View source for SS Imperator

{{Short description|German ocean liner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 | image = Imperator LOC ggbain 13359u.jpg
 | image_caption = SS ''Imperator''
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
 | hide_header = 
 | country = [[German Empire]]
 | flag = {{shipboxflag|German Empire|civil}}
 | name = SS ''Imperator''
 | namesake = [[Latin]] ''[[Imperator]]'', "emperor"
 | owner = [[Hamburg America Line]]
 | operator = Hamburg America Line
 | registry = [[Hamburg]]
 | route = Cuxhaven - Southampton - New York
 | builder = *[[AG Vulcan Stettin|AG Vulcan]]
             *[[Hamburg]], Germany
 | laid_down = 18 June 1910
 | launched = 23 May 1912
 | christened = 23 May 1912
 | completed = June 1913 at Hamburg, Germany
 | maiden_voyage = 11 June 1913, [[Cuxhaven]] to New York Via Southampton
 | fate = Seized as war reparations. Used as a troop transport ship for the United States from May 1919. Handed over to the Cunard Line in September 1919, and renamed as RMS ''Berengaria''. Sold for scrap in 1939; final demolition completed in or around 1946.
 }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/career
 | hide_header = title
 | country = United States
 | flag = {{shipboxflag|United States|naval}}
 | name = USS ''Imperator''
 | acquired = by the Navy 5 May 1919 at [[Brest, France|Brest]], France
 | commissioned = 5 May 1919 USS ''Imperator''  at Brest, France
 | decommissioned = 24 November 1919 at New York City
 | identification = ID-4080
 | fate = Ceded to the [[Cunard Line]] as a war prize to make up for the loss of the {{ship|RMS|Lusitania}} and later renamed ''Berengaria''
 }}

|section4={{Infobox ship/career
 | hide_header = title
 | country = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
 | flag = {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|government}}
 | name = RMS ''Berengaria''
 | namesake = [[Berengaria of Navarre]]
 | owner = *1919–1934: [[Cunard Line]]
           *1934–1938: [[Cunard White Star Line]]
 | operator = *1919–1934: Cunard Line
              *1934–1938: Cunard White Star Line
 | registry = [[Liverpool]]
 | route = Southampton to New York via Cherbourg.
 | acquired = 1919
 | homeport = [[Liverpool|Liverpool, UK]]
 | fate = Scrapped between 1939 and 1946
 }}

|section5={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 | hide_header = 
 | header_caption = 
 | class = {{sclass|Imperator|ocean liner}}
 | tonnage = {{GRT|52,117}}
 | displacement = 53,000 tons{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}
 | length = {{convert|906|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 | beam = {{convert|98|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
 | height = 
 | draught = {{convert|35|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
 | draft = 
 | depth = 
 | hold_depth = 
 | decks = 11
 | deck_clearance = 
 | ramps = 
 | ice_class = 
 | power = Steam generated at 265 psi by 46 watertube boilers of Vulcan Yarrow design, originally coal burning, later converted to oil fired in 1921.
 | propulsion = 4 [[steam turbine]]s AEG-Vulcan / Parsons direct drive on four shafts, total of {{convert|60000|shp|abbr=on}}
 | speed = *{{convert|24|kn|abbr=on}} max
 | capacity = *4,234 passengers:
              ** 908 first class
              ** 592 second class
              ** 962 third class
              ** 1,772 steerage (fourth class)
 | troops = 
 | crew = 1,180
 }}
}}
'''SS ''Imperator''''' (known as '''RMS ''Berengaria''''' for most of her career) was a German [[ocean liner]] built for the Hamburg America Line, launched in 1912. At the time of her completion in June 1913, she was the [[largest passenger ship]] in the world, surpassing the new [[White Star Line|White Star]] liner ''[[RMS Olympic|Olympic]].''<!--EDIT NOTICE: In the use of the personal pronoun this article follows WP:SHE4SHIPS; see talk page discussions on this.-->

''Imperator'' was the [[Imperator-class ocean liner|first of a trio]] of successively larger Hamburg America liners that included [[SS Vaterland (1913)| ''Vaterland'']] (later the United States Liner ''Leviathan'') and [[RMS Majestic (1914)| ''Bismarck'']] (later the White Star Line ''Majestic'') all of which were seized as war reparations.

