View source for SS Czar

{{Short description|Ocean liner (in service 1912–1948)}}
{{Redirect|SS Pulaski|the steamship that sank off North Carolina in 1838|Steamship Pulaski disaster}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:SS Czar.jpg|SS ''Czar'' in port before May 1920|300px]]
|Ship caption=SS ''Czar'' in port before May 1920
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship name=SS ''Czar'' ({{lang|ru|Царь}})
|Ship namesake=<!--the [[Czar#Russia|Czar]], the ruler of [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russia]]-->
|Ship owner=
* 1912–1930: [[East Asiatic Company]]
* 1930–1934: PTTO
* 1934–1946: [[Gdynia America Line]]
* 1946–1949: [[Ministry of War Transport]]

|Ship operator=
* 1912–1917: [[Russian American Line]]
* 1917: [[Thomas Wilson Sons & Co.|Wilson Line]]
* 1917–1920: [[Cunard Line]]
* 1920–1930: [[Baltic American Line]]
* 1930–1934: PTTO
* 1934–1946: [[Gdynia America Line]]
* 1940: [[Fabre Line]]
* 1940–1949: [[Lamport and Holt]]

|Ship registry=
* 1912–1917: {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Liepāja|Libau]]
* 1917–1920: {{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} London
* 1920–1921: {{flagicon|Latvia}} Liepāja
* 1921–1930: {{flagicon|Denmark}} Copenhagen
* 1930–1946: {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Poland_(with_coat_of_arms,_1980-1990).svg}} Gdynia
* 1946–1949: {{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} Liverpool

|Ship route=
* 1912–1914: Libau – New York
* 1914–1917: Arkhangelsk – New York (in summer)
* 1914–1917: [[Murmansk|Romanov-na-Murmane]] – New York (in winter)
* 1920–1930: Liepāja – Danzig – Copenhagen – New York
* 1930–1935: Danzig – New York
* 1935–1939: Gdynia – Buenos Aires
* 1940: Marseille–Dakar

|Ship builder=*Barclay, Curle & Company
*Glasgow, Scotland
|Ship launched=23 March 1912
|Ship maiden voyage=Libau – Copenhagen – New York, 30 May 1912
|Ship identification=*[[code letters]] PBRF (until 1933)
*{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}
*[[Maritime call sign|call sign]] SPEC (from 1934)
*{{ICS|Sierra}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Echo}}{{ICS|Charlie}}
|Ship renamed=
* SS ''Estonia'', January 1921
* SS ''Pułaski'', April 1930
* SS ''Empire Penryn'', 16 April 1946
|Ship yard number= 494
|Ship refit=
|Ship fate=Scrapped 1949
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship type=[[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage= *{{GRT|6345}}
*tonnage under deck 4,801
*{{NRT|3820}} 
|Ship length= {{convert|425|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|53.2|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= {{convert|32|ft|4|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth= {{convert|29.4|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship power= 889 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
|Ship propulsion=2 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|quadruple expansion steam engines]]; twin [[screw propeller|screws]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|15|knots|km/h}}
|Ship capacity= *Passengers (as built):
* 30 first class
* 260 second class
* 1,086 third class and [[steerage]]
|Ship troops=2,050 troops (World War II)
|Ship crew=
|Ship sensors= [[gyrocompass]] (from 1934)
|Ship armament=
|Ship notes= two [[chimney|funnels]]; two [[mast (sailing)|mast]]s
}}
|}
'''SS''' '''''Czar'''''{{efn|'''Царь''' in [[Russian language|Russian]]}} was an [[ocean liner]] for the then [[Russian American Line]] before World War I. In 1920-1930, the ship was named '''''Estonia''''' for the [[Baltic American Line]], then named '''''Pułaski''''' for the PTTO (later [[Gdynia America Line]]) and as a UK [[Ministry of War Transport]] [[troopship]], and as '''''Empire Penryn''''' after World War II. The liner was built in [[Glasgow]] for the Russian American Line in 1912 and sailed on North Atlantic routes from [[Liepāja]] (Libau) to [[New York City|New York]]. On one eastbound voyage in October 1913, ''Czar'' was one of ten ships that came to the aid of the burning Uranium Line steamer {{SS|Volturno|1906|2}}.

