In addition to sailing between the Swedish mainland and Visby, she also called at a number of other ports in the Baltic such as Danzig, Tallinn and Riga during the 1930s.

[1] One of these caused a large explosion, and the ship sank within a few minutes; 84 people died and two survived, including Swedish Army captain Arne Mohlin.

Investigations after the war pointed to the Soviet submarine L-21 and its captain Sergey Mogilevskiy as being responsible for the sinking.

[2] The wreck of SS Hansa lies 44 km (27 mi) north of Visby at a depth of 100 m (330 ft).

[3] A memorial plaque in Visby Cathedral commemorates the sinking of the ship and the loss of innocent lives.