1938: The Hamburg-America liner Reliance burned in Hamburg. Built originally for Royal Holland Lloyd and named Johann Heinrich Burchard, after World War 1 she was handed over to Holland and renamed Limburgia. This was disputed by other allied nations but, she remained in Dutch hands until 1922 when she was sold to United States Lines and renamed Reliance. Used on the New York to Hamburg route she was bought back by the Hamburg America Line in 1926. At the time of the fire she was in Hamburg, now used only for cruising, preparing for a cruise to Scandinavia. The fire started on the third deck and caused extensive damage. The directors of Hamburg-America declared her a total loss and she was sold to Krupp in 1940 and scrapped.

© 2005 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

Reliance burning in Hamburg, Germany