Which ocean liner was the first to win the Blue Riband for a German company?

SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was the first ocean liner to win the Blue Riband for a German company.

The Norddeutscher Lloyd liner captured the record in 1897 after completing the westbound Atlantic crossing in less than six days. Its achievement ended Britain’s long dominance of the unofficial fastest-transatlantic-crossing title and marked Germany’s emergence as a major force in liner competition.

Built by AG Vulcan Stettin, the ship was named for German Emperor Wilhelm I. It introduced a larger scale of luxury and speed to the North Atlantic trade and became the first of several famous German express liners.

Its record was later surpassed by its sister ship Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Bremen and Europa then became especially celebrated German Blue Riband holders in the late 1920s, but they were not the first German winners.