Slavonia was a 10,606 GRT passenger ship that was built in 1902 as Yamuna for the British India Line.

She was equipped with triple expansion steam engines, which were built by the Wallsend Slipway Co Ltd.

[1] Yamuna was built as yard number 600 by Sir J. Laing & Co Ltd, Sunderland, County Durham for the British India Steam Navigation Company.

[6] Slavonia made her maiden voyage for Cunard Line on 17 March 1904, sailing from Sunderland to New York via Trieste and Fiume, Austrian Empire and Palermo, Italy.

[1] Slavonia departed from New York City on 3 June 1909 under Captain A.G. Dunning on what would be her final voyage.

[8][9] On 10 June, Slavonia ran aground in foggy weather at Ponta dos Fenais, Flores, Azores, Portugal.

Though her captain did not lose his license, he was severely reprimanded for being 10.5 nautical miles (19.4 km) off course and going at an excessive speed for the prevailing conditions.

[11][4][17] The moral of the case, as we have already suggested, is that if shipmasters choose to navigate unfamiliar waters they must neglect no precaution which should commend itself to the mind of the careful mariner.

For all that, there will be widespread regret that a well-meaning effort to popularize the line which he served should have ended so disastrously for so experienced and so highly esteemed a navigator.The Board of Trade awarded the captains of Batavia and Prinzess Irene a piece of plate[definition needed] in recognition of their efforts to rescue the passengers of Slavonia.