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 450feet long, her beam was 56.2feet and her draught was 34feet. Her tonnages were and .[2]
The ship had twin four-cylinder quadruple-expansion engines driving twin screws. Each engine had a 48inches stroke and cylinders of NaNinches, 33inches, 47inches and 68inches bore. Between them, the engines developed 1,020 NHP. The engines were fed by six 215 lbf/in2 single-ended boilers with a total heating surface of 15114square feet. Her boilers were heated by 18 corrugated furnaces with a grate surface of 363square feet.[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). 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 in 1935 and 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, and, joined the company fleet.