After the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]] in 1917, the ship came under the control of the UK [[Shipping Controller]] and was managed by the [[Thomas Wilson Sons & Co.|Wilson Line]] and later, the [[Cunard Line]]. Under Cunard management in 1918 as HMT<ref group=Note>In this case, ''HMT'' stands for ''His Majesty's Transport''. For other uses as a ship prefix, see [[ship prefix|here]], under the heading of "United Kingdom".</ref> ''Czar'', she was employed as a troopship carrying United States troops to France as part of the [[United States Navy]]'s [[Cruiser and Transport Force]]. After the end of World War I, the ship was returned to the [[East Asiatic Company]], the parent company of the Russian American Line, who placed her on their Baltic American Line sailing in roundtrip passenger service to New York under the name ''Estonia''.

In 1930 the East Asiatic Company sold Baltic American Line to Polish owners who renamed the company Polskiego Transatlantyckiego Towarzystwa Okrętowego ("Polish Transatlantic Shipping Company Limited" or PTTO).{{sfn|Gibbs|1970|p=174}} In 1931 PTTO renamed the ship ''Pułaski'' for passenger service to North and South America. In 1934 PTTO became Gdynia – America Line.

After the outbreak of World War II ''Pułaski'' served as an Allied troopship, at first under French control and, after the [[Battle of France|Fall of France]], under UK control. ''Pułaski'' sailed variously in the North Atlantic, between African ports, and in the Indian Ocean. In 1946 the ship's name was changed to ''Empire Penryn'' and she continued trooping duties under the management of [[Lamport and Holt]]. She was scrapped in 1949 at [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]].

==Launching and early career==
[[Barclay Curle & Company]] of [[Glasgow]], Scotland, built ''Czar'' for the [[Russian American Line]], a subsidiary of the Danish [[East Asiatic Company]]. Her yard number was 494. She was launched on 23 March 1912<ref name=Clydeships>{{cite web |url= http://clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=22&ref=1630&vessel=CZAR |title=Czar |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> and completed that May.<ref name=LR33>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/33/33b0725.pdf |year=1933–1934 |title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |access-date=28 June 2020}}</ref> ''Czar'' measured {{convert|425|ft}} long by {{convert|53.2|ft}} [[Beam (nautical)|abeam]] and {{convert|34|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} [[Draft (hull)|draught]]. Her tonnages were {{GRT|6345}}, {{NRT|3820}} and 4,801 under deck.<ref name=LR33/>

''Czar'' had a pair of four-cylinder Barclay, Curle [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|quadruple expansion steam engines]], each of {{convert|48|in|cm|adj=on}} [[Stroke (engine)|stroke]] and with cylinders of {{convert|21+1/2|in|cm|adj=on}}, {{convert|30+3/4|in|cm|adj=on}}, {{convert|44|in|cm|adj=on}} and {{convert|63|in|cm|adj=on}} [[Bore (engine)|bore]] driving twin [[screw propeller|screws]]. Between them they developed 889 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]], giving her a speed of {{convert|15|knots|km/h}}. The engines were fed by six 215 [[Pounds per square inch|lb<sub>f</sub>/in<sup>2</sup>]] single-ended boilers with a total heating surface of {{convert|13302|sqft|0}}. Her boilers were heated by 18 corrugated furnaces with a grate surface of {{convert|322|sqft|0}}.<ref name=LR33/> She had two [[chimney|funnels]] and two [[mast (sailing)|mast]]s.

