A new monument now stands at Fajtata Bay, Marsascala, serving as a solemn tribute to the SS Polynésien and those affected by its tragic sinking during the First World War.

The initiative, led by Malta’s Serbian community through the Educational and Cultural Centre ‘St Helen of Anjou’, was realised in collaboration with Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit and the Marsascala Local Council.

On 10th August 1918, the SS Polynésien, once a luxury French liner, later converted into a troopship, was torpedoed off the Marsascala coast by the German submarine UC-22. The attack claimed lives and left survivors stranded in Maltese waters.

Malta, known during WWI as the ‘Nurse of the Mediterranean’, extended immediate care to the rescued soldiers. Once recovered, these men continued their journey to the Salonica front, playing a role in the final campaigns that contributed to the liberation of Serbia. This shared wartime experience forged bonds of solidarity that still resonate more than a century later.

The monument’s unveiling honours those who perished but also recognises the courage of the survivors and the compassion of the Maltese people. It stands as a reminder of Malta’s strategic and humanitarian significance during the Great War, as well as a symbol of the enduring ties between nations forged in moments of sacrifice and resilience.

Have you seen this monument in Marsascala?