Deutsche Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft Kosmos - DDG Kosmos

Deutsche Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft Kosmos was founded on 28th November 1872 by Knöhr & Burchard and H.H. Eggers to exploit a shipping line to the west coast of South America.
The first cargo steamers were ordered before the foundation of DDG Kosmos by Knöhr & Burchard and H.H. Eggers in England and were later transferred to DDG Kosmos.

The steamer KARNAK started her maiden voyage from Hamburg to Chile and Peru on 4 October 1872, followed by the THEBEN in November 1872. The THEBEN proved to be too small for the trade and was sold in 1873 to Det Forenede DS, (DFDS), Copenhagen. The KARNAK was wrecked in 1875 in Smyth Canal but salvaged, repaired at Montevideo and bought back by the Company.
In 1877 The RAMSES joined the fleet and was built on a German shipyard. Later the DDG Kosmos was also transporting passengers and the later built ships had a modest passenger accommodation. Then in 1886 purchased steamer from Holland DENDERAH had bigger passenger accommodation. Because of heavy competition with the German shipping company of A. Kirsten all the later built ships got bigger and better passengers accommodation.

In 1901 the DDG Kosmos and the Hamburg Amerikanische Paket Aktien Gesellschaft (Hapag) concluded a treaty to work together in the South America trade. Also in 1901 the DDG Kosmos expanded their lines to the west coast of North America and Canada.
Around 1910 the competition of some newly built railways in South America became much heavier and encouraged the Company to sell two newly built cargo passengers ships the EDFU and ESNE to the Deutsche Ost Afrika Linien.
When the first World War ended the DDG Kosmos was without any ships.

On 22th June 1921 the DDG Kosmos and the Deutsch Australische Dampfschiff Gesellschaft merged into the Deutsch Austral & Kosmos Linien and the funnel marking changed from a black funnel into the Deutsch Australische Australische Dampfschiff Gesellschaft colour. The Liner services were placed under their own flag, to the Dutch East Indies. The Australia service under Deutsch Australische Dampfschiff Gesellschaft flag and to the west coast of North and South America the Kosmos flag.

On 30th January 1926 the Deutsch Austral & Kosmos Linien merged with the Hugo Stinnes Linien and on 24th November the Company was taken over by Hamburg Amerikanische Paket Aktien Gesellschaft (Hapag). The Hapag used the name of the DDG Kosmos on her liner service to the west coast of North and South America till World War 2. The funnel marking of the Deutsch Austral & Kosmos Linien was used on the yellow Hapag funnel albeit in a smaller form which lasted till 1987

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