The transport and expedition ship Pola was built in Pula in 1871. It first gained its scientific and research reputation in 1882, when it participated in an expedition to the island of Jan Mayen as part of the first international exploration of the polar regions (First International Polar Year).
Based on a cooperation agreement between the Imperial and Royal Navy and the Vienna Academy of Sciences, the ship was converted in Pula in 1890 into a floating laboratory for the exploration of then insufficiently known marine areas. Over the following years, Pola participated in a series of scientific expeditions exploring the Adriatic Sea, the eastern part of the Mediterranean, the Sea of Marmara, the Black and Red Seas.
The research was primarily focused on the deep sea. Scientists studied the properties of seawater, the configuration of the seabed, and marine flora and fauna. During the second exploration of the eastern part of the Mediterranean, in 1891, the greatest known depth of the Mediterranean Sea was measured at that time, which was 4,404 meters. This depth was named “Pola” in honor of the ship.
After the death of Admiral Maximilian Daublebski von Sterneck, one of the main initiators of the project, research gradually ceased. However, the results of the Pola expeditions continued to live on in scientific papers. Over the next four decades, as many as 67 were published in the fields of oceanography, biology and other natural sciences based on research from the Pola ship.
The story of this ship testifies to the time when ships were built and converted in Pula that served not only the navy, but also the development of science. As a floating laboratory of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, Pola connected seafaring and science and left a valuable mark on marine research at the end of the 19th century.