negotiations with Hapag-Lloyd failed again, so that the shareholders decided to dissolve the shipping company in October 1973. The Hanseatic (III) was to be sold to Hapag-Lloyd for around 25 million euros to cover all liabilities , but this would also have lost all deposits and loans.

A higher Japanese purchase offer for just under 34 million euros was submitted in November. On December 1, 1973, Deutsche Atlantik Linie had to cease business operations, and on December 12, the sale of the last ship was decided. Another offer for around 31 million euros had meanwhile been made from the USA , behind it was the Soviet state shipping company . The contract with the Japanese Ryutsu Kaiun KK shipping company that was ready to be signed did not materialize, and so the Americans were awarded the contract. These transferred the ship to the Soviets, and on January 25, 1974 the Hanseatic (ex Hamburg ) was handed over to the Black Sea Shipping Co. In honor of the Russian poet Maxim Gorky , she was henceforth called Maxim Gorkiy .

There is a risk of confusion by name with the Hamburg-America Line (HAL, HAPAG).

literature

  • Harald Focke : Serious fire ends HANSEATIC's career. A defective fuel line was the undoing of the Cuxhaven liner in New York . In: Men from Morgenstern , Heimatbund an Elbe and Weser estuary e. V. (Ed.): Niederdeutsches Heimatblatt . No. 800 . Nordsee-Zeitung GmbH, Bremerhaven August 2016, p. 1–2 ( digitized version [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on July 23, 2019]).

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