''Imperator'' served for 14 months on HAPAG's transatlantic route, until the outbreak of [[World War I]], after which she remained in port in [[Hamburg]]. After the war, she was briefly commissioned into the [[United States Navy]] as '''USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080)''' and employed as a transport, returning American troops from Europe. Following her service with the U.S. Navy, ''Imperator'' was purchased jointly by Britain's [[Cunard Line]] and [[White Star Line]] as part of [[World War I reparations|war reparations]], due to the loss of the ''[[RMS Lusitania]],'' where she sailed as the [[flagship]] '''RMS ''Berengaria''''' for the last 20 years of her career. William H. Miller wrote that "despite her German heritage and the barely disguised Teutonic tone of her interiors, she was thought of in the 1920s and 30s as one of Britain's finest liners."<ref name=miller>{{cite book| title=Picture History of British Ocean Liners: 1900 to the Present| author=William H. Miller| publisher=Dover Publications| year=2001|oclc=46462869}}</ref>{{rp|26}}

==Construction and early career==
[[File:IMPERATOR - figurehead LCCN2014694029.jpg|thumb|left|Closeup of the bronze figurehead before its removal]]
[[File:Imperator Altona 1913 01.jpg|thumb|left|''Imperator'' in Hamburg, 1913]]

The first plates of the [[keel]] were laid in 1910 at the [[AG Vulcan Stettin|Vulcan Shipyards]] in [[Hamburg]], Germany, and the ship made its maiden voyage in 1913. At 52,117 [[gross register ton]]s, ''Imperator'' was the largest ship in the world until ''Vaterland'' sailed in May 1914.<ref name="atlantic_liners_page">{{cite web|url= http://www.atlanticliners.com/imperator_home.htm |publisher=AtlanticLiners.com|title=''Imperator''|year=2009|access-date=2009-01-11}}</ref> After the [[Sinking of the Titanic|sinking of the ''Titanic'']] in April 1912, the shipyard added more lifeboats to ''Imperator'' to ensure there was more than enough room for all passengers and crew. In total, ''Imperator'' would carry 83 lifeboats capable of holding 5,500 people between them, 300 more than the ship's maximum capacity.<ref>{{cite book| title=The Ile de France and the Golden Age of Transatlantic Travel| author=Thomas Kepler| publisher=Lyons Press| year=2021| page=74|oclc=1264173498}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=maFOAQAAMAAJ&dq=imperator+ritz+carlton&pg=RA11-PA19| title=Some Facts Regarding Size of Marine Marvel, Imperator| publisher=Railway and Marine News| year=1913| volume=11| pages=20–21}}</ref>

Before her launch on 23 May 1912, [[Cunard]] announced that its new ship, {{RMS|Aquitania}}, which was under construction at the time at the [[John Brown & Company|John Brown shipyards]] in [[Glasgow]], would be longer by {{convert|1|ft|mm|sigfig=3}}, causing dismay in Hamburg. Several weeks later, she was fitted with a figurehead, an imposing bronze eagle, increasing her length past that of ''Aquitania''. The eagle was created by Professor Bruno Kruse of [[Berlin]], and adorned her forepeak with a banner emblazoned with HAPAG's [[motto]] ''Mein Feld ist die Welt'' (''My field is the world''). The eagle's wings were torn off in an Atlantic storm during the 1914 season, after which the figurehead was removed and replaced with gold scroll-work similar to that on the stern.

