MS Chrobry was a transatlantic passenger liner, and was the last pre-war new build for the Polish Merchant Navy. She was built for the Gdynia-Ameryka Linie Żeglugowe S.A. (Gdynia-America Line – GAL).
Purpose
The ship was intended for the Poland–South America route to replace the aging SS Kościuszko and the SS Pułaski. Built in Denmark, it was the second (and larger) of a pair of ships, the other being the MS Sobieski. The MS Chrobry was named in honour of the first Polish king Bolesław I Chrobry. The name of the King means "Braveheart".
Maiden Voyage & Exile
On its maiden voyage from Gdynia to Buenos Aires, it carried 1,167 passengers. The ship sailed on the 29 July 1939 and arrived uneventfully in Buenos Aires on the 19 August 1939. Among the Polish personalities on board were Senator Jan Rembielinski, the ambassador Władysław Mazurkiewicz, author Bohdan Pawłowicz, and the young writers Witold Gombrowicz and Czesław Straszewicz, who had been invited along to promote the ship.[1]