According to the British newspaper Financial News of London bought the American government the German passenger ships Bismarck and Hamburg from the Hamburg-America line.(1)
Note
1. These ships were bought due to the Spanish-American War of 25 April-12 August 1898 lost by Spain. The Spanish navy suffered heavy losses and the Spanish colonies Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines were handed over to the United States which latter country also temporarily controlled Cuba. The website http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=furbi doesn’t mentioned that the Fürst Bismarck was sold to the United States. However she became in 1904 the Russian auxiliary cruiser Don, since 1906 part of the Russian Volunteer Fleet as the Moskva, since 1913 serving in the Austrian navy as the depot ship Gea and after the First World War serving as the Italian San Guisto. The website http://www.thefullwiki.org/SS_F%C3%BCrst_Bismarck_(1890) confirmed these details although calling her Gaea in Austrian service. Nothing is said of the Hamburg bought by the United States.
