In the first half of the 19th century, steam navigation developed rapidly and overtook sailing ships, rendering the old Royal Mail vessels slow and obsolete. These sailing ships had been exclusively responsible for British postal services and mail transportation throughout the Empire. Facing financial difficulties in renewing its fleet, the Royal Mail decided in 1840 to grant mail transport concessions to private shipping companies. These companies were allowed to use the prefix Royal Mail Ship or Royal Mail Steamer, along with the abbreviation RMS.

At the beginning of the 20th century, one such ship was lost off the coast of Flores Island. It was the RMS Slavonia, owned by the Cunard Steam-Ship Company, Ltd., or simply, Cunard Line.

Originally commissioned by the British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. to operate between London and India, the ship was built in Sunderland, England, and launched in November 1902. Completed by June 1903, the vessel was initially named Yamuna. It measured 160.32 meters in length and was equipped with two triple-expansion steam engines with three cylinders, powered by two propellers that gave it an average speed of 13 knots.

Deemed unsuitable for its intended service, the ship was sold in 1904 to the Cunard Line. It returned to Sunderland for passenger upgrades and was renamed Slavonia, beginning operations on the Trieste–New York route.

On June 3, 1909, under the command of Captain Arthur George Dunning, the RMS Slavonia departed from New York bound for Trieste in the Adriatic Sea. A total of 597 people were on board: 225 crew members, 272 third-class passengers, and 100 first- and second-class passengers.

The voyage proceeded without incident, and the ship was expected to pass 160 kilometers north of Corvo Island. However, a group of passengers requested a slight detour to enjoy the scenic views of the Azores. The captain agreed, and the Slavonia's route was altered to pass near the Western Group of the Azores.

Unfortunately, as the vessel neared the islands, a navigation error—possibly combined with ocean currents—caused a deviation from the intended course. In the early hours of June 10, in complete darkness and heavy fog, the ship ran aground on the southwestern coast of Flores Island, near the village of Lajedo, between a small islet called Cartário and the Ponta das Cantarinhas.

Water immediately flooded the engine room, preventing the ship from freeing itself. Distress signals were sent using the brand-new wireless telegraphy system, which were picked up by the German ships Prinzess Irene and Batavia. These vessels were en route from New York to the Mediterranean and were approximately 155 miles west of Flores Island.

It is believed that this was the first use of the SOS Morse code distress signal, which had been approved at the 1906 Berlin International Radiotelegraph Conference but only officially adopted in 1908.

The German ships promptly headed to the site and successfully rescued all passengers and crew, later disembarking them in Gibraltar and Naples.

A report in the June 12, 1909 edition of O Telegrapho newspaper stated:

“By telegram received from São Jorge, and by news given there by a German steamer, it is known that the English transatlantic ship Slavonia, weighing 10,606 gross tons and belonging to the Cunard Line, has run aground on the coast of Flores in foggy conditions. The ship, measuring 510 feet long, 59 wide, and 22 deep, had four masts and was built in 1903.”

Captain Dunning’s decision to approach the Azores at night and in foggy conditions was a grave error in judgment, as basic precautions were disregarded.

As the ship was battered by waves, Lloyd's officially declared it a total loss on June 16. A salvage operation was launched by the Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association, but it was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the ocean continued to destroy what remained of the ship.

At that time, there were no lighthouses on Flores Island. The lighthouse at Ponta das Lajes, in the island’s south, had been planned since 1894 but was only inaugurated in October 1910.

According to a 1995 publication:

“To this day, items related to the Slavonia shipwreck can still be found in private homes on Flores Island, such as furniture, chairs, cutlery, and crockery.”

At the Ethnographic Museum of Flores in Santa Cruz das Flores, several artifacts from the RMS Slavonia are on display, including a cupboard, lanterns, washbasins, and a spyglass.

In September 2015, the Azores Regional Government officially established the Slavonia Underwater Archaeological Park, located off the coast of Lajedo, in the municipality of Lajes das Flores.

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