The S.S. Polonia makes her way into port in New York while onlookers crowd the docks. Date unknown.
The S.S. Polonia sailed under many different flags and made port in many different cities during her relatively short life. Originally known as the S.S. Kursk, the ship was rechristened in 1921 when she was sold by the Russian-American Line to the Baltic-America Line. The S.S. Polonia was one of four steamers that maintained service between the Baltic states and New York for the Baltic-America Line, which advertised her as the "Queen of the Baltic Sea." In 1930, as the Great Depression began and immigration to the United States declined, the Baltic-America Line sold the S.S. Polonia. The ship continued to sail, this time under the Polish flag, for several years, making regular journeys between Poland and Palestine, but she was eventually sold to Italy for scrap in 1939.
To learn more about the history of Polish immigration to the United States, check out the rest of the photographs in our collection!