Slavonia departed from
New York City on 3 June 1909 under Captain A.G. Dunning on what would be her final voyage. On 10 June,
Slavonia ran aground in foggy weather at Ponta dos Fenais,
Flores,
Azores, Portugal. An
SOS was sent, the first use of this code. The wreck was subsequently looted. The 84 remaining on board travelled on to
Naples, Italy, where they arrived on 17 June. Those rescued by
Batavia reached Naples on 19 June.
Slavonia was abandoned and declared a total loss. Some of her cargo was salvaged - 400 bags of
coffee, 1,000 ingots of
copper and 200 casks of oil. Also salvaged were 25 pieces of agricultural machinery and miscellaneous ships' stores. They were taken to
Liverpool,
Lancashire by . A
Board of Trade inquiry was held into the loss of
Slavonia. The captain's explanation for navigating so close to the Azores was to provide a bit of scenery, relieving the monotony of an ocean voyage, and at the same time assuaging some of the passengers land was close by. Though her captain did not lose his license, he was severely reprimanded for being off course and going at an excessive speed for the prevailing conditions. The Board of Trade awarded the captains of
Batavia and
Prinzess Irene a piece of plate in recognition of their efforts to rescue the passengers of
Slavonia. The person in charge of the wireless station on Flores also received a piece of plate. His two assistants were awarded a sum of money each. ==References==