SS Belgenland ( 1914 ) The Belgenland was built in 1914 and originally served as a freighter and World War I troopship for the White Star Line under the name " SS Belgic " . Because she was needed for the war effort , she was hastily finished with only two smokestacks and a superstructure only one deck high . Initially used for carrying cargo , in 1918 she was given accommodations for up to 3 , 000 troops . Her gross tonnage was listed at 24 , 547 . The doomed liner Justicia was a near identical sister ship both being built at the same yard . Conversion to luxury liner . It was intended to be the world ' s largest liner , with a length of 1000 foot and a gross tonnage of about 80 , 000 tons , named Ceric . Later , during construction , it was modified and renamed Belgic . She remained in her troopship guise until April 1921 , when she was laid up at Liverpool . There were no berths available at any of the shipyards so that she could be rebuilt . Harland & Wolff finally had a free berth , and in March 1922 she was towed to Belfast , where work on her reconstruction began in earnest . She was given to the Red Star Line and renamed " Belgenland " . She was the second Red Star ship to be given this name . She was given a superstructure four decks in height and a third smokestack . Her tonnage was increased to over 27 , 000 gross tons , making her Red Star ’ s largest and most luxurious ship . She remained on her route for a decade , and occasionally spent time on extensive world and winter cruises . On 4 December 1924 she embarked on a 133 - day world cruise — one of the longest attempted by a luxury liner at the time - advertised as " The Largest Ship to Circle the Globe " . One of her most famous passengers was Albert Einstein . Returning to Germany on board her in 1933 , he found out Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany . Einstein got off the ship at Antwerp , sailed on another Red Star Liner back to the United States ( the " Westernland " ) , and vowed never to return to Germany . Also in the 1920s , White Star line stewardess , Violet Jessop , famous for surviving the RMS Titanic sinking , sailed on " Belgenland " on two round the world cruises while employed for Red Star . The Depression and demise . The Depression hit the " Belgenland " hard . At first , she was reduced to sailing on short cruises and one day excursions from New York , charging $ 4 a passenger . Laid up in the winter of 1932 - 33 , she made only three voyages the following summer , and they were Mediterranean cruises . The millionaires who took her lengthy and expensive cruises were now unable to do so . Then she made a few more cruises from London , and then she was laid up again in September at the Port of London . The Atlantic Transport Company purchased her in January 1935 and renamed her ‘ ’ Columbia ’ ’ . She was then placed with their subsidiary , Panama Pacific Line and placed on they New York — California service via the Panama Canal . This venture failed and another attempt was made to place her on the New York – West Indies route , stopping at Miami , Nassau , and Havana , but this too failed . She was too large for either service and was once again laid up , this time permanently . On 22 April 1936 she sailed from New York to the United Kingdom , was sold for scrap , and her scrapping commenced on 4 May of that year at Bo ' ness Scotland .