On the outbreak of World War I, König Albert, like many other German ships, was interned in a neutral country to avoid capture by the Royal Navy. When Italy joined the war in May 1915, the ship was seized by the Italian Government.[citation needed]
As the Ferdinando Palasciano
The ship was converted to a hospital ship and renamed the Ferdinando Palasciano,[1] after the Italian physician and politician Ferdinando Palasciano. On 20 January 1916 off the Albanian coast she was captured as a prize by the Kuk Austro-Hungarian Navy U-boat 11, and escorted into their naval base of Cattaro (the event famously painted by Alexander Kircher). She was later handed back to the Italians.[2] The reasons for this are unknown, but possibly done due to her hospital .
In 1920, the ship was chartered to Navigazione Generale Italiana of Genoa and on June 15, 1920 commenced her first voyage Genoa - Naples - New York. She completed 6 round trip voyages on this route, the last one commencing April 13, 1921.
References
^ abArnold Kludas. Great Passenger Ships of the World Vol 1 1858-1912. Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 18. ISBN0-85059-174-0.