During her initial sea trials, the ship ran aground on the [[Elbe]] river due to insufficient dredging and a flash fire in the engine room which resulted in eight crewmen being taken to hospital. During her official [[Sea trial|trials]], she suffered overheating of the turbines and some stability issues were discovered. The trials were therefore abandoned and the builders were called in to carry out emergency work. Coincidentally, 1913 was the silver jubilee year for the [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser]], so he was going to be treated to an overnight cruise on the North Sea before the ship would make its maiden voyage.  The overnight cruise was canceled; it was eventually carried out in July of that year.

''Imperator'' left on her maiden voyage on Wednesday, 11 June 1913, with Commodore [[:de:Hans Ruser|Hans Ruser]] in command and [[Hamburg America Line|Hamburg-Amerika]] appointing four other subordinate captains for the journey to make sure that everything went smoothly. On the way, she stopped at [[Southampton]] and [[Cherbourg-Octeville|Cherbourg]] before proceeding across the Atlantic to [[New York City|New York]], arriving on 19 June 1913. On board were 4,986 people, consisting of 859 first-class passengers, 647 second-class passengers, 648 third-class passengers, 1,495 in steerage, and 1,332 crew.<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Ship, Nearing New York, Behaves Admirably on Trip. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/09/16/archives/sea-tests-the-imperator-big-ship-nearing-new-york-behaves-admirably.html |quote=Never before were there so many persons on one ship as are on the Imperator. The exact number is 4,986, consisting of 859 first-class passengers, 647 second-class, 648 third-class, 1,495 in steerage, and 1,332 in the crew. |work=[[The New York Times]] via [[Guglielmo Marconi|Marconi Wireless]] |date=16 September 1913 |access-date=2009-11-17 }}</ref> The ship returned to Europe from [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], on 25 June 1913.<ref>{{cite news |title=Imperator Starts Return Trip To-day. Begins First Voyage to the Eastward with More Than 1,000 in Cabins. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/06/25/archives/imperator-starts-return-trip-today-begins-first-voyage-to-the.html |quote=The new Hamburg-American liner Imperator, the world's biggest transatlantic steamship, will sail on his first eastward voyage across the Atlantic at 11 o'clock this morning. The great liner when he backs out from his Hoboken berth into the river will have on board more than 1,000 cabin passengers, of whom over 600 will be in the first cabin. |work=The New York Times|date=15 June 1913 |access-date=2009-11-17 }}</ref>

[[File:IMPERATOR's damaged Eagle (LOC).jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the figurehead after its wings were damaged]]

On his first arrival, the harbor pilot assigned to bring her into the Ambrose channel, Captain George Seeth, noted that the ship listed from side to side when the helm changed the ship's direction. She was soon nicknamed "Limperator".

In October 1913, ''Imperator'' returned to the Vulcan shipyard to facilitate drastic work to improve handling and stability, as it had been discovered that her center of gravity was too high (see [[metacentric height]]). To correct the problem, the marble bathroom suites in first class were removed and heavy furniture was replaced with lightweight wicker cane. The ship's funnels were reduced in height by {{convert|3|m|ft|order=flip|abbr=on}}. Finally, 2,000 tons of cement was poured into the ship's double bottom as ballast. This work cost £200,000, which had to be borne by the shipyard as part of their five-year warranty to the shipowners. At the same time, an advanced fire sprinkler system was fitted throughout the ship, as several fires had occurred on board since the vessel had entered service.

During the 1914 refit of ''Imperator'', Commodore Ruser handed over command of the ship to Captain Theo Kier and left to take command of the new larger flagship ''Vaterland'', which was nearing completion. ''Imperator'' returned to service on 11 March, arriving in New York five days later on the 19th.

