SS Königin Luise (1896)

SS Königin Luise was a Barbarossa-class ocean liner built in 1896 by Vulcan Shipbuilding Corp. of Stettin, Germany, for the North German Lloyd line of Bremen.

During World War I, Königin Luise was one of only two ships of the class to avoid being interned in neutral ports, spending the war in German ports.

Following World War I, Königin Luise was allocated as war reparations to Great Britain, and sold to the Orient Steam Navigation Company in 1921 and renamed SS Omar. She was sold again in 1924 to the Byron SS Co of London and operated on the Piraeus-New York service until scrapped in 1935.

SS Königin Luise
The Königin Luise was built by AG Vulcan for the North German Lloyd (NDL) line and completed 17 March 1896.

Along with her sister ships SS Friedrich der Grosse, SS Barbarossa and SS Bremen (1897), the Königin Luise was used on Australian, Far East, and North Atlantic routes for NDL. On Australian and Far East voyages, she transited the Suez Canal, and was one of the largest ships regularly using the canal.

At the outbreak of World War I, Königin Luise was in port in Germany, thus avoiding internment, and due to the British blockade, she was laid up. Following the Armistice, she was allocated as war reparations to Great Britain, and was handed over to the British Shipping Controller on 10 April 1919.

She was allocated to the Orient Steam Navigation Company. On September 8, 1920, during her first London-Australia voyage, she collided at Lisbon with the British steamship SS Loughborough, which sank.

On 20 October 1919, British troops embarked her (now described as HT Konigin Luise) in India to journey to England.

SS Omar
In January, 1921, the ship was sold to the Orient SN Company, and renamed SS Omar.

SS Edison
The ship was again sold in July 1924 to Byron SS Co. of London, and renamed Edison. The ship was used on the Piraeus-New York service until being scrapped in 1935 in Italy.