SS Ausonia (1909)

The SS Ausonia was a passenger liner built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson in Wallsend, England, for the Cunard Line. Launched in 1909, she served primarily on the Liverpool-Montreal route, carrying passengers and mail between the United Kingdom and Canada.

Ausonia was a relatively small but luxurious ship for her time, designed to provide comfortable transatlantic travel. She was known for her elegant interiors and reliable service. Her tonnage was approximately 8,000 gross registered tons.

During World War I, Ausonia was requisitioned by the British government and served as an armed merchant cruiser. She was later converted into a troop transport, carrying soldiers across the Atlantic. In 1918, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-62 in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, with the loss of a significant number of lives. Her sinking represented a notable loss for Cunard Line and the British war effort.