Whereas German ships are usually referred to with the feminine article ([[wiktionary:die#German|die]]), ''Imperator'' was instead referred to with the masculine article ([[wiktionary:der#German|der]]), on the explicit personal wishes of Emperor Wilhelm II.<ref name="Biefang, Andreas & Epkenhans, Michael & Tenfelde, Klaus 0">{{Cite book |last1=Biefang|first1= Andreas |last2= Epkenhans|first2= Michael|last3= Tenfelde|first3= Klaus |title=Das politische Zeremoniell im Deutschen Kaiserreich 1871–1918 |publisher= |year= |isbn= |series= |volume= |pages=202 |language=de|oclc=297198603}}</ref>

===Interiors===
The architect and designer [[Charles Mewès]] was responsible for the interior design of the ''Imperator'' and his sister ships.<ref>{{cite book| title=A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture| author=James Stevens Curl| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=2006| page=484|oclc=64585874}}</ref> One German critic commented on the prevalence of French-style décor on the new ship: {{blockquote|[[Style Louis XVI|Louis XVI]] seems to be the real ''Imperator''...judging by the decorative effects with which the world's biggest liner is embellished...the ladies saloon in Colonial, the smoking room in Flemish, the swimming pool in Pompeiian, the wintergarten in Louis XVI, the parlor in Louis XVI. - Louis XVI everywhere. Where is there any manifestation of present-day German style...the company, of course, must cater to the international public, especially Americans."<ref>Rotka, William (2018). "Building Luxurious Ocean Liners for the Transatlantic Elite in the Early Twentieth Century", ''Yearbook of Transnational History''. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; pg. 120. {{oclc|1045186146}}</ref>}}

One contemporary review noted how the ship's "great size...has enabled her designers to allow unusual space for passenger accommodation."<ref name= "engineer">{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmTQPYq2wBQC&dq=imperator+pompeiian+swimming+pool&pg=PA468| title=The Marine Engineer & Naval Architect| date=July 1913| volume=35| pages=467–468}}</ref> This was echoed in ''The Master, Mate, and Pilot'', which stated that "taking advantage of his great dimensions, the ships' public cabins, and staterooms have been made so large as to avoid any suggestion of crowding."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ywAAAAAMAAJ&dq=imperator+pompeiian+swimming+pool&pg=PA66| title=S.S. "Imperator" The World's Largest Ship| publisher=The Master, Mate, and Pilot| date=June 1913| volume=6| page=65}}</ref> Space-saving devices like berths and folding washbasins were eliminated in the First-Class staterooms on ''Imperator'', all of which had free-standing beds and marble-topped washstands with hot and cold running water. Almost all First-Class cabins were "outside" cabins, meaning they had portholes or windows for natural light and ventilation. Over 200 cabins were reserved for single occupancy, and 150 had en-suite bathrooms.<ref name= "engineer"/> The two "Imperial" suites had 12 rooms each, including a breakfast room, private veranda, sitting room, and servants' quarters.<ref name="master">{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ywAAAAAMAAJ&dq=imperator+pompeiian+swimming+pool&pg=PA66| title=S.S. "Imperator" The World's Largest Ship| publisher=The Master, Mate, and Pilot| date=June 1913| volume=6| pages=65–66}}</ref>

The main First-Class dining room was on F Deck and there were two restaurants on B Deck. The main dining room could accommodate 700 diners at tables for between 2 and 8 people. The Ritz-Carlton restaurant, which was joined with a [[winter garden]]/palm court in the [[Directoire style]], was managed by staff from the [[Carlton Hotel, London|Carlton Hotel]] in London. There was also a Grill Room at the aft end of B Deck, a tea garden, and a Veranda café.<ref name="engineering"/> Other First-Class public rooms included a 72-foot-long lounge/ballroom, several ladies sitting rooms, and a smoking room. The [[Tudor architecture|Tudor style]] smoking room was decorated with brick from a demolished Tudor-era cottage in England.<ref name="engineer"/><ref>{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=maFOAQAAMAAJ| title=Some Facts Regarding Size of Marine Marvel, Imperator| publisher=Railway and Marine News| year=1913| page=19}}</ref> The lounge, or "Social Hall", as it was called, was hung with [[Gobelins Manufactory|Gobelins]] tapestries and included a stage for theatrical performances to be held. In the evening the carpet could be removed for dancing.<ref name="master"/><ref name="engineering">{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13G2KV-KSh8C&q=imperator| title=The Hamburg-Amerika Liner "Imperator"| publisher=Engineering: An Illustrated Weekly Journal| date=20 June 1913| pages=827–828}}</ref> Off the entrance halls were amenities like a bookshop, florist, pharmacy, doctor's office, and the offices of the purser, chief steward, and baggage master.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmTQPYq2wBQC&dq=imperator+pompeiian+swimming+pool&pg=PA468| title=The Marine Engineer & Naval Architect| date=July 1913| volume=35| page=467}}</ref>

