BUSINESS ABROAD: Return of the Bremen

On the eve of World War II, the 51,656-ton German liner Bremen slunk ghostlike out of New York and ran for Europe with lights out to avoid the searching British navy. War caught up with the Bremen, and British bombing and fire reduced it to a worthless hulk in its home port of Bremerhaven. Last week a new Bremen sailed into New York harbor on her maiden voyage from Bremerhaven, and the lights went on again for North German Lloyd, West Germany's biggest passenger-shipping company.

The new Bremen, fifth in a xoi-year line to bear the name, is Germany's biggest liner and one of the world's most luxurious (airconditioning, nonbruising doorknobs, clothes dryers for wash-and-wear suits). Her owner, North German Lloyd, returning to transatlantic luxury service after 20 years' absence, is a monument to the frugality and enterprise that brought back Germany's decimated merchant marine to its present strength of 2,400 ships.

Saved: $19 Million. Founded in 1857, North German Lloyd was one of the world's major passenger carriers before World War II; its queenly Europa and Bremen IV competed with British and French ships on equal terms. But the war cost the line 99.5% of its tonnage. The task of reconstruction fell to brisk Director Richard Bertram, 55, and pfennig-pinching Co-Director Johannes Kulen-kampff, fiftyish, who personally picks through the company's discarded files to salvage used paper clips.

Aware that North German Lloyd was synonymous with service, Bertram and Kulenkampff set up a hotel and restaurant in Bremen to hold together stewards and cooks, placed seamen on other ships until jobs were ready for them. With $22 million in government loans and fast tax write-offs, they quickly built up a fleet of new freighters, now have 40 in service.

Five years ago, they decided to ease back into the passenger business, started off with the 19,100-ton Swedish hospital ship Gripsholm (cost: $2,500,000) to save the time and money of building a new ship, rechristened her Berlin. Bremen was made over in similar fashion two years ago from the French Pasteur, which had been launched in 1939. Lloyd rebuilt her completely at an overall cost of $25 million. Says Bertram: "The same ship would cost $44 million starting from scratch, and we wouldn't get delivery before 1963." Entering New York harbor last week, Bremen was saluted by the outbound Berlin, received the traditional harbor welcome given for a maiden voyage.

Cured: "Manager's Sickness." The new Bremen is slower (six days from Southampton at 23 knots) and smaller (32,336 tons) than the old, which carried twice as many passengers (2,231 v. 1,122). But Lloyd plans to pitch its appeal to tourists who want leisurely travel, non-dress-up luxury and fine, hearty food. Probably his best year-round clientele, figures Director Bertram, will be ocean-hopping businessmen who need a respite from the jet pace (some German firms now require executives flying the ocean to return by ship).