Abdication of Wilhelm II and the Dutch government, however, refused the Allies' requests to extradite him. King George V wrote that his cousin was "the greatest criminal in history", but opposed Prime Minister David Lloyd George's proposal to "hang the Kaiser". U.S. President Woodrow Wilson also opposed extradition, arguing that punishing Wilhelm would destabilize international order and lose the peace. Wilhelm first settled in Amerongen, where on 28 November he issued a belated statement of abdication of both the Prussian and imperial thrones. He also released his soldiers and officials in both Prussia and the empire from their oaths of loyalty to him. Wilhelm
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II Larvik from 10 to 12 December. At 01:30 on 2 January 1901, she was steaming from Danzig to Kiel with "Kaiser Friedrich III" when the latter struck an underwater obstacle. The shock from the collision damaged the ship's boilers and started a fire in the coal bunkers. "Kaiser Wilhelm II" took her sister in tow, although the engines on "Kaiser Friedrich III" were restarted along the way. The ships eventually reached Kiel, where temporary repairs were conducted. "Kaiser Wilhelm II" went into drydock in January 1901 for overhaul and some modernization work. This included the reconstruction of a larger bridge