SS Graf Waldersee begins maiden voyage

Ship Construction and Naming. SS Graf Waldersee was laid down as Pavia but launched as Graf Waldersee to honour Alfred, Graf von Waldersee, who had been Chief of the German General Staff until 1891 and was made Inspector-General of the German Third Army in 1898. She was one of a class of four HAPAG sister ships built in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1896 and 1899. The vessel was launched on 10 December 1898 and completed on 18 March 1899.

Planned Service Route. In March 1899, the Hamburg America Line announced that Graf Waldersee and her three sisters would operate on the regular route from Hamburg to Cherbourg, Plymouth, and New York. This established the commercial framework for the ship's maiden voyage, which departed shortly after the announcement.

Maiden Voyage Departure. On 2 April 1899, Graf Waldersee left Hamburg for its maiden voyage. The route included a stop at Boulogne before proceeding to New York. This departure marked the beginning of the ship's active service with the Hamburg America Line, following its completion earlier that year.