New monument in Marsascala marks sinking of SS Polynésien in WWI
At least 17 people lost their lives when the troopship was destroyed by a German submarine in August 1918
The Serbian community in Malta through the Educational and Cultural Centre ‘St Helen of Anjou’, in collaboration with Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit and the Marsascala local council, inaugurated a new monument at Fajtata Bay, Marsascala, commemorating the tragic sinking of the SS Polynésien during World War I.
On August 10, 1918, the SS Polynésien, a luxury French liner converted into a troopship, was torpedoed off the coast of Marsascala by the German submarine UC-22.
On board were 499 Serbian cadets of the officer school, accompanied by Second Lieutenant Tajsić and the famed war heroine Sergeant Milunka Savić. Although most of those on board were rescued, at least 17 people lost their lives, including Lieutenant Tajsić and two cadets.
The survivors were cared for in Malta before continuing to the Salonica front, where they contributed to the final campaigns of the war and the liberation of Serbia.
The monument was unveiled during a commemorative event attended by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, Arnaud Gouillon, director of the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, which supported its creation, as well as Valentin Martinez on behalf of the French Embassy.
Also present were representatives from the Serbian Educational and Cultural Centre ‘St Helen of Anjou’, Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit, the Marsascala local council and the local Serbian community.
Installed on the Marsascala promenade overlooking the wreck site − which is an underwater archaeological zone managed and protected by Heritage Malta through its Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit – the monument features a 3D model of the Polynésien, both as it once sailed and as it now lies at a depth of 65 metres.
The ceremony honoured those who perished with a blessing service, wreath-laying and a minute of silence. Following the unveiling, guests were invited to explore the wreck through an immersive virtual reality experience of the SS Polynésien.