Set the scene.
Built in France in 1890, Polynesien began life as an ocean liner. During the First World War, French authorities converted it into a troop transport.
Here’s the twist.
On 10 August 1918, a submarine torpedoed the ship off Malta while it carried Serbian military personnel towards Greece. It sank within half an hour.
Why it still matters.
Survivors recovered at Cottonera Hospital. The wreck’s history therefore reaches beyond the seabed, linking a French ship, Serbian passengers and care provided on the Maltese shore.
🧠 One to think about +
What does this story change about the way you see Malta today? Pick one detail you’d tell a friend — then check its source below.