''Czar'' had accommodation for 30 passengers in first class, 260 in second class, and 1,086 in third class and [[steerage]].<ref name=TSL>{{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsCC.html |title= Ship Descriptions – C |publisher= TheShipsList.com |access-date= 29 July 2008 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080512042848/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsCC.html |archive-date= 12 May 2008}}</ref>

''Czar'' sailed on her maiden voyage on 30 May 1912 from Libau (present-day [[Liepāja]], Latvia) to [[Copenhagen]] and New York,<ref name=TSL/> arriving in the latter city on 13 June. She replaced {{SS|Lituania|1889|2}} on the Libau – New York route, and sailed with various combinations of ''[[SS Polonia (1910)|Kursk]]'', {{SS|Russia|1867|2}}, {{SS|Birma||2}}, and {{SS|Dwinsk||2}} until July 1914.<ref>Immigration Information Bureau, pp. 163, 172, 181.</ref>

<!-- ==SS ''Volturno'' rescue== -->
On her 5 August 1913 sailing from Libau, ''Czar'' carried a young [[Mark Rothko]] and his family on their way to join his father in the United States; Rothko went on to become a well-known American [[abstract expressionism|abstract expressionist]] painter and printmaker.<ref>Weiss et al., p. 333.</ref> On her October 1913 eastbound crossing, ''Czar'' responded to the distress calls of the Uranium Line steamship {{SS|Volturno|1906|2}} on fire in the middle of the Atlantic The liner joined nine other ships that came to the aid of the stricken ship. Amidst stormy seas, ''Czar''{{'}}s crew rescued 102 passengers from ''Volturno'', more than any other of the rescue ships, apart from the {{SS|Grosser Kurfürst||2}} which rescued 105.<ref>{{cite news |title= Need more money for Volturno aid |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/10/22/100575504.pdf|work= [[The New York Times]] |date= 22 October 1913 |access-date= 30 July 2008 |page= 6}}</ref> In March 1914, [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] of the UK, on recommendation of the [[Board of Trade]], awarded 19 of ''Czar''{{'}}s crew the [[Sea Gallantry Medal|Silver Sea Gallantry Medal]], along with a £3 award each.<ref name=Sea_Gallantry>{{cite news |title= Gallantry at sea |url= http://ca.geocities.com/volturno@rogers.com/volturno43.html |format= reprint |newspaper= [[The Times]] |date= 11 March 1914 |access-date= 30 July 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091019082152/http://ca.geocities.com/volturno@rogers.com/volturno43.html |url-status= dead |archive-date=19 October 2009}}</ref>

==World War I==
After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, ''Czar'' switched to service from [[Archangel (Russian city)|Archangel]] to New York,<ref name=TSL/> but ran only sporadically through 1916.<ref>Immigration Information Bureau, pp. 186, 190.</ref> After the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]], the East Asiatic Company suspended service on the Russian American Line, and transferred several ships, including ''Czar'', to UK registry.<ref name=TSL/> The UK Shipping Controller initially placed the liner under the management of [[Sir John Ellerman, 1st Baronet|John Ellerman]]'s [[Thomas Wilson Sons & Co.|Wilson Line]], but ''Czar'' was transferred to the [[Cunard Line]] management by the end of 1917.<ref name=Mariners>{{cite web |url= http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/EmpireP.html |title= EMPIRE – P |work= The 'Empire' Ships |publisher= Mariners |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref>

