SS Zaanland was a cargo steamship that was built in Scotland in 1900 for Dutch owners, and sunk in a collision in 1918.

[4] Each ship was of the spar-deck type, with a continuous shade deck both fore and aft to carry large amounts of cattle or light cargo.

They had all modern machinery[clarification needed] fitted for loading and unloading their own cargo, and had electric lights along the decks.

[6] Zaanland had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine built by Dunsmuir and Jackson of Govan, Glasgow.

[10] On a subsequent voyage in July 1902, she struck a wharf when entering port at Dunkirk, damaging her bow and several plates of her hull.

[11] ZAL's regular trade was to ship coal from various European countries to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and bring agricultural produce and live cattle from those ports to Europe.

However, outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Argentina led the United Kingdom to ban imports of live cattle from 1900 until September 1903.

[12] In response to increasing emigration from Europe to South America, ZAL had its cargo ships modified to carry passengers.

[13] Zaanland's first voyage carrying emigrants left Amsterdam on 23 September 1906, and reached Buenos Aires a month later.

The Netherlands were neutral, but the Entente powers stopped and searched Dutch merchant ships, and confiscated goods that were banned by the blockade.

[21] After the United States declared war against the Central Powers in April 1917, there was an increasing shortage of coal for bunkering.

[22] Zaanland was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, and fitted out by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.

The tanker USS Hisko rammed her, making a 15-foot (5 m) hole in Zaanland's starboard side, amidships between her bridge and fire room.

[22] Within an hour, all of her crew were safely aboard the Munson Steamship Line collier Munalbro, which was on charter to the US Army.