Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
June 2023
Photo, 1959
Historical Context
On June 22, 1889, the machinery factory Gebrüder Howaldt and the Kiel shipyard of Georg Howaldt, formerly Reuter & Ihms, were merged into the joint-stock company Howaldtswerke.
Among other things, the conversion and modernization of the first passenger ship built in 1925 for the ‘Svenska Amerika Linien’ in British Newcastle took place there from 1949 to 1950. The ship, named ‘Gripsholm’, was equipped with a diesel engine for the North Atlantic line service. In 1954, the shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) acquired 50 percent of the ownership shares in the ship, which was subsequently used for the Bremen-America Line.
In the following year, NDL completely took over the ship and renamed it ‘Berlin’. The ship now sailed under the flag of the Federal Republic. Until 1966, the ship was used for both crossings to the USA and for cruises.
Short Biography
Doris Rogall, born Feldmann, was born on March 21, 1941, in Langen. In 1959, she emigrated at the age of 18 from Bremerhaven to America on the ‘Berlin’. In the USA, she worked as a saleswoman in a bakery in Silver Spring. During this time, she stayed with her sister, who had already emigrated out of love for her American husband in 1956/57. Her stay in the USA was planned for one year, which is why she began her return journey to Germany via New York Airport at the end of 1960. She took her two-and-a-half-year-old niece Shirley with her for the duration of one year. After that time, Doris Rogall still travels to the USA for visits, but she never returns there permanently. Her niece Shirley still enjoys visiting her in Germany.
Significance of the Object
The black and white photo from 1959 shows Doris Rogall, née Feldmann, alongside other passengers (the second from the right), during a rescue drill on the “Berlin”. According to her memories, at the beginning of the voyage, she did not feel well on the ship “Berlin”, as she suffered from severe seasickness.
Doris Rogall considered staying in the USA, as she had settled in well there, but returned to the Federal Republic at her mother’s request. The photo reminds her of the crossing.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de