The steamship HOHENSTAUFEN was built for Norddeutscher Lloyd by Earle's Shipbuilding Co, Hull (yard #173), and was launched on 24 September 1873. 3,098 tons; 107,46 x 12,03 meters (length x breadth); straight stem; 1 funnel, 2 masts; iron construction, screw propulsion, compound engine; service speed 12 knots; accommodation for 142 passengers in 1st class and 800 in steerage; crew of 79-100.

The HOHENSTAUFEN was laid up immediately upon completion until August 1874, due to the depression in the United States, which sharply curtailed immigration. She was originally intended for the South American service, but did not enter the service until 1895. 1 September 1874, maiden voyage, Bremen - Havre - New York. 20 December 1874, last voyage, Bremen - Southampton - New York (3 roundtrip voyages). 4 April 1880, first voyage, Bremen - Christiania - New York (2 roundtrip voyages). 24 September 1881, first voyage, Bremen-South America. 3 September 1884, rammed by the armored corvette SOPHIE, which tore a hole in her starboard side. 29 April 1885, last voyage, Bremen - New York. 14 April 1886, single roundtrip voyage, Bremen-Baltimore. 1886, refitted at Bremerhaven for the new Reichspostdienst to Australia. 26 January 1887, first voyage, Bremen-Suez Canal-Australia. 1890, refitted by AG Vulcan, Stettin: 3,283 tons; triple-expansion engine, service speed 13 knots; passenger accommodation altered to 44 in 1st class, 18 in 2nd class, and 558 in steerage. 8 May 1895, last voyage, Bremen-Suez Canal-Australia. 11 February 1897, last voyage, Bremen-South America. 1897, sold to London for scrapping. January 1898, resold to Brest; scrapped.

Sources: Arnold Kludas, Die Seeschiffe des Norddeutschen Lloyd, Bd. 1: 1857 bis 1919 (Herford: Koehler, c1991), pp. 24-25 (photograph); Edwin Drechsel, Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen, 1857-1970; History, Fleet, Ship Mails, vol. 1 (Vancouver: Cordillera Pub. Co., c1994), 39 (photograph), and 73, no. 42; Noel Reginald Pixell Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway; An Illustrated History of the Passenger Services Linking the Old World with the New (2nd ed.; Jersey, Channel Islands: Brookside Publications), vol. 2 (1978), p. 550; Noel Reginald Pixell Bonsor, South Atlantic Seaway; An Illustrated History of the Passenger Lines and Liners from Europe to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina (Jersey, Channel Islands: Brookside Publications, c1983), p. 241.

The steamship HOLSATIA was built for the Hamburg-America Line by Caird & Co, Greenock (yard #143), and was launched on 9 March 1868. 3,134 tons; 103,5 x 12,3 meters (length x breadth); straight stem, 1 funnel, 2 masts; iron construction, screw propulsion, service speed 12 knots; accommodation for 90 passengers in 1st class, 130 in 2nd class, and 520 in steerage; crew of 120. Captains: N. Trautmann, 1868; H. Ehlers, 1868-1870; J. E. Meier, 1870-1872; B. H. A. Barends, 1872-1875; H. F. Schwensen, 1878; C. L. Brandt, 1878.

10 June 1868, maiden voyage, Hamburg - Southampton - New York. 14 April 1875, last voyage, Hamburg - Havre - New York; laid up. 1877, compound engines. 30 January 1878, resumed Hamburg - Havre - New York service. 20 March 1878, last voyage, Hamburg - Havre - New York (2 roundtrip voyages). 6 June 1878, acquired by the Russian Volunteer Fleet and renamed ROSSIJA. November 1894, DNESTR (Russian navy transport and school ship). December 1910, BLOKSHIF N5 (hulk). October 1916, scuttled at Trebizond, in the Black Sea.

Sources: Arnold Kludas and Herbert Bischoff, Die Schiffe der Hamburg-Amerika Linie, Bd. 1. 1847-1906 (Herford: Koehler, 1979), p. 28 (photograph); Walter Kresse, ed., Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien, 1824-1888, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, N. F., Bd. 5. (Hamburg: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 1, p. 191; Noel Reginald Pixell Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway; An Illustrated History of the Passenger Services Linking the Old World with the New (2nd ed.; Jersey, Channel Islands: Brookside Publications), vol. 1 (1975), p. 389.

