and California apricots for lunch; afternoon tea with filled bee sting cake; and schnitzel (Milan-style) for dinner. The full menu as well as normal drinking water was included in the cruise cost. There were additional charges for wine, beer, mineral water, liquor, and tobacco products. Cabin rates The cost of a cruise on Monte Cervantes varied, depending upon size of the passenger cabin and the cruise itself, between 240 and 630 Reichsmarks. The Reichsmark (English: Reich Mark; symbol: RM) was the currency in Germany from 1924 until 1948. For 240 RM, a passenger was in a sleeping hall with 120 or more beds on Deck F; next up were nine to eleven-bed cabins on Deck E; most expensive were cabins for two, exterior Deck A. all passengers were treated equally on board ship. The difference in cabin cost depended on the location and type of cabin. Service On 7 January 1928, Monte Cervantes began her maiden voyage under the command of Captain Meyer, cruising from Hamburg to La Plata, Argentina. Svalbard incident Only six months later, on 24 July 1928, the steamship was on a journey from North Cape to Svalbard Norway and traveled through a field of ice floes. About 11 pm it struck something and the hull began leaking. Probably the ship had collided with a small iceberg. Attempts to pump out the water flowing in proved unsuccessful in that some areas of the foredeck quickly came under five meters (16.5 feet) of water. The ship made directly for Spitsbergen in search of a bay in which to anchor. About 1,800 passengers on board at the time had to be placed ashore. The Soviet icebreaker Krasin was about from Monte Cervantes, responded to the ship's distress call, and offered her assistance. The crew of Monte Cervantes and divers from Krasin set about repairing the damage. The repairs took several days and were final on 29 July, so that the trip could be continued. During these five days of uncertainty and waiting, European newspapers had continued to report the details of the accident and the rescue, and the crisis captured the interest of the public. As part of the reporting, the ship became known as "The Titanic of the South" or "The Argentinian Titanic." Sinking One and a half years later, in early 1930, Monte Cervantes was on a South America trip under the command of Captain Theodor Dreyer