The pride of these gargantuan vessels were the luxury liners. Often funded by the state, countries like France, the United States, and England competed to build the most technologically advanced and artistically brilliant ships to sail the sea. These boats quickly became an object of national honor.

However, in the Summer of 1935, one luxury liner was particularly conspicuous. The S.S. Bremen was a German Luxury liner built for the Norddeutscher Lloyd line. Gracefully designed and expensively appointed, on its Maiden voyage earned the ribbon for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. A popular liner, the sailors came to New York often they called it “a suburb of Bremerhaven" (the port from which the Bremen sailed.)

However, in 1935, the Bremen no longer brought stylish luxury to mind. With the horror stories of Nazi Germany's crimes beginning to spread, the Swastika flying at its bow inspired anger and fear. However, six communist merchant seamen were not willing to let the Nazi flag fly over their hometown.

Led by Bill Bailey, the six men used the going away gala (a black-tie event that signaled the boat's departure) to sneak onboard. Pretending to be drunken friends of passengers, they were able to get close to the bow. However, the plan had been leaked to the police department and officers arrived to remove the men. Unwilling to give up, the sailors fought to the front of the ship. Despite the melee, Bill Bailey clambered up to the Swastika flag and, cutting and tearing it down, threw the flag into the water. Though the action was met with a roar of approval from the crowd. the six men were quickly arrested, one was even shot in the groin.

The press and nation quickly condemned the act as communist inspired and dubbed the men "the Bremen Six." Nazi Germany was outraged, and, supposedly Nazi propaganda Minister Goebbel's diary recorded Hitler being livid with anger.

With the condemnation of the press and an apology issued to Nazi Germany from the State Department, the Bremen Six had the right to fear jail time for their daring act. However, in a stroke of luck, the magistrate assigned to their case was Louis B. Brodsky. Brodsky was a Democrat and Tammany man with an established of record of ruling on the intent of the law rather than the record. Moreover, Brodsky was Jewish, leaving him disinclined to sympathize with the Nazi government. In the trial at the Tombs, Brodsky stated that the men had every right to regard the swastika as “the black flag of piracy" and dismissed the vast majority of the charges against them.

The US government would issue a further apology for Brodsky's ruling, and Bailey would end up losing his livelihood during the Red Scare due to his previous party affiliation. However, Bailey would later state "It was a moment worth everything … just to see that sonofabitch in the water and the Germans going stark mad! And the crowd on the dock stark mad with delight."