The steamship Prinzess Irene began its service as part of the North German Lloyd shipping company (in German, Norddeutscher Lloyd, or “NDL” for short), based in Bremen, Germany.
The ship was named for Princess Irene of Prussia.
NDL launched Prinzess Irene on June 19, 1900. Final construction was completed on September 6, 1900, after which, the ship was ready for service.
When launched, Prinzess Irene had these specifications:
Weight: 10,881 Gross Registered Tons (GRT)
Dimensions: 164.6 meters length overall by 18.3 meters (540 feet X 60.2 feet)
Propulsion: Quadruple (IV) steam (expansion) engines, twin screw, built by Vulcan
Power: 8,000 Indicated Horsepower (IHP)
Speed: 15.2 knots, with a maximum speed of 16 knots
Passengers:
First class: 240-327
Second class: 103-139
Third class (steerage or ‘tween): 1,780-1,954
Crew: 230
The Vulcan A.G. shipbuilding company built Prinzess Irene for the NDL in yard no. 245 of Vulcan's facility then in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland). Prinzess Irene was considered part of the “Barbarossa class” of ocean liners, the class named for the Barbarossa, which NDL launched in 1896.