SS Drottningholm

RMS Virginian was a steam turbine powered transatlantic ocean liner, launched in 1904 for the Allan Line. She operated from 1920 to 1948 for the Swedish American Line as SS Drottningholm.

Career


Built in 1905 by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Glasgow for the Allan Line of Canada. Commissioned as SS Virginian, she served the Allan Line, as a sistership to RMS Victorian from 1905 until 1920. In 1912, she was one of several ships in wireless radio communication with RMS Titanic, giving iceberg warnings, and at one point erroneous wireless messages had Virginian towing Titanic to Halifax, Nova Scotia and that all on board Titanic were safe. Such a report appeared in the Daily Mirror on 16 April 1912. During World War I she served as a troop transport ship for Canada. On 21 August 1917 she was damaged by the German submarine U-102.

In 1920, she was sold to the Swedish American Line and renamed SS Drottningholm, serving Sweden until 1948.

From 1948–1955 she sailed for the Home Lines of Italy, first as SS Brasil and from 1951 as SS Homeland.