The Russian Volunteer Fleet, also simply known as Dobroflot (, lit. 'Volunteer Fleet') was a state-controlled ship transport association established in the Russian Empire in 1878 funded from voluntary contributions collected by subscription (hence the name).
History
Dobroflot was founded in wake of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), with the intent of providing Russia with a fleet of fast armed merchantmen. By the time its first three ships were purchased from Hamburg American Line in June 1878, the war was already over, and the ships were instead used first as troopships to repatriate Russian soldiers from Turkey, then as peacetime merchant ships. The establishment of Dobroflot started an arms race among the world's major maritime powers, in which governments would subsidize the constructions of privately owned merchant ships, on the stipulations that these would be available for conversions to auxiliary cruisers during wartime.
In 1902, an Italian company began negotiating with the committee of the Russian Volunteer Fleet to open a new line between the Black Sea and North America via Italy.[1] The Russian Volunteer Fleet began sailing to New York carrying immigrants[2] in November 1903.[3]