SS Lombardia

**SS *Lombardia*** was one of a pair of transatlantic steam ocean liners that were launched in 1914 in Germany for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG), sold to a Dutch shipping line in 1916, and seized by the United States as World War I reparations in 1922. United American Lines (UAL) operated her until 1926, when HAPAG bought her back.

*Lombardia* was launched as ***William O'Swald***. Her Dutch operator renamed her ***Brabantia***, while UAL renamed her ***Resolute***. Her sister ship was *Reliance*, which had been launched as *Johann Heinrich Burchard*.

In 1935 Flotte Riuniti Cosulich-Lloyd Sabaudo bought *Resolute* from HAPAG, renamed her *Lombardia* and had her converted into a troop ship. In 1936 she passed to Lloyd Triestino.

In 1943 an Allied air attack sank *Lombardia* in the Mediterranean. In 1946 her wreck was raised and scrapped.

## Building

AG Weser built the ship in Bremen. Margarete O'Swald launched her on 30 March 1914, naming her after her father William O'Swald (1832–1923), a former Mayor of Hamburg. After the First World War began in July 1914, work to complete the ship was paused.

In the First World War the Imperial German Navy sank numerous neutral Dutch ships in error, including two passenger liners and numerous cargo ships. Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd (KRL) lost four cargo ships: *Palembang* and *Kediri* in 1916 and *Bandoeng* and *Jacarta* in 1917. The German government persuaded HAPAG to sell *William O'Swald* to KRL. Delivery was deferred until after the war.

The ship had three funnels and two masts. Her registered length was 590.4 ft (180.0 m), her beam was 80.5 ft (24.5 m) and her depth was 39.7 ft (12.1 m). As built, she had capacity for 1,965 passengers: 355 first class, 284 second class, 469 third class and 850 steerage.

The ship had three screws. A pair of four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines drove her port and starboard screws. Exhaust steam from their low-pressure cylinders powered a low-pressure steam turbine that drove her middle screw. Between them the three engines gave her a speed of 17 knots (31 km/h).

## KRL service

On 28 July 1920 *William O'Swald* was delivered to KRL. Her new owner changed her name to *Brabantia*, after the Dutch province of North Brabant. On 1 September 1920 she began her maiden voyage from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires.

On the route she joined her sister ship *Johann Heinrich Burchard*, which had been sold to another Dutch shipping line, Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd, and renamed *Limburgia*. At the time, the two ships were the largest on the route between Europe and the River Plate.

## UAL service

One source states that the Allied Reparations Committee awarded *Limburgia* and *Brabantia* to the United States. Another states that W. Averell Harriman's United American Lines (UAL) bought the two ships from KHL and KRL.

Either way, KHL and KRL handed *Limburgia* and *Brabantia* to UAL on 4 January 1922. UAL renamed *Limburgia* as *Reliance*, had Blohm & Voss in Hamburg refit her as a three-class ship. Her passenger capacity was reduced to 1,010 berths: 290 first class, 320 second class and 400 third class.

UAL put *Resolute* into scheduled service between Hamburg and New York. Initially UAL registered *Reliance* in the USA, but in 1923 she was re-registered in Panama to circumvent prohibition in the United States.

In 1924 *Resolute* made her first round-the-world cruise. It started from New York on 19 January, and ended there on 24 May.

## HAPAG service

UAL had a business relationship with HAPAG. On 6 August 1926 HAPAG took over UAL, and with it former HAPAG liners including *Resolute*. On 10 August she left Hamburg for New York on her first voyage with her new owner. In 1927 she began her first HAPAG cruise, and from 1934 HAPAG used her for cruising full-time. HAPAG had her hull repainted white to suit her cruising role.

*Resolute*'s tonnages were 19,464 GRT and 13,165 NRT by 1930 and 19,703 GRT and 9,583 NRT by 1932. Her German code letters were RFVL until 1933–34, when they were superseded by the call sign DHTY. Also by 1934 her navigation equipment included a gyrocompass.

## Italian service

In 1935 Flotte Riuniti Cosulich-Lloyd Sabaudo bought *Resolute*, renamed her *Lombardia* after the Italian province of Lombardy, and had her refitted as a troop ship for use in the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. In 1936 *Lombardia* passed to Lloyd Triestino. Also by 1936 her tonnages were revised to 20,006 GRT and 10,947 NRT.

On 4 August 1943 *Lombardia* was in Naples when an Allied air raid set her on fire and sank her. Her wreck was raised in 1946, towed to La Spezia, and scrapped.