Now called {{abbr|HMT|Hired Military Transport}} ''Czar'', the ship, along with former Russian American Line ships {{HMT|Czaritza||2}}, ''Kursk'', and ''Dwinsk'', was attached to the [[Cruiser and Transport Force]] of the [[United States Navy]], and made three trips carrying American troops to France.<ref>Gleaves, p. 240. (Page 240 shows the date as "July 1, 1916", but is wrong. See p. 102 for a description of the appendices with the correct date of 1 July 1918, listed.)</ref> ''Czar'' sailed on her first voyage with American troops on 16 April 1918, when she departed from the [[Hoboken Port of Embarkation]], with U.S. Navy transports {{SS|Maui|1916|2}}, {{USS|Calamares|ID-3662|2}}, {{USS|Pocahontas|ID-3044|2}}, {{USS|El Oriente|ID-4504|2}}, and UK troopship HMT ''Czaritza''. The convoy was joined by transport {{USS|Mount Vernon|ID-4508|2}}<ref group=Note>{{USS|Mount Vernon|ID-4508|2}} had sailed from Hoboken on 19 April 1918, three days after ''Czar'' and her group.</ref> and was escorted by American [[cruiser]] {{USS|Seattle|ACR-11|2}}. The convoy arrived safely in France on 28 April.<ref name=C&W-607-608>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 607–08.</ref> Sources do not report when ''Czar'' returned to the United States, but she had done so by early June.

''Czar'' loaded troops at [[Newport News, Virginia]], and set out on her second US convoy crossing on 14 June, sailing with American transports {{USS|Princess Matoika|ID-2290|2}}, {{USS|Wilhelmina|ID-2168|2}}, {{USS|Pastores|ID-4540|2}}, and {{USS|Lenape|ID-2700|2}}. On the morning of 16 June, lookouts on ''Princess Matoika'' spotted a submarine and, soon after, a torpedo missed that ship by a few yards.<ref name=Cutchins-66>Cutchins and Stewart, p. 66.</ref> Later that morning, the Newport News ships met up with the New York portion of the convoy—which included {{USS|DeKalb|ID-3010|2}}, {{USS|Finland|ID-4543|2}}, {{USS|Kroonland|ID-1541|2}}, {{USS|George Washington|ID-3018|2}}, {{USS|Covington|ID-1409|2}}, {{USS|Rijndam|ID-2505|2}}, Italian steamship {{SS|Dante Alighieri||2}}, and UK troopship {{SS|Vauban||2}} — and set out for France.<ref name=Cutchins-67>Cutchins and Stewart, p. 67.<!-- time of meeting--></ref><ref name=C&W-610-611>Crowell and Wilson, pp. 610–11.<!-- list of ships --></ref> The convoy was escorted by American [[cruiser]]s {{USS|North Carolina|ACR-12|2}} and {{USS|Frederick|CA-8|2}}, and [[destroyer]]s {{USS|Stevens|DD-86|2}} and {{USS|Fairfax|DD-93|2}};<ref name=C&W-610-611/> [[battleship]] {{USS|Texas|BB-35|2}} and several other destroyers joined in escort duties for the group for a time.<ref name=Cutchins-67/> The convoy had a false alarm when a floating barrel was mistaken for a submarine, but otherwise uneventfully arrived at Brest on the afternoon of 27 June.<!-- date of arrival from C&W --><ref name=C&W-610-611/><ref name=Cutchins-68>Cutchins and Stewart, p. 68.<!-- false alarm, uneventful nature of trip, time of day arrival --></ref>

[[File:HMT Czar.jpg|thumb|left|HMT ''Czar'' seen in port, c. 1917–1920]]
When she departed Newport News on 7 October, ''Czar'' began her last voyage ferrying American troops to France. Sailing in company with U.S. Navy transports {{USS|Tenadores|1913|2}}, {{USS|Susquehanna|ID-3016|2}}, and {{USS|America|ID-3006|2}}, she rendezvoused with American transport {{USS|Kroonland|ID-1541|2}}, Italian steamship {{SS|Caserta||2}}, and UK steamship ''Euripides'' out of New York. The convoy ships were escorted by cruisers ''Seattle'' and {{USS|Rochester|ACR-2|2}}, and destroyers {{USS|Murray|DD-97|2}} and {{USS|Fairfax|DD-93|2}}. The ships arrived safely in France on 20 October.<ref name=CW-618>Crowell and Wilson, p. 618.</ref>

