Today in Transportation History: January 9, 1916 In the Italian city of Genoa, the S.S. Duilio was launched at the Ansaldo Shipyard. The ship, weighing 24,281 gross tons, was the first Italian super ocean liner and among the nation’s largest vessels when it was launched. The Duilio was built for use by the Italian shipping company Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI). Notwithstanding her launch, the ship was still unfinished and her completion would be delayed due to Italy’s involvement as an Allied power in World War I. Work on the Duilio resumed in 1920 and she was finally ready for service three years later. Over the next few years, the ship was used by NGI for its Naples-Genoa-New York City express run. The Duilio achieved an additional measure of fame because her safety standards were over and above the requirements of the era. As one example, the ship had 17 compartments even though only 12 were mandated by the First International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The extra compartments would allow the Duilio to remain afloat even if there were up to four flooded compartments. The ship started serving NGI’s Genoa-Buenos Aires route in 1928. In 1932, the Duilio began service with Italia di Navigazione when that company was formed through a merger of NGI and a couple of other shipping businesses. The Duilio served on the new company’s run between Italy and South America. The liner was transferred to the shipping company Lloyd Triestino in 1936 and laid up four years later. In 1942, the Duilio was chartered to the International Red Cross to help with humanitarian efforts during World War II. The ship was laid up at the port of Trieste the following year and among the vessels sunk there during a 1944 attack by Allied aircraft. (PHOTOS: All courtesy of Grandi Transatlantici, granditransatlantici.blogspot/2010/04/duilio-e-giulio-cesare-la-classe.html)
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:21:05 +0000
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