Atlantic crossing 1937

Historical background

This 1937 promotional reel, produced by the Hamburg-American Line Noth German Lloyd, showcases a luxurious transatlantic crossing aboard the ocean liner St. Louis. Intended as a public relations effort to attract American tourists to Germany, the film highlights carefree passenger life at sea — with games on deck, a swimming pool, and a formal dinner. The journey culminates with the ship's arrival at Cuxhaven and striking scenes of the Hamburg harbor. Set against the backdrop of Nazi Germany, the film presents an idealized image of German hospitality and modernity, carefully omitting the political realities of the time.

The St. Louis was a transatlantic passenger ship of the Hamburg-Amerika Line (HAPAG), which was put into service in 1929 and was used for passenger transport to New York.

The St. Louis became known to the world public through its odyssey with Jewish emigrants from mid-May to mid-June 1939. The ship left Hamburg on 13 May 1939 on a special voyage to Cuba. There were 937 passengers on board, almost all of them German Jews who had fled Nazi Germany six months after the violent riots of the November pogroms. But they had to return to Europe. The Belgian government permitted the landing in Antwerp, and the refugees disembarked there on 17 June 1939. Around 400 of them died in the Holocaust after the occupation of Belgium and France by Nazi Germany.