''Imperator'' introduced a two-deck-high, [[Pompeii]]an-style swimming pool for its First-Class passengers. It was inspired by a similar swimming pool built in London in 1907 for the [[Royal Automobile Club]], of which Charles Mewès was also one of the architects.<ref name=miller/>{{rp|28}} Connected to the pool were [[Victorian Turkish baths|Victorian-style Turkish baths]],<ref>Shifrin, Malcolm (2015). ''Victorian Turkish baths''. Swindon: Historic England. pp.257—258 {{oclc|
929684255}}</ref> steam baths, [[electric bath]]s, massage and hairdressing rooms. The gymnasium was "the largest and most luxurious that has ever been fitted up on a passenger steamer...", according to ''The Marine Engineering and Naval Architect''.<ref name="engineer"/> For the first time on an ocean liner, Second-Class had its own gymnasium as well. Second-Class passengers also had their own smoking room, reading and writing rooms, dining room, and music room.<ref name="engineer"/>

While the Cunard refit changed plates identifying switches and valves were reversed and reinscribed in English, drains in cabin bathtubs remained marked ''AUF'' and ''ZU'' and ashtrays still read ''ZIGARREN''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maxtone-Graham |first1=John |title=The Only Way to Cross |date=1997 |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |isbn=0760706379 |page=165}}</ref>

==World War I and U.S. Navy service==
In August 1914, as [[World War I]] began, she was laid up at Hamburg and remained inactive for more than four years, falling into dilapidation. Following the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]], ''Imperator'' was taken over by the Allied Food Shipping and Finance Agreement, and allocated to the United States for temporary use as a transport alongside ''Vaterland'', which was now renamed SS ''Leviathan'' and bringing American service personnel home from France.<ref name=history.naval>{{Cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i1/imperator.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212210549/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i1/imperator.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 December 2012 |title=USS Imperator |publisher=Naval Historical Center }}</ref>

[[File:USS Imperator (ID-4080).jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080) off Manhattan, New York City.]]
[[File:List of nurses returning from Brest, France in July of 1919.jpg|thumb|right|268x268px|List of nurses returning from Brest aboard USS ''Imperator'']]

She was commissioned as the USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080) in early May 1919. After embarking 2,100 American troops and 1,100 passengers, ''Imperator'' departed [[Brest, France]] on 15 May 1919, arriving at New York City one week later. Operating with the [[Cruiser and Transport Force]] from 3 June to 10 August, she made three cruises from New York to Brest, returning over 25,000 troops, nurses, and civilians to the United States.

While en route to New York City on 17 June, ''Imperator'' assisted the {{ship|French cruiser|Jeanne d'Arc|1899|2|up=yes}}, which had broken down in the Atlantic Ocean. The then president-elect of Brazil [[Epit%C3%A1cio Pessoa]] was on board ''Jeanne d'Arc'' and ''Imperator'' received him and his party for transport to the United States, arriving there several days later.<ref>{{cite web |title=PESSOA TRANSFERS TO TRANSPORT AT SEA; Imperator Takes Brazil's President from Disabled French Cruiser in Midocean. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/06/19/archives/pessoa-transfers-to-transport-at-sea-imperator-takes-brazils.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=9 February 2023 |date=19 June 1919}}</ref>

Decommissioned at Hoboken, New Jersey in early 1919, ''Imperator'' was transferred to the [[British Shipping Controller]] on 20 September, and it was decided that Cunard would operate her. Captain Charles A. Smith and a full crew were sent out to New York on {{RMS|Carmania|1905|2}} the new operators and the official handover from the British Shipping Controller to Cunard took place on 24 November. ''Imperator'' was then transferred to Cunard's Pier 54 for Cunard service.