Throughout 1919 and into 1920, HMT ''Czar'' continued carrying Commonwealth troops under Cunard management. The troopship primarily sailed between UK ports and Mediterranean ports such as [[Trieste]], [[Malta]], [[Alexandria]], and [[Constantinople]].<ref>''Czar''{{'}}s ports of call were listed in the "Movements of liners" or "Latest shipping news" features in ''The Times'' newspaper. For visits to the ports of [[Trieste]], [[Malta]], [[Alexandria]], and [[Constantinople]], see the editions of 30 December 1920 (p. 19), 27 February 1920 (p. 19), 30 January 1919 (p. 14), and 14 June 1920 (p. 23), respectively.</ref> One typical voyage from Alexandria returned 1,600 officers and men—who had been serving in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], [[Syria]], and [[Egypt]]—to Plymouth in January 1920.<ref>{{cite news |title= Seasick soldiers |newspaper= The Times |date= 14 January 1920 |page= 8}}</ref> ''Czar'' also played a role in the [[North Russia Campaign]] of the [[Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War]] when the liner departed [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] for North Russia on 28 August 1919.<ref>{{cite news |title= Movements of liners |newspaper= The Times |date= 30 August 1919 |page= 2}}</ref>
HMT ''Czar'' arrived in the Tyne, from Murmansk last Friday (15 August 1919), with about 1,800 UK and Italian troops from the Syren Force North Russia. Amongst them were about 100 officers, N.C.O's and men of the 6th and 13th Battalions Yorkshire Regiment.<ref>The Seham Weekly News for weekending 22 August 1991</ref>

==Interwar civilian service==
By late 1920 ''Czar'' had been returned to the East Asiatic Company, who placed her in service for its [[Baltic American Line]] subsidiary and renamed her ''Estonia''. For her first Baltic American trip she sailed from Glasgow on 11 January 1921 for New York, [[Danzig]], and Libau, arriving at the latter by mid-February. Departing from Libau on 23 February, she began a regular Libau – Danzig – Boston – New York service, sailing opposite ''[[SS Kościuszko|Lituania]]'' and {{SS|Polonia|1910|2}}.<ref name=TSL/><ref>Immigration Information Bureau, p. 203.<!-- other ships --></ref><ref group=Note>''[[SS Kościuszko|Lituania]]'' and {{SS|Polonia|1910|2}} were the former ''Czaritza'' and ''Kursk'', respectively. See: {{cite web |url= http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/balticam.htm |title= Baltic American Line |work= The Ships List |date= 5 February 2005 |access-date= 29 July 2008 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080821163820/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/balticam.htm |archive-date= 21 August 2008}}</ref>

In February 1925, ''Estonia'' was reconditioned and outfitted with accommodations for 290 cabin-class and 500 third-class passengers. The following March, her accommodations were altered for 110 cabin-class, 180 tourist-class, and 500 third-class passengers. Her last voyage for the Baltic American Line began on 31 January 1930 when she sailed from Danzig to Copenhagen, [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], and New York. Sold to the [[Poland|Polish]]-owned PTTO (later [[Gdynia America Line]]), she sailed on 13 March for one more trip on the Danzig – New York route under the name ''Estonia''.

Before her next voyage on 25 April 1930, she was renamed ''Pułaski'', after Polish soldier and [[American Revolutionary War]] general [[Kazimierz Pułaski]]. As ''Pułaski'' her [[code letters]] were PBRF.<ref name=LR33/> When [[maritime call sign]]s were given to merchant ships in 1934 she was given the call sign SPEC. Around the same time she was fitted with a [[gyrocompass]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0688.pdf |year=1934–1935 |title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |access-date=28 June 2020}}</ref>

SS ''Pułaski'' continued sailing the same route through August 1935, when she was moved to [[Gdynia]] – [[Buenos Aires]] service. She began her last voyage on this route on 21 April 1939.

