Baltic American Line History and Ephemera

Baltic American Line - The Direct Steamship Line

The Baltic American Line offered passenger steamship service between the ports of New York, Hamburg, Danzig, Libau and Halifax with a fleet of four ocean liners. The fleet consisted of the steamers Latvia, Polonia, Lituania and Estonia.

They offered intermediate class accommodations for First Class, Cabin, Tourist and Third Class passengers. They were in operation for less than a decade during the 1920s. In 1930 the Baltic American Line was taken over by the Polish Transatlantic Shipping Company (Gdynia-Amerika Linje).

Route Map of the Baltic American Line

Route Map of the Baltic-American Line (1920s)

The Baltic America Line was formed out of the former Russian East Asiatic Company's liners Czaar, Czaritza and Kursk which were renamed the Estonia, Lituania and Polonia and operated under the Dainsh Flag. They provided service between Libau, Danzig and New York. They are often referred to as the Baltic American Line.

Brochures

Baltic America Line 1912 Brochure

Baltic America Line Fleet and Accomodations- 1920s
Includes the Steamships: Latvia, Polonia, Lithuania and Estonia

This post World War I brochure published circa 1920 offers a rare look at the Baltic America Line and its fleet of steamships consisting of the Latvia, Polonia, Lituania and Estonia. This line covered the routes between New York, Hamburg, Danzig, Libau and Halifax. Large interior and exterior photographs offers views of an intermediate class steamship. Also provides 54 pages packed with information about the service, accommodations, speed, and rates with 33 illustrations and photographs and a large map of their transatlantic routes. Their fleet of three steamers included the SS Latvia, SS Polonia and SS Lituania.

Latvian Government Facilitates Emigration from Russia

Liban (J. T. A) The Latvian Government has granted a special license
to the Baltic American Line, in accordance with which all Latvian consuls located throughout Russia and Ukraine are authorized to grant to passengers holding Baltic American Line prepaid tickets a Transit Visa, which enables the passengers to proceed to Riga, where they can remain for a period of three months in order to complete their arrangements with the American Consul for an American visa.

Until this license was granted to the Baltic American Line it was very difficult for a passenger from Russia to go through Latvia in order to apply to the American Consul for a visa, but now this problem, which has been the greatest obstacle in the path of Russian passengers, has been solved.

The number of passengers from Russia going on the steamers of the Baltic American Line, direct from Liban, are increasing with the departure of each ship, and with the settling of this vexatious problem, the emigration from Russia will no doubt increase a great deal, more especially since the Russian quota is still open for 20,000 passengers.[1]

[1] "Cable and Telegraphic News," The Reform Advocate, 9 September 1922, Page 129

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