SS Conte di Savoia

SS Conte di Savoia ("Count of Savoy") was an Italian ocean liner built in 1932 at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Trieste.

Conte di Savoia was originally ordered for the Lloyd Sabaudo line, however, after a merger with the Navigazione Generale Italiana, the ship was completed for the newly formed Italia Flotte Riunite. The new Italia Line also controlled the , a similar though slightly larger ship completed just two months before Conte di Savoia. The Conte di Savoia was more modern in decoration and appearance than the Rex, and was considered to be an exceptionally beautiful ship.

History

In November 1932 she made her maiden voyage to New York. The voyage almost became a disaster when an outlet valve jammed and blew a large hole below the waterline. The ship completed her maiden voyage thanks to crew member Gennaro Amatruda who plugged a leak in a broken valve-port saving the ship from possible disaster. The Conte di Savoia never held the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossing, although on one attempt she did average just slower than the Blue Riband holder Rex.

Conte di Savoia had one unusual feature designed to increase passenger numbers. Three huge gyroscopes were fitted low down in a forward hold. These rotated at high revolutions and were designed to eliminate rolling - a persistent problem on the rough North Atlantic crossing that affected all shipping lines. Popular Mechanics, April 1931 In practice they reduced the rolling......
Read More