==Cunard service as ''Berengaria''==
[[File:RMS Berengaria US Navy.jpg|thumb|RMS ''Berengaria'']]
[[File:Stern view of RMS Berengaria, 1921.jpg|thumb|''Berengaria'' underway after conversion from coal to oil burning boilers, 1921.]]

The ship arrived at Southampton on Sunday 10 December 1919 and then proceeded to [[Liverpool]] for what was planned to be a quick overhaul (he was scheduled to leave on his first voyage for the new owners on 10 January 1920). Upon inspection, the ship was found to be in poor condition. During dry-docking on 6 January, it was found that the ship's rudder had a piece missing and the propellers were suffering from erosion on their leading edges. These issues were attended to while the ship was refurbished with items borrowed from the Cunard vessels [[SS Transylvania (1914)|''Transylvania'']] and ''Carmania''.<ref name="liners_page">{{cite web|url=http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/imperator.asp|publisher=Ocean-Liners.com|title=''SS Imperator / RMS Berengaria''|year=2009|access-date=2009-01-11|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131020025/http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/imperator.asp|archive-date=31 January 2009}}</ref>

Due to the extent of the work that had to be carried out, ''Imperator'' remained at Liverpool until 21 February and during this time the company's annual dinner was held on board before the ship returned to service on the North Atlantic.<ref name="liners_page"/> On 2 March 1920, the ship left New York, taking nine days to reach Southampton. During the voyage, ''Imperator'' developed a severe list that was found to be caused by a faulty ash ejector. Cunard decided that the ship was in need of a major overhaul and she was withdrawn from service.<ref name="liners_page"/>

Sir [[Arthur Rostron]] of the RMS ''Titanic'' passenger rescue fame and former captain of {{RMS|Carpathia||2}} took command of ''Imperator'' in July 1920. The following year both ''Imperator'' and ''Aquitania'' were sent to [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong Whitworth shipyard]]s to be converted from coal firing to oil.<ref name="liners_page"/>

The ship was renamed after the English queen [[Berengaria of Navarre]], wife of [[Richard the Lionheart]], in February 1921. The name deviated from the usual Cunard practice of naming ships after [[Roman provinces]], but still retained the "-ia" suffix that was typically seen with other Cunard ships at the time.

In September 1925, a security alert at sea was triggered when the Cunard company offices in New York received a message stating there was a bomb aboard ''Berengaria''; the vessel was then 1,200 miles out from New York, bound for Southampton. The ship was searched although the passengers and most crew were not informed about the reason. A fire drill was held just before the supposed time of detonation, so passengers could be placed close to their lifeboat stations without arousing suspicion. The bomb threat failed to materialize.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bomb hoax on the liner Berengaria |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/sep/26/archive-bomb-hoax-liner-berengaria |newspaper=The Manchester Guardian |date=25 September 1925 |access-date=10 October 2011}}</ref>

On 11 May 1932, ''Berengaria'' ran aground in the [[Solent]]. She was refloated an hour later.<ref name=Times120532a>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Berengaria aground |date=12 May 1932 |page=11 |issue=46131 |column=C }}</ref>

In May 1934, ''Berengaria'' was again in the headlines when she ran aground on mud banks at [[Calshot Spit|Calshot]] on the Solent. She was pulled free by four [[Tugboat|tugs]] from Southampton. The vessel suffered no damage and the incident did not affect her sailing schedule.<ref name="liners_page"/><ref name="ccp">{{cite web |url=http://www.chriscunard.com/berengaria.php |work=Chris' Cunard Page |title=Berengaria |access-date=2010-02-17 |archive-date=19 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019013232/http://www.chriscunard.com/berengaria.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Despite her German heritage, ''Berengaria'' served as flagship of the Cunard fleet until replaced by her sister ship, {{RMS|Majestic}} (also German: ex-''[[SS Bismarck]]''), in 1934 after the merger of Cunard with [[White Star Line]].<ref name="ccp"/> In later years, ''Berengaria'' was used for discounted [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]]-dodging cruises, which earned her jocular nicknames like ''Bargainaria'' and ''Boringaria''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Layton |first1=J. Kent |year=2013 |chapter=Imperator/Berengaria |title=The Edwardian Superliners: A Trio of Trios |edition=2nd |publisher=Amberley|oclc=851154660}}</ref>