==World War II==
[[File:SS Pułaski.jpg|thumb|''Pułaski'' in port circa 1930–1939]]
With the signing of the [[Anglo-Polish military alliance]] impending, ''Pułaski'' sailed from Gdynia to [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] on 24 August 1939.<ref name=TSL/> On 26 September, the ship left [[Dartmouth, Devon|Dartmouth]] for [[Gibraltar]] (calling there on 2 September) and [[Piraeus]], where she arrived on 13 October.<ref name=CPDB>{{cite web |title= Port Arrivals/Departures: Pulaski |url= http://convoyweb.org.uk/ports/index.html?search.php?vessel=PULASKI~armain |work= Arnold Hague's Ports Database |publisher= Convoy Web |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref> Picking up Polish soldiers there, she sailed five days later for [[Marseille]], where she eventually arrived on 2 December.<ref name=CPDB/> Until March 1940, ''Pułaski'' underwent a refit in [[Marseille]] after which she sailed [[ship chartering|under charter]] to the French [[Fabre Line]].<ref name=WS>{{cite web |title= SS Pulaski |url= http://warsailors.com/forum/read.php?1,5961,5965#msg-5965 |publisher= WarSailors.com |date= 27 March 2003 |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref> At the end of the 1930s, the Fabre Line sailed ships on a Marseille–[[Dakar]] route with intermediate stops in other African ports.<ref>Brochure: {{cite book |title= Services Combinés, Fabre – Farissinet: Dakar et coté occidentale d'Afrique |publisher= Compagnie Générale de Navigation à Vapeur Cyprien Fabre |year= 1939}} (Summary of port information online [http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/fabre.htm here].)</ref>

On 10 March, ''Pułaski'' departed Marseille on the first of three voyages from that port. She sailed to [[Algiers]] and from there to [[Dakar]] on 13 March. ''Pułaski'' left Dakar for [[Freetown]], [[Sierra Leone]], and [[Conakry]], [[French Guinea]], returning to Dakar in early April. Sailing for Marseille on 5 April, the ship returned on 13 April as a part of convoy DF 29. Leaving again about two weeks later, she repeated the trip and returned to Marseille on 29 May as a part of convoy DF 41.<ref name=CPDB/> By the time of her return, the [[Battle of France|German invasion of France]] had been underway for nearly three weeks.

''Pułaski'' sailed on her third and final French voyage on 6 June. The liner arrived at Dakar on 15 June, and sailed the next day for Freetown, where she arrived on 18 June.<ref name=CPDB/> Likely because of the confusion surrounding the [[Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)|French surrender]] on 22 June, ''Pułaski''{{'}}s movements over the next days are unrecorded, but she was detained at Conakry on 8 July by [[Vichy France|Vichy]] authorities. That evening, ''Pułaski''{{'}}s crew raised steam and sailed the ship out of the harbor in defiance of the detainment. After taking fire from [[shore battery|shore batteries]] at Conakry,<ref name=WS/> the ship arrived back at Freetown on 9 July.<ref name=CPDB/>

===UK troopship===
On 14 August ''Pułaski'', {{SS|Kościuszko||2}} (the latest name of the former ''Czaritza''), and {{MS|Batory||2}} were chartered by the [[Ministry of War Transport]] for trooping duties and placed under the management of [[Lamport and Holt]] of [[Liverpool]]. All three ships retained their Polish crews but also carried a Lamport and Holt liaison officer aboard.<ref name=L&H>{{cite journal |last= Heaton |first= PM |title= The Lamport and Holt fleet, an history: part V: 1941–1945 |journal= [[Sea Breezes (magazine)|Sea Breezes]] |year= 1977 |place= Liverpool |publisher= Sea Breezes |issn= 0036-9977 |oclc= 1765313 |url= http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/LH5.html |format= reprint |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref> Four days later, ''Pułaski'' joined convoy SL 44, the 44th wartime convoy from Sierra Leone to [[Liverpool]], with nearly 30 other ships and 10 escorts. ''Pułaski'' and about half of the ships departed the convoy at Liverpool on 7 September, while the other half continued on for [[Methil]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sl2/index.html?sl.php?convoy=44!~slmain |title= Convoy SL.44 |work= Arnold Hague Convoy Database |publisher= ConvoyWeb |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref>

