The R. C. Rickmers was a notable German five-masted steel clipper barque, constructed in 1906 by the Rickmers Rice Mill, Freight and Shipbuilding Company in Bremerhaven, Germany. Designed for the Rickmers Line, she was distinguished as the largest sailing ship in the world from 1907 to 1911 and the second German five-masted barque of her time. The vessel was a product of the Rickmers shipyard, which was founded in 1839 and employed around 650 personnel during the early 20th century, known for building large, specialized sailing vessels primarily for the rice trade. She measured impressively in size, enabling her to undertake extensive global voyages. The ship was equipped with both sails and an auxiliary steam engine, allowing her to sail at about 13 to 14 knots under sail, with a peak speed of 17 knots. When powered by her steam engine, her cruising speed was approximately 8 knots without cargo and 6 to 7 knots with a load. Her first voyage in 1906—a maiden trip from Bremen to Saigon and Bangkok via Cape Horn—highlighted her capabilities, and she accumulated over 100,000 miles in just her first two and a half years of service, indicating her extensive use in global trade routes. R. C. Rickmers was also notable for her international presence, including visits such as a stop in Vladivostok where Russian Tsar Nicholas II was received aboard. Her service record included multiple circumnavigations, with major voyages in 1912 and 1913. With the outbreak of World War I, the ship was seized by the British Admiralty in August 1914 at Cardiff, renamed Neath, and repurposed for cargo trade. Tragically, her career ended when she was sunk on 27 March 1917 by the German submarine U-66 off the coast of Ireland while returning from Mauritius to Le Havre with a cargo of sugar. Thankfully, all crew members survived, though the captain was taken prisoner. The R. C. Rickmers remains a significant vessel for its size, maritime innovation, and role in early 20th-century global shipping.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.