S/S C. F. Tietgen [DFDS 1866-1991, p. 264] Made available with permission from Søren Thorsøe]

The "C.F.Tietgen" was built in 1897 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast as the "Rotterdam" for the Holland-America Line. Her tonnage was 8 173 gross tons, 7 385 under deck and 5 147 net. Dimensions: 469,5 feet long, 53,1 feet beam and holds 22.7 feet deep (length 143,34m x beam 16,21m). Promenade deck 189 feet long. She was constructed in steel, had twin screws, 3 decks, steel upper deck sheathed in wood and partly steel awning deck sheathed in wood. She had 8 cemented bulkheads and was fitted with electric light. Cellular double bottom, aft 116 feet long, under engine and boilers 116 feet and forward 139 feet, 1,058 tons; Midship Deep Tank 48 feet, 1 050 tons; Forward Peak Tank 96 tons; Aft Peak Tank 73 tons; flat keel. She had one funnel and two masts. Propulsion: triple expansion engine with 6 cylinders of 26 ½, 43 ½ and 72 inches diameter each pair; stroke 51 inches. The engine could deliver 954 nominal horsepower, 5250 indicated horsepower giving her a speed of 14 knots. She had 3 double ended and 2 single ended boilers, 24 corrugated furnaces, grate surface 426 sq. ft.; heating surface 16 750 sq. ft. The engine was built by the same company as the hull.

According to N.R.P.Bonsor, (the North Atlantic Seaway vol.3,p.1051) there was passenger accommodation for 200-1st, 150-2nd 2 000-3rd class. However this figures probably refers to the ship when she was the ROTTERDAM, owned by Holland America, and she was probably refitted when sold to Scandinavian American Line. The book "DFDS 1866-1991" by Søren Thorsøe a.o., p. 264, have these figures for the ship when operated by the DFDS (owners of the Scandinavian America Line): 191 1st class, 90 2nd class and 610 3rd class passengers.

She was launched on 18th February 1897 and commenced her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to Boulogne and New York. She was used for the Rotterdam - New York service. In 1906 she was purchased by the Scandinavian American Line (DFDS), renamed "C.F.Tietgen" and commenced sailings from Copenhagen to Christiania (Oslo), Christiansand and New York on 26th April 1906. Captain was A.G. Thomsen, appointed to the shipping line in 1898 and to the ship in 1906. During her DFDS career she crossed the Atlantic 110 times. She started her last voyage on this service on 6th November 1913 and later the same year, was sold to the Russian American Line and renamed "Dwinsk". She sailed between Libau and Archangel to New York until 1917 when she came under British (Cunard) management. She was torpedoed on June 18th, 1918 on voyage France-Newport News without warning by the German submarine U-151. It was 400 miles NE of Bermuda. The crew abandoned the ship in seven lifeboats. the crew from six of the lifeboats arrived safely after up to ten days at sea. The seventh boat disappeared with 22 men. Call sign: NPRK

Snapshot taken by Heinrich (Henry) Ioganowitsch Arnowitz. He was born in Riga, Livonia, Russia. He took the pictures during 1917 on a WW1 convoy from Halifax to Great Britain when the ship sailed under the name "Dwinsk". They had on board soldiers of the Polish Legion. At that time the Dwinsk sailed under Cunard management and all the gun crews were British, apparently since the British Admiralty did not trust the Russian sailors after the Revolution.

Snapshot taken by Heinrich (Henry) Ioganowitsch Arnowitz during 1917 on a convoy from Halifax to Great Britain. The soldiers are having some sort of lifeboat drill. It was a lifeboat like the ones seen on this picture that disappeared with 22 men after the sinking in 1918.

Snapshot taken with Heinrich (Henry) Ioganowitsch Arnowitz's camera during 1917 on a convoy from Halifax to Great Britain. Arnowitz is seen leaning against one of the gun barrels of a cannon that had been installed.

Snapshot taken by Heinrich (Henry) Ioganowitsch Arnowitz during 1917 on a convoy from Halifax to Great Britain. These pictures were submitted by Heinrich Ioganowitsch Arnowitz's son Edwin Arnowitz yve@mnsi.net