SS ''Albania'' was a

cargo liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...

laid down in 1914 by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd. Greenock, Scotland for the

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

. Owing to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she wasn't completed until 1920. Designed to maximize cargo capacity, passenger accommodations were limited to the shelter and "tween" decks. Originally intended for the Liverpool New York run, she was transferred in April of 1922 to the Canadian route. Ultimately the vessel proved a disappointment for Cunard, being too small to operate effectively as a passenger liner and too big for a freighter, and was laid up in 1925 until purchased in 1930 by the Italian company ''Liberia Triestina'' who renamed her SS ''California''. She was converted for use as a hospital ship in 1935.

Loss

On 11 August 1941, ''California'' was torpedoed and sunk off

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

by a Fairey Swordfish aircraft of 830 Squadron,

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

, operating out of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albania (1920) 1920 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Cargo liners Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Cunard Line Steamships of Italy Merchant ships of Italy Hospital ships in World War II Hospital ships of Italy Maritime incidents in August 1941 Ships sunk by British aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea