SS Samland was an American-built cargo ship. Built in 1902 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden, New Jersey, the ship was owned and operated by the Atlantic Transport Line under the name SS Mississippi until 1906; that year, she was transferred to the Red Star Line and renamed Samland. She was briefly transferred to the White Star Line in 1911 and renamed SS Belgic until she returned to the Red Star Line in 1913 and resumed the name Samland. The ship served with the Red Star Line until 1931 when she was broken up in Italy.
Construction
In 1901, Bernard N. Baker of the Atlantic Transport Line ordered six steamships from American shipyards. One of the ships, a cargo ship named Mississippi, was laid down on January 2, 1902, at Camden, New Jersey by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship, with the yard number of 8, was launched on December 15, 1902. Mississippi had three sister ships: SS Massachusetts, SS Maine, and SS Missouri.
The ship cost $729,000 to build, which was higher than the cost for a Harland & Wolff