And now, this particular ship was a long time in the making but now it is finally ready.
In 1912 the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not a land locked country and had a very thriving shipbuilding industry, concentrated on the Adriatic coast. The city of Trieste was one of the main sea ports of the Empire, many shipping companies using it as home port. One such company was the Unione Austriaca, a company set up by the Cosulich brothers and they also invested in a shipyard at Monfalcone, the Cantiere Navale Triestino, and in 1911 launched their first liner built at the yard the Kaiser Franz Joseph I.
after WW 1 the port of Trieste was turned over to Italy and so the Cosulich brothers switched their shipping from the now defunct Austro-Hungarian flag to that of their native country, that of Italy. The Kaiser Franz Joseph I changed her name to Presidente Wilson, in honor of the American president of that time
In 1931 as a result of the re organization of Italian shipping the ship was transferred to Lloyd Triestino and renamed Gange
In 1936 the ship was slightly modernized, her funnels were given a more modern look, and the ship transferred from the trans-Atlantic route to the Mediterranean route. As such she was used to transport Italian Troops to Africa
In 1936 the ship was transferred to Adriatica, got a white hull and a new name: Marco Polo.
During WW2 the ship was scuttled at La Spezia in 1944.
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Thank you Kim for the crest
"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"