SS Polonia (1910)

Polonia entering the port of Gdynia in 1930
History
Name	Kursk (1910–21) Polonia (1921–39)
Namesake	Kursk (1910–21) Poland (1921–39)
Owner	Russian American Line (1910–17) Baltic American Line (1920-30) PTTO (1930–34) Gdynia America Line (1934–39)
Operator	Russian American Line (1910–17) Cunard Line (1917–18) Shipping Controller (1918–20) Baltic American Line (1920-30) Gdynia America Line (1930–39)
Port of registry	Liepāja (1910–30) Gdynia (1930–39)
Builder	Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd
Yard number	482
Launched	7 July 1910
Completed	September 1910
Out of service	1939
Identification	UK official number 142313 (1917–20) code letters NDCV (until 1930) code letters PBRC (1930–33) call sign SPEB (1934–39)
Fate	Scrapped 1939
General characteristics
Type	Ocean liner
Tonnage	7,500 GRT tonnage under deck 5,896 4,519 NRT
Length	450.0 ft (137.2 m)
Beam	56.2 ft (17.1 m)
Draught	34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Depth	31.3 ft (9.5 m)
Installed power	1,020 NHP
Capacity	1,596 passengers
Sensors and processing systems	wireless direction finding gyrocompass submarine signalling

Polonia was a passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1910, originally named Kursk and was registered in the Russian Empire. She was an Allied troopship in the First World War, when she was briefly operated by Cunard Line. After the war she returned to civilian passenger service, in Latvian service until 1930 and then for Poland.

The Danish East Asiatic Company ordered the ship from Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd of Glasgow. She was built as yard number 482, launched on 7 July 1910^[1] and completed that September. She was launched as Kursk, named after the city of Kursk in western Russia.

Kursk was 450.0 ft (137.2 m) long, her beam was 56.2 ft (17.1 m) and her draught was 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m). Her tonnages were 7,500 GRT and 4,519 NRT.^[2]

The ship had twin four-cylinder quadruple-expansion engines driving twin screws. Each engine had a 48-inch (120 cm) stroke and cylinders of 23+1⁄4-inch (59 cm), 33-inch (84 cm), 47-inch (120 cm) and 68-inch (170 cm) bore. Between them, the engines developed 1,020 NHP. The engines were fed by six 215 lb_f/in² single-ended boilers with a total heating surface of 15,114 square feet (1,404 m²). Her boilers were heated by 18 corrugated furnaces with a grate surface of 363 square feet (34 m²).^[3]

The East Asiatic Company registered Kursk in Liepāja in the Russian Empire. After the October Revolution, the UK Shipping Controller chartered her and placed her under Cunard Line management. In 1920, she was returned to the East Asiatic Company.^[1] Kursk was renamed Polonia, the Latin name for Poland.

In 1930, the East Asiatic Company sold its Latvian subsidiary to Polish owners, who renamed the company Polskiego Transatlantyckiego Towarzystwa Okrętowego ("Polish Transatlantic Shipping Company Limited" or PTTO).^[4] The ships were operated by Gdynia America Line, which was restructured in 1934 to absorb PTTO.

Gdynia America Line rapidly modernised, taking delivery of the new motor ships Piłsudski in 1935 and Batory in 1936 for its premier transatlantic service. The company sold Polonia to Francesco Pittaluga^[3] in Savona, Italy for scrap on 5 March 1939,^[1] a few months before two more new motor ships, Sobieski and Chrobry, joined the company fleet.

• Gibbs, CR Vernon (1970). Western Ocean Passenger Liners 1934–1969. Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson.

Media related to Polonia (ship, 1910) at Wikimedia Commons