1930s – THE SS EUROPA and CELEBRITIES WHO CROSSED THE POND – GERMAN DIRECTOR LENI RIEFENSTAHL FOUND THE EUROPA A GREAT WAY TO VISIT THE USA.
THE EUROPA
The SS Europa (later the French Line SS Liberté) was one of a pair of fast ocean liners built in the late nineteen-twenties for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line (NDL) for the transatlantic passenger service. Her sister ship was the Bremen, and the two were very similar, though not identical. The German Director Leni Riefenstahl found it the only way to cross the Atlantic.
German Director Leni Riefenstahl – Original caption: 11/4/1938-New York, New York- Leni Riefenstahl, Naziland’s film queen, greets America with a big smile upon arriving on the S.S. Europa.
Leni Riefenstahl Sits on Ships Railing – Original caption: 11/4/1938- New York, NY- Leni Riefenstahl, 27-year-old Queen of German Cinema and a reported favorite of Adolf Hitler, as she arrived in New York, Nov. 4, on the S.S. Europa. Photo shows her posed on the ships railing.
Europa was built in 1929 with her sister ship Bremen to be the second 50,000 gross tons North German Lloyd liner. With both ships, the NDL will reach the top class shipping company of Atlantic traffic once more.
Europa and her slightly larger sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27.5 knots, allowing an Atlantic crossing time of 5 days. This enabled Norddeutsche Lloyd to run regular weekly crossings with two ships, a feat that normally required three.
Evangelist Aimee Semple – Original caption: Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson noted Los Angeles Evangelist looking as fashionable as ever as she arrives on the S.S. Europa after a tour of the Holy Lands.