''Pułaski'' next made her way to the [[River Clyde|Clyde]] in late October. Between 10 May and 12 June 1941, she sailed on three roundtrip trooping runs between Clyde and [[Iceland]].<ref name=CPDB/> In late June, ''Pułaski'', loaded with 2,047 troops, sailed from Clyde to join convoy WS 9B headed for Freetown.<!-- sailing location --><ref name=CPDB/><ref name=WS.9B>{{Cite web |url= http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/misc/index.html?yy.php?convoy=WS.9B!~miscmain |title= Convoy WS.9B |work= Arnold Hague Convoy Database |publisher= ConvoyWeb |access-date= 29 July 2008}}</ref><!-- convoy data --> The convoy arrived at its destination on 13 July. After three days, ''Pułaski'' and four other ships sailed on to [[Cape Town]], arriving on 27 July. Leaving behind one ship at Cape Town, ''Pułaski'' and the others sailed on 30 July to their final destination of [[Aden]], where they arrived in mid August.<ref name=CPDB/><ref name=WS.9B/>

[[File:Allidina-Visram.jpg|thumb|''Pułaski'' made several stops in [[Kilindini]], where the [[East Indies Station|Royal Navy Eastern Fleet]] was based in 1942. The UK code-breaking operation [[FECB]] was housed in the Allidina Visram school in 1942–43 (pictured here in 2006).]]
Over the next seven months, ''Pułaski'' operated in the [[Indian Ocean]], primarily sailing between Middle Eastern and East African ports. Beginning in late August, ''Pułaski'' sailed between Aden and ports of [[Suez]], [[Durban]], [[Berbera]], [[Mombasa]], [[Massawa]], [[Port Sudan]], and [[Kilindini]]. From Kilindini, in March 1942, the liner sailed to [[Colombo]] and back to Durban on 8 April.<ref name=CPDB/> While at Durban, a fire gutted the [[bridge (ship)|bridge]] in what may have been sabotage.<ref name=WS/>

The damaged ''Pułaski'' made her way to [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] in [[South Africa]] on 11 April where she remained under repair until June. Departing East London on 25 June, she resumed her Middle Eastern and African runs between Aden, Suez, and Durban. In November, the transport departed Aden and called at [[Basra]], [[Bandar Abbas]], and [[Karachi]], before returning to Durban in early December. After nearly a two-month stay at Durban, ''Pułaski'' returned to her trooping duties in the Indian Ocean on 1 February 1943. She made her first visits to [[Diego Suarez, Malagasy Republic|Diego Suarez]], [[Zanzibar]], and [[Tamatave]] in March, and [[Djibouti]] in April.<ref name=CPDB/>

After a return to East London from Durban on 30 May, the ship put in for another extended stay, this time for four months. Resuming her trooping runs on 29 September, ''Pułaski'' began a year of almost continuous sailing. During this span, which lasted until mid-September 1944, the ship called at [[Bombay]] twice in addition to numerous stops in Aden, Suez, Durban, and Kilindini. Putting in at Durban on 15 September,<ref name=CPDB/> ''Pułaski'' had a general refit over the next four months.<ref name=WS/>