Toward the end of her service life, the ship suffered several electrical fires caused by aging wiring, and Cunard-White Star opted to retire her in 1938. She was sold to [[Sir John Jarvis, 1st Baronet|Sir John Jarvis]], who had also purchased ''Olympic'', to provide work for unemployed shipbuilders in [[Jarrow]], [[County Durham]].<ref name="ccp" /> ''Berengaria'' sailed for the [[River Tyne]] under the command of Captain George Gibbons to be [[Ship breaking|scrapped]] down to the [[waterline]]. Due to the size of the vessel and the outbreak of the Second World War, the final demolition took place only in 1946.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Imperator launch.jpg|The stern of the ''Imperator'' prior to launch
File:First Class Main Staircase Imperator (ship, 1913).jpg|First Class Main Staircase of ''Imperator''.
File:USS Imperator and USS Leviathan.jpg|USS ''Imperator'' (ID-4080), at left, and USS ''Leviathan'' (ID-1326) at Hoboken, New Jersey.
File:Turbines in AG Vulcan works for SS Imperator (1912).png|''Imperator''{{'}}s turbines under construction at Vulcan, Hamburg. Note workmen, center right, for size comparison.
File:Hamburg-American Line Cruises, 1913.jpg|Advertisement by Hamburg-American Line in ''American Homes and Gardens'' magazine, 1913 
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/imperator.html}}

==Further reading==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=vG7mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA301 ''The Hamburg-American Company's New 50,000-Ton Liner''] (''International Marine Engineering'' feature article, August 1912, pp.&nbsp;301–305, with launch photos & engineering details.)
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090131020025/http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/imperator.asp SS ''Imperator'' / RMS ''Berengaria'']}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070225114404/http://www.atlanticliners.com/atlantic_liners_book.htm ''Atlantic Liners: A Trio of Trios'', by J. Kent Layton]
* ''Ocean Liners'', by Oliver le Goff
* ''The Beautiful and Damned'', by F. Scott Fitzgerald
* [http://www.marpubs.com/ ''Imperator/Berengaria'', by Les Streater]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/tags/imperator/ S.S. ''Imperator''] at [[Flickr]] via [[Library of Congress]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040222125537/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-i/imperatr.htm S.S. ''Imperator'' (German Passenger Liner, 1913) – Served as USS ''Imperator'' (ID # 4080) in 1919. – Later the British passenger liner ''Berengaria'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080408072018/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-i/id4080.htm USS ''Imperator'' (ID # 4080), 1919–1919.]
*{{navsource|12/174080|Imperator}}
* [http://www.atlanticliners.com/imperator_home.htm ''Imperator / Berengaria'' Home at Atlantic Liners.]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090131020025/http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/imperator.asp Ship's page at ocean-liners.com]}}
* [http://www.freewebs.com/ultimateimperator/firstclass.htm The Ultimate Imperator]
* [http://www.chriscunard.com/ Chris' Cunard Page]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w69JhCqNlFg Final sailing to Sir John Jarvis's scrapyard; Jarow]

{{Imperator class ocean liners}}
{{Largest passenger ships}}
{{Cunard ships}}
{{1932 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperator}}
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships built in Hamburg]]
[[Category:Ships of the Cunard Line]]
[[Category:Ships of the Hamburg America Line]]
[[Category:Steamships of Germany]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United States]]
[[Category:Transports of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:World War I auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:1912 ships]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Germany]]
[[Category:Imperator-class ocean liners]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1932]]