The U.S. ship HOWADJI, 695 tons, was built at Newburyport by John Currier in 1852. The word "howadji" comes from the Arabic for "merchant; rich (in particular, European) gentleman". The vessel was owned by William Balch & Son, of Newburyport, and was commanded by George E. Balch.

Although she made at least one voyage to Antwerp, and was lost on a voyage from Boston to Liverpool, the HOWADJI appears to have been engaged primarily in the coastal trade, sailing between New York, Philadelphia or New England and New Orleans: in 1853 she was advertised as sailing in the Eagle Line of coastal packets between New York and New Orleans, and in 1854 as sailing in the Philadelphia & New Orleans Line of coastal packets between Philadelphia and New Orleans [Carl C. Cutler, Queens of the Western Ocean; The Story of America's Mail and Passenger Sailing Lines (Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, c1961), pp. 519, 541].

On 3 November 1857, on a voyage from Boston to Liverpool, the HOWADJI was struck by lightning, and burned at sea. The following is an account of her destruction, taken from the New York Herald, 13 November 1857, p. 8e-f:

DESTRUCTION OF THE SHIP HOWADJI, OF NEWBURYPORT, BY FIRE

--The ship HOWADJI, Capt. George E. Balch, sailed from Boston 30th ult[imate] for Liverpool, with a cargo of cotton, hemp, oil cake, &. She was 693 tons burthen. Nothing out of the usual course occurred until Nov 3, at 5 PM, when the ship was struck by lightning, knocking down the second mate and several of the men, and setting fire to the ship in the lower hold. The smell of burning cotton was immediately perceived, and the hatches were opened, but the locality of the fire could not be discovered. Finding the smoke issuing freely, the captain closed the hatches, making all tight, with the purpose of stifling the fire. The ship was then headed for Sable Island, distant about one hundred miles. The weather was light, but breeze NW and squally. At 8 1/2 o'clock a ship was discovered standing to the westward, and finding the fire progressing fast, the captain deemed it advisable to run for her. Her attention was attracted by blue lights and rockets, and at 9 1/2 o'clock she was spoken, and the condition of the HOWADJI stated, with the request that she should keep with the ship, which she did. The fire, however, progressed fast, and finally she was, by request, hove to and the crew of the HOWADJI taken on board at 11 PM. The small boat made half a dozen trips, saving the chronometer and the personal effects, in part, of all hands. The deck and masts were at this time very hot, and much smoke was forced out. The captain saw the impossibility of saving the ship, and reluctantly abandoned her at 2 AM of the 4th. Immediately on leaving the ship, the flames burst out, and shortly after the ship went down in about lat 42 50 N, lon 61 40 W, the mizzenmast standing. The ship GUTTENBURG, Capt Meyers, from Hamburg bound to New York, was the one that rescued the crew, and Capt Balch commends his prompt answers to his signals, his keeping company as requested, and his final hoving to and rescuing himself and crew. Capt Meyers showed his unfortunate guests every attention and kindness, and they wish publicly to thank him and his people for their uniform kindness and good will.

[The HOWADJI was a fine vessel of 700 tons, built at Newburyport in 1852, and rated A1. She cleared Oct 23 from Boston for Liverpool, loaded with 1299 bales cotton, 500 bales hemp, 1359 bags oil cake, 36 bales rags, 4200 staves, 22 hhds tallow, 10 bbls tallow, 10 bales rags. Value of cargo estimate, $92,000; freight $9000; vessel $35,00--total loss, $135,000. She is insured in Boston for $142,000, as follows: Merchants' office $27,500, Boston $21,000, American $20,000, China $17,000, Boylston $17,000, National $16,000, Mercantile $8500, Alliance $10,000, Franklin $5000; New England Mutual $700, and Neptune $400. The H was owned by Wm Balch & Son, of Newburyport.]

