"The advances that Germany has made in ship building science in only a decade are staggering"

 Launching of the Imperator

 23 May 1912

This is the grandest day thus far in the history of 20^th century Germany. Thousands have gathered since the early hours of the morning to get a good seat to watch the launching of the greatest ship in the world. The sight is regal, with sightseers and well wishers dressed so formally it were as if today were the maiden voyage and they were boarding first-class for a trip to America.

The center figure of the day is Kaiser Wilhelm II, the man who named the great ship. For the christening of the Imperator, a special decorative loft accented with floral garlands has been constructed. During the launching, however, a section of wooden scaffolding snaps away and flies close to the Emperor's launching platform. No one is hurt, but the more superstitious see it as a bad omen.

By the time the Imperator is floated on an even keel, the greatest ship in the world displaces some 27,000 tons of water; the greatest launching weight ever on record at the time. The length of the deck is 919 feet, the beam over 98 feet, the boat deck is 100 feet, and the plated depth is 73 feet. If you neglect the bronze eagle figurehead, the length is 909 feet. Six tugs then take the hull to the fitting out quay, which is rigged with a 200 ton cantilever crane, the largest crane in the world at this time.

Over the next year, the fitting out of the Imperator will be influenced greatly in many respects by the sinking of the Titanic, which occurred just five weeks ago. The most notable upgrade to the Imperator will be in the number of lifeboats. By the time she sails on her maiden voyage there will be 83 in all, enough for 4,248 passengers and the crew of 1,180. But it is the advancements in speed, safety, and efficiency of the lifeboat system that are especially outstanding. Every deck class has lifeboats that will be serviced with a newly designed launching apparatus that will enable a full lifeboat to be lowered to the water in only 40 to 50 seconds. Even if only one side of the ship can be used for lowering the boats, still 70 can be used; enough for everyone. Special attention should be drawn to the independent lighting system of the launching apparatus. Should disaster occur at night, the lifeboat launching areas and surrounding exits will be lit independently from the engine room. So even if the engine room were to be submerged underwater, there would still be ample light to allow for a smooth and easy evacuation. And for the first time on any ship, lifeboats will be stored below the main promenade, in pockets along the side of the ship thus making the lifeboats closer to the water. Of course, by placing the lifeboats in such a position on the ship, it will mean cutting into space normally reserved for the finest first-class suites. But this will barely be noticed once the suites themselves are fitted out.

Once all the lifeboats are in the water further safety features come into play. Two of the lifeboats are equipped with wireless telegraphs and both have motors powerful enough to tow the other boats.

The immense superstructure of the Imperator is built around 654 steel ribs (327 a side), with the weight of a single rib being a ton and third. More significant still is that the shell of the Imperator as launched, weighs more, by 4,000 tons, than does Hapag's famous Deutschland of 1900 when she is completely equipped with packed coal bunkers, full provisions, and a sold out passenger list.

In terms of over all height, the Imperator is 12 decks high, equivalent to a 12-storey building, if you count the inner bottom of the ship and the deck that roofs the topmost tier of rooms such as the ballroom and winter garden. Similarly, one of the first things a visitor notices upon going aboard is the unusual height of the decks, which in the case of several decks is 11 to 12 feet. They are higher than the ceilings of any other liner. The advances in German ship building science in only a decade are staggering.

One advanced feature of the Imperator, which was brought about by the sinking of the Titanic, is a "second skin" that is fitted five feet in from her outer skin, effectively making her a ship within a ship.  By dividing the vessel into various watertight compartments, safety is assured even if two or more adjacent compartments are filled with water. The Imperator’s bulkheads are of exceptional strength and height. The steel-plated hull of the ship is 9 – 18 feet thick and there are twelve watertight bulkheads and thirteen transverse watertight compartments with thirty-six watertight doors. These bulkheads extend from the bottom fifty feet upwards to the second deck, far above the waterline. The forward or collision bulkhead extends through the first deck. Then there are longitudinal bulkheads abreast the boiler room, which create massive side bunkers that contain about 8,500 tons of coal, which is shoveled into furnaces by 422 men. The ship's bulkheads are supported by sturdy I-beams, which weigh between 2,200 pounds and 9,900 pounds, and other shapes to withstand the pressure that would arise from maximum submersion of the ship due to underwater damage. The bulkheads are controlled hydraulically and can be closed from either the Commander's bridge or by auxiliary controls on the upper deck. In addition, electric annunciators enable the captain to ascertain whether his order has been correctly received and carried out. Similarly, station bells that can locate the number and position of each crewmember on board enable a completely organized force, able to immediately attend to any situation.

In April 1913 the Imperator is completed, and with only a month to go before her 24 May maiden voyage, her initial sea trials begin. Unfortunately all does not go as planned. On 22 April she runs aground on a sandbank near Altona. The grounding is such that she must wait until high tide, at which point several tugs pull her to freedom. There is damage. Then on 25 April, worker error is responsible for a fire and eight crewmen are injured fighting it. The following day on 26 April, the Imperator begins her official trials on the open sea. Again, there is a problem, this time of significant seriousness: her turbines overheat. The sea trials are cancelled and an inspection team comes aboard and repairs are immediately undertaken. As a result, her planned maiden voyage is cancelled and all passengers with reservations are transferred to the SS Cleveland. The Hamburg Amerika line then conceals the truth regarding the cancellation to avoid negative public reaction.