Built in 1825, she was named for Agrippina the Younger, a powerful Roman empress. Mother of Nero and sister of Caligula, Agrippina was always embroiled in some scheme, especially as her son Nero constantly plotted to kill her.
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His most spectacular assassination attempt took place on her personal barge, when he had henchman rig the floor to break open, dumping her into the sea. That's one version. In another, a lead roof collapsed and should have killed Agrippina, but a corner caught on a couch and she squirmed out from underneath. At this point the crew, being paid or threatened by Nero, promptly sank the boat.
One of Agrippina's friends or maids, hoping to be saved, called out for help, saying "I am Agrippina," upon which the henchmen bludgeoned her to death in the water. Either way the maritime assassination effort was unsuccessful. Agrippina swam to shore and took refuge among peasant girls.
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Nero then sent an assassin, and this time the plot prevailed. Agrippina died at the age of 43. The tempestuous life of the Empress might have been a warning for the woes of the steamship Agrippina.
In the 19th century, steam ruled Europe and the West. Steam engines fed by coal drove machinery, trains, ships and more. River boats operated on wind, steam and paddle-wheel power as in the artwork above of the Rhine steamship Agrippina. She had two paddle wheels, one on each side, smokestack and sails.
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Ships like Agrippina developed from engineering and industrial breakthroughs in Victorian era Germany, the rest of Europe and America. Built in 1825 as a Rhine river boat, Agrippina was a forerunner in strength and style, with three masts and fifty beds. Her dynamic engines were top of the line, but the weight made her too heavy to pass draft tests for the Rhine.
Toward mid-century, ease and speed of travel bolster the tourist trade. Everyone, it seems, was going on holiday.
The vacation trend coincided with identification and potential treatment of mental health issues like anxiety or depression. Health spas flourished as people embraced natural treatments such as water therapy or hydrotherapy. In Germany, towns with natural health springs or spas were allowed to add "Bad" (bath) to the municipal name.
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The Rhine River of Germany captures hearts and imagination. Flowing from Basel to the North Sea, the Rhine has seen international travel, trade and adventures for centuries. Rumors circulate of hidden treasure. Rhine cruises came further into vogue in the 1800s but steamship Agrippina saw little of them.
Originally designed for use in the Middle Rhine, she was put to work as a freighter on the Lower Rhine. This also failed and engineers used Agrippina's engines as part of the innovative the tugboat Hercules, creating the first effective compound steam engine.
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In 1829 Agrippina was the first towed barge on the Rhine. In 1836 she was briefly in miliary use as a troop transport vessel, decorated with the arms of Prussia. She took a battalion of about 600 men to Koblenz.
In 1837 she saw some luxury use as she carried the King of Württemberg, family and entourage from Cologne to The Hague. According to a later traveler the cabins were luxurious, with mirrors and polished wood.
A major accident in Rees, Germany in January 1841 caused extensive damage and leakage on the way upstream, such that the captain had to beach the boat and put the passengers ashore.
After an overhaul, Agrippina went into work service and became the first steamboat to tow an iron barge on the Rhine. In the 19th century iron barges were quickly replacing wooden ones.
In 1843 she was struck by a coal ship while in port and immediately sank. Although she was raised and towed barges afterward, Agrippina soon went to her final resting place in a ship junkyard. She was taken apart in 1846.
In Reiker For Hire - Death Cruise, Reiker investigates murder on the River Rhine in Victorian era Germany at the end of the 19th century. The ship is the latest in luxury steam wheel and wind cruisers, named Agrippina II in honor of her doughty namesake.
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