Emperor's Yacht Hohenzollern

S.M.Y. Hohenzollern was the successor to the paddle steamer Hohenzollern I. Following political disputes in the Reichstag, the construction of an aviso – which was how the project had been disguised – was eventually approved. The yacht was poorly reviewed by the later Grand Admiral Raeder, who had served as a navigation officer on the vessel. He noted that she was built very high, which led to unbearable ship movements in heavy seas, even for seasoned sailors. Furthermore, the design of the spaces above the ship's floor was considered unacceptable from a safety perspective. The navigational equipment was extremely basic. These criticisms, however, were not directed at the Stettin Vulcan shipyard, but rather at the Imperial Naval Office, which had designed the ship.

Despite this, the Emperor used the ship for over two decades. It even traveled as far as New York, although every available empty space had to be utilized as additional "coal bunkers." For this particular crossing, the Emperor himself used the NDL express steamer Kronprinz Wilhelm. However, he was on board for numerous other voyages. These included not only leisure trips (his "Nordland" journeys became particularly famous) but also inspection tours and the observation of maneuvers and sailing regattas. The Hohenzollern was also employed for representative duties, such as welcoming members of foreign royal houses.

From 1900 onwards, the Hohenzollern was constantly accompanied by the dispatch boat Sleipner, which was the former torpedo boat S97. The armament of the Hohenzollern changed over time, meaning it was continuously reduced. Whenever the Hohenzollern was unavailable due to shipyard maintenance, the HAPAG steamer Hamburg was designated as the Imperial Yacht. In the autumn of each year, the yacht's crew was reduced to just two or three officers and a small contingent of sailors to maintain operations. During this period, the officers were primarily seconded to attend training courses.

1901 wurde eine Funkanlage eingebaut. Bei der 1907 erfolgten Reduzierung der Bewaffnung auf 2 x 5,2 cm wurden auch die Krempen der Schornsteine entfernt und durch Rundleisten ersetzt. Die letzte Fahrt des Kaisers auf seiner Jacht führte nach Norden bis Balholmen. Am 27.07.1914 kehrte die Jacht zurück und am 31.07.1914 stellte Hohenzollern außer Dienst. Mit dem Bau des Nachfolgers Hohenzollern III war 1913 auf der Vulcan-Werft schon begonnen worden, dieses Schiff blieb aber unvollendet und wurde 1923 abgebrochen. Die Hohenzollern II wurde im ersten Weltkrieg nicht verwendet. Sie wurde am 27.12.1920 aus der Liste der Kriegsschiffe gestrichen und 1923 in Wilhelmshaven abgewrackt. Gerüchte über eine Weiterverwendung bis in die 50er Jahre haben sich nicht bestätigt.