Fürst Bismarck
HAPAG registered Fürst Bismarck in Hamburg. Her code letters were RNQG. Her maiden voyage was from Hamburg to Hoboken. She left Hamburg on 19 August and reached Hoboken ten days later.[3][5] That November she landed in Hoboken 48 Sioux who had been performing in France in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, and were going home to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.[6]
HAPAG transferred Fürst Bismarck to its route between Italy and Hoboken, and then to its route was between Hamburg and Vera Cruz in Mexico via Havana, Cuba, which she worked with her sister ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie. She left Hamburg on her first voyage on this route on 10 January 1906. Early in 1908 Fürst Bismarck made at least one crossing from Hamburg to Hoboken.[7] On one voyage she left Havana on 21 December 1909, and grounded in fog off Octeville on the Cotentin Peninsula of France on 6 January 1910. Her crew jettisoned part of her cargo, and she was refloated on 8 January.[8][9] By 1910 she was equipped with submarine signalling and wireless telegraphy.
On 21 January 1912 Fürst Bismarck collided in Kingston, Jamaica when manœuvering to dock. Her bridge had telegraphed to put her engines full astern, but the engineer officer on watch mistook the order for full ahead. She rammed through the Government pier, hit the police wharf, and destroyed the Harbourmaster's launch. The damage to the docks was estimated at $20,000. There were many people on the dock to meet the ship, but none was injured.[10]
In April 1912 Francisco León de la Barra, former President of Mexico, returned from Europe to Vera Cruz aboard her.[11][12] By 1913 her wireless call sign was DCI.
In January 1914 Fürst Bismarck made a crossing from Hamburg to Boston via Boulogne. She faced continuously stormy weather from 11 to 15 January, one of her hatches was torn off, and part of her steerage passenger accommodation was flooded. She reached Boston on 17 January.[13]
In April 1914 the USA caught the HAPAG ship SS Ypiranga gun-running for President Victoriano Huerta's army in the Mexican Revolution. After the "Ypiranga incident", the US was suspicious of any unusual activity by HAPAG ships. In May Kronprinzessin Cecilie arrived in Mexico carrying arms, but did not unload them.[14][15][16]
On 6 June 1914 Fürst Bismarck arrived in New Orleans. She carried no passengers, and her arrival was unexpected. HAPAG said she was there to load 3,000 tons of "miscellaneous cargo" to take to Vera Cruz and Puerto Mexico (now Coatzacoalcos). It was rumoured that she was there to load arms.[17] An inspection the next day disproved this,[18] but the US government kept her under surveillance.[19] On 9 June she left New Orleans. By 11 June it was rumoured that she would instead evacuate Huerta's family from Mexico.[20]