The U.S., later Hamburg, ship HOWARD, was buil at New York by Smith & Dimon, in 1822, and first registered at the port of New York on 29 June 1822. 336 tons; 107 ft x 26 ft 6 in x 13 ft 3 in (length x beam x depth of hold). From 1823 to 1827, the HOWARD served in the Second Line of sailing packets between New York and Havre. During this period her westbound passages averaged 36 days, her shortest passage being 26 days, her longest 48 days. In 1827 and 1828, the HOWARD sailed as a packet between New York and Savannah, her southbound passages averaging 8.4 days, her shortest passage being 6 days, her longest 12 days.

Between mid-1828 and mid-1829, the HOWARD, under the command of Louis Wiederholt (born 1804), made three voyages between New York and Hamburg. On 28 May 1829, Wiederholt, who had obtained a certificate of registry for the HOWARD in New York on 28 August 1828 (the owners are listed as Petersen & Mench, New York, and Heinrich Küstner, Leipzig), sold the vessel to the Hamburg firm of Johann Philipp Koch & Johann Heinrich Schultz. Wiederholt retained command of the HOWARD through 1830; shortly afterwards he took up command of the Havre sailing packet ship DE RHAM:

Voyages:
     1829/30 - New York/Bremen
     1831    - New York

On 11 October 1831, Koch & Schultz sold the HOWARD to Ocke Hinrich Flor, who had succeeded Wiederholt as master of the vessel early in 1831, and who retained personal command of her:

Voyages:
     1831/32 - New York
     1832    - Bremen/New York
     1832/33 - New York
     1833    - New York
     1833/34 - New York
     1834    - New York
     1834/35 - New York
     1835    - New York
     1836    - New York (2 x)
     1837    - New York (2 x)
     1837/38 - New York
     1838    - New York

On 7 December 1838, Flor sold the HOWARD to the Hamburg shipowner Robert Miles Sloman, although he remained master of the vessel until 1840.

Masters:
     1838-1840 - Ocke Hinrich Flor (former owner and master)
     1840-1845 - Paul Nickels Paulsen

Voyages:
     1838/39 - New York
     1839    - New York
     1839/40 - New York
     1840    - New York
     1840/41 - New York
     1841    - New York (2 x)
     1842    - New York (2 x)
     1843    - New York (2 x)
     1843/44 - New York
     1844    - New York
     1844/45 - New York
     1845    - New York

Sloman sold the HOWARD Norwegian (Capt. Jenssen) in 1845.

Sources: Walter Kresse, ed., Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien, 1824-1888, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, N. F., Bd. 5 (Hamburg: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 1, pp. 140 and 282; vol. 2, p. 206; Ernst Hieke, Rob. M. Sloman Jr., errichtet 1793, Veröffentlichungen der Wirtschaftsgeschichtlichen Forschungsstelle e.V., Hamburg, Bd. 30 (Hamburg: Verlag Hanseatischer Merkur, 1968), p. 370, no. 10.

The Hamburg ship HOWARD was built at Lübeck by [Hans Jacob Albrecht] Meyer, for his own account, in 1846. 227 Commerzlasten. On 2 February 1846, the vessel was purchased new from the builder by the Hamburg shipowner Robert Miles Sloman, who employed her almost exclusively in the Hamburg-New York trade.

Masters:
     1846-1849 - Paul Nickels Paulsen
     1849-1852 - J. H. Jacobs
     1852-1856 - J. H. Niemann
     1857-1858 - F. W. E. Wolter
     1858-1860 - F. C. L. Brüsch

The HOWARD was laid up in Hamburg for 13 months in 1860-1861. She was sold foreign early in 1861 (Hamburg pass surrendered on 20 April 1861), and renamed CAESAR (Capt. Zacharisson).

Sources: Walter Kresse, ed., Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien, 1824-1888, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, N. F., Bd. 5 (Hamburg: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 2, p. 208; Ernst Hieke, Rob. M. Sloman Jr., errichtet 1793, Veröffentlichungen der Wirtschaftsgeschichtlichen Forschungsstelle e.V., Hamburg, Bd. 30 (Hamburg: Verlag Hanseatischer Merkur, 1968), p. 371, no. 21.