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The SS ''Rex'' was an Italian ocean liner launched in 1931.〔(Time Magazine - report on Rex Blue Riband capture, 1933 )〕 It held the westbound Blue Riband between 1933 and 1935. Originally built for the Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI) as the ''SS Guglielmo Marconi'', its state-ordered merger with the Lloyd Sabaudo line meant that the ship sailed for the newly created ''Italia Flotta Riunite'' (Italian Line). On May 12, 1938, in a demonstration of U.S. air power, three YB-17 bombers of the U.S. Army Air Corps intercepted the ''Rex'' at sea in a highly publicized event.〔John T. Correll, "Rendezvous With the ''Rex''", ''AIR FORCE Magazine'' December 2008, Vol. 91 No. 12, p. 56. The ''Rex'' was offshore on her last position report as the B-17s were taxiing for takeoff four hours before interception.〕 The ''Rex'' operated transatlantic crossings from Italy with its running mate, the . On 8 September 1944, off Koper, ''Rex'' was hit by 123 rockets launched by RAF aircraft, caught fire from stem to stern. She burned for four days, then rolled onto the port side, and sank in shallow water. The ship was broken up at the site beginning in 1947. == History == Following North German Lloyd's successful capture of the Blue Riband with its and duo of ocean liners, the ''Rex'' was intended to be Italy's effort to do the same. Amid great competition from other steamship companies, the Italian Line carried out a very attractive and enthusiastic publicity campaign for its two largest liners, the ''Rex'' and the ''Conte di Savoia''. Both ships were dubbed "The Riviera afloat". To carry the theme even further, sand was scattered in the outdoor swimming pools, creating a beach-like effect highlighted by multicolored umbrellas.〔(Classic Liners of Long Ago )〕 Both ships were decorated in a classical style while the norm of the time was the Art Deco or the so-called "Liner Style" that had been premiered on board the French Line’s in 1927. The ship’s exterior design had followed the trend set by Germany’s Bremen and Europa. The ''Rex'' sported a long hull with a moderately raked bow, two working funnels, but still featured the old-type overhanging counter stern found on such liners as the and . The first of this pair to be completed was, appropriately, the largest and fastest. It was christened the ''Rex'' in August 1, 1931, in the presence of King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena. In its goal of a record-breaking maiden voyage, its first run was a dismal failure. It sailed from Genoa in September, 1932, after a send off from Premier Benito Mussolini, with a passenger list of international celebrities. While approaching Gibraltar, serious mechanical difficulties arose. Repairs took three days. Half its passengers requested to leave, preferring to reach Germany's coasts and take the ''Europa''; arriving in New York they found the Rex already into the dock. Lengthy repairs were required in New York before returning to Europe.〔Great Luxury Liners 1927-1954, A Photographic Record by William H. Miller, Jr.〕 In August 1933, the ''Rex'' fulfilled the promises of its designers and captured the Blue Riband on its westbound crossing with a time of four days and thirteen hours, with an average speed of 28.92 knots.〔(greatoceanliners.net - rex )〕 This record would last until 1935 when it was captured by the French Line's . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SS Rex」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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