''Pułaski'' resumed her Indian Ocean service when she left Durban on 21 January 1945, headed for Kilindini. She visited [[Dar es Salaam]] for the first time in April, and departed from her first visit to [[Madras]] on [[Victory in Europe Day]], 8 May 1945. Headed to [[Akyab]], [[Burma]], she started the first of five India–Burma roundtrips through July. Over the next months, she shuttled between [[Rangoon]], [[Calcutta]] (where she was docked on [[Victory over Japan Day]]), [[Chittagong]], Madras, and Colombo, arriving at the latter port for the final time on 12 September. From Colombo she sailed into the [[Pacific Ocean|Western Pacific]] for [[Singapore]] where she arrived for the first of several visits on 14 September, two days after the Japanese garrison there surrendered. Through the end of 1945, ''Pułaski'' continued sailing between Singapore and India, making additional stops at [[Port Swettenham]], Chittagong, [[Sourabaya]], and [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]].<ref name=CPDB/>

[[File:Japanese surrender at Singapore, 1945.jpg|thumb|''Pułaski'' made her first visit to [[Singapore]] two days after the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] garrison there surrendered on 12 September.]]
''Pułaski'' arrived at Calcutta on 23 December 1945.<ref name=CPDB/> Thereafter she continued to carry troops in the Indian Ocean, though her specific movements are not known.<ref group=Note>The ship's movements after December 1945 are not found in source materials.</ref> In March 1946, ''Pułaski'' was purchased by the Ministry of War Transport for £100,000.<ref name=WS/> It was around this time the Polish crews of ''Pułaski'' and ''Kościuszko'' refused to be repatriated to [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-occupied [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]. The crew members all signed UK articles.<ref name=L&H/>

On 16 April 1946 ''Pułaski'' was formally handed over to UK authorities, who renamed the vessel ''Empire Penryn''. ''Empire'' followed the naming convention for UK merchant ships under MoWT ownership. ''Penryn'' was after the port of [[Penryn, Cornwall]].<ref name=WS/> Remaining under Lamport and Holt management,<ref name=L&H/> ''Empire Penryn'' carried troops in the Mediterranean. She was taken out of service in 1948, and on 19 February 1950 she reached [[Blyth, Northumberland]] to be scrapped.<ref name=Clydeships/>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last= Crowell |first= Benedict |author-link= Benedict Crowell |author2=Robert Forrest Wilson |title= The Road to France: The Transportation of Troops and Military Supplies, 1917–1918 |url= https://archive.org/details/roadtofrancetra04wilsgoog |series= How America Went to War: An Account From Official Sources of the Nation's War Activities, 1917–1920 |place= New Haven, CT |publisher= [[Yale University Press]] |year= 1921 |oclc= 18696066}}
* {{cite book |last= Cutchins |first= John A |author2=George Scott Stewart Jr. |title= History of the Twenty-ninth division, "Blue and gray", 1917–1919 |place= Philadelphia |publisher= Press of MacCalla & Co. |year= 1921 |oclc= 3260003}}
*{{cite book |last=Gibbs |first=CR Vernon |year=1970 |title=Western Ocean Passenger Liners 1934–1969 |place=Glasgow |publisher=Brown, Son & Ferguson }}
* {{Gleaves}}
* {{cite book |author= Immigration Information Bureau |title= Morton Allan directory of European passenger steamship arrivals for the years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York and for the years 1904 to 1926 at the ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore |place= Baltimore, MD |publisher= Genealogical Publishing Company |orig-year= 1931 |year= 1987 |isbn= 978-0-8063-0830-2 |oclc= 16464579 |url= https://archive.org/details/mortonallandirec00balt}}
* {{cite book |last1= Weiss |first1= Jeffrey |last2=Gage |first2=John |author3=National Gallery of Art |author3-link=National Gallery of Art |title= Mark Rothko |place= New Haven, CT |publisher= [[Yale University Press]] |year=1998 |isbn= 978-0-89468-229-2 |oclc= 39077075 |display-authors= etal |url= https://archive.org/details/markrothko00weis}}
{{Refend}}

{{Commons category-inline|IMO 1142324}}

{{Gdynia America Line}}
{{Empire ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Czar}}
[[Category:1912 ships]]
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