View source for SS Rex

{{Short description|Italian ocean liner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Italian liner Rex.jpg
| Ship caption = SS ''Rex'' in 1933
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy|civil}}
| Ship name = ''Rex''
| Ship owner = [[Italian Line]]
| Ship operator = 
| Ship registry = [[Genoa, Italy]]
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = G. Ansaldo & Co. of Sestri Ponente, [[Genoa, Italy]]
| Ship original cost = 
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| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 1 August 1931
| Ship completed = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 27 September 1932
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = 
| Ship fate = Bombed by Allied bombers and capsized on 8 September 1944 and broken up in situ in 1950
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Ocean liner]]
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|51,062}}
| Ship displacement = 45,800 tons
| Ship length = * {{convert|880|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|overall]]
* {{convert|831.25|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Waterline length|waterline]]
| Ship beam = {{convert|96|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = {{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft = 
| Ship depth = {{convert|79|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} at promenade deck
| Ship decks = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship ice class = 
| Ship sail plan = 
| Ship power = 4 sets of geared steam turbines producing {{convert|120,000|shp|lk=on|abbr=on}} (design power)
| Ship propulsion = Quadruple propellers
| Ship speed = * {{convert|27|kn|lk=in}} (design speed)
* Over {{convert|28|kn}} (maximum speed)
| Ship capacity = * 2,042 total passengers
** 408 first class
** 358 second class
** 410 tourist class
** 866 third class
| Ship crew = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
'''SS ''Rex''''' was an Italian [[ocean liner]] [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] in 1931.<ref name="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930095,00.html">{{Cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930095,00.html |title=Time Magazine - report on Rex Blue Riband capture, 1933 |access-date=3 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930073806/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930095,00.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She held the westbound [[Blue Riband]] between 1933 and 1935, for a [[passenger liner]] in regular service crossing the Atlantic Ocean with the record highest [[Velocity|average speed]]. Originally built for the [[Navigazione Generale Italiana]] (NGI) as '''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]]).

''Rex'' operated transatlantic crossings from Italy with its running mate, {{SS|Conte di Savoia||2}} prior to the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. ''Rex'' maintained a commercial service in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] for eight years, but when Italy entered the war in June 1940 ''Rex'' was [[laid up]] for safe-keeping. On 8 September 1944, off [[Koper|Capodistria]], ''Rex'' was hit by cannon fire and 123 rockets launched by [[Royal Air Force]] aircraft, caught fire from bow to stern. She rolled onto the port side, burned for four days, and sank in shallow water. The ship was partially [[Ship breaking|broken up]] in situ in 1950.

==History==
[[File:SS Rex 1st Class Main Staircase.jpg|thumb|left|First class grand staircase]]
[[File:Italia, flotte riunite, rex e conte di savoia, la classe turistica, genova 1932.jpg|thumb|Welcome Flier for Tourist Class of ''Conte di Savoia'' and ''Rex'', 1932|left]]
Following [[North German Lloyd]]'s successful capture of the [[Blue Riband]] with its {{SS|Bremen|1928|2}} and {{SS|Europa|1928|2}} duo of ocean liners, ''Rex'' was intended to be Italy's effort to do the same. Amid intense competition from other shipping companies, the Italian Line carried out an extensive publicity campaign for its two largest passenger ships, ''Rex'' and {{SS|Conte di Savoia||2}}. Originally, the ''Rex'''s owners intended to name her after Italian engineer [[Guglielmo Marconi]], who pioneered the [[Wireless telegraphy|radio telegraph]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maxtone-Graham |first1=John |title=The Only Way to Cross |date=1997 |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |isbn=0760706379 |page=257}}</ref>

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.<ref>[http://classicliners.nicholaswwilson.com/ships/rex.htm Classic Liners of Long Ago] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110014029/http://classicliners.nicholaswwilson.com/ships/rex.htm |date=10 January 2008 }}</ref> ''Rex'' was 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 onboard the [[Compagnie Générale Transatlantique|French Line]]'s {{SS|Ile de France||2}} in 1927, ''Rex''{{'}}s [[running mate]] ''Conte Di Savoia'' followed this rule, but also had rooms with classic style like her First Class Social Room also known as "Colonial Hall" . The ship's exterior design had followed the trend set by Germany's ''Bremen'' and ''Europa''. ''Rex'' sported a long hull with a moderately [[Rake (angle)|raked]] bow and two working [[Funnel (ship)|funnels]] with the colours of the [[Flag of Italy|Italian flag]] (red, white and green stripes), but still featured the old-type overhanging counter stern (also known as a fantail) found on such liners as {{RMS|Olympic||2}} and {{RMS|Aquitania||2}}.

''Rex'' was the first to be completed and was christened on 1 August 1931, in the presence of [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|King Victor Emmanuel III]] and [[Elena of Montenegro|Queen Elena]]. She was both larger and faster than ''Conte di Savoia''. Her attempt of a record-breaking maiden voyage was unsuccessful. She 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 her passengers requested to leave, preferring to reach Germany's coasts and take ''Europa''; arriving in [[New York City|New York]] they found ''Rex'' already at dock. Lengthy repairs were required in New York before returning to Europe.<ref>Great Luxury Liners 1927-1954, A Photographic Record by William H. Miller, Jr.</ref> She arrived in Genoa on 26 October 1932, making her first west-to-east crossing in six and a half days.<ref>Wire service, "Completes Voyage", ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Thursday 27 October 1932, Volume 39, page 2.</ref>

In August 1933, ''Rex'' fulfilled the promises of her designers and captured the Blue Riband on its westbound crossing from the {{SS|Bremen|1928|2}} with a time of four days and thirteen hours, with an average speed of {{convert|28.92|kn}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://greatoceanliners.net/rex.html|title=greatoceanliners.net|website=greatoceanliners.net}}</ref> This record would last until 1935 when it was captured by the French Line's {{SS|Normandie||2}}.

On 12 May 1938, in a demonstration of U.S. air power, three [[B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] bombers of the [[U.S. Army Air Corps]] [[Interception of the Rex|intercepted ''Rex'']] {{convert|620|nmi|km|sigfig=2}} at sea in a highly publicized event.<ref>John T. Correll, "Rendezvous With the ''Rex''", ''AIR FORCE Magazine'' December 2008, Vol. 91 No. 12, p. 56. ''Rex'' was {{convert|725|nmi|km|sigfig=2}} offshore on her last position report as the B-17s were taxiing for takeoff four hours before interception.</ref>

==World War II==
[[File:IWM C4622 Rex under attack.jpg|thumb|left|A 272 Squadron Beaufighter climbs away after attacking ''Rex'', (8 September 1944)]]
[[File:Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. C4699.jpg|thumb|''Rex'' capsized and still burning two days after the RAF attack]]
Following the outbreak of war, both ''Rex'' and ''Conte di Savoia'' continued regular Mediterranean cruises as if totally unaffected by events to the north. In the end, Italian liners proved to be among the final ships trading on a commercial basis. Their voyages ceased in the spring of 1940 and they were returned to Italian ports for safekeeping, with ''Rex'' laid up at Genoa, but after the city was bombed, the Italian Line decided to move it to [[Trieste]]. To prevent German forces from using the liner to blockade the harbour entrance, ''Rex'' was moved near [[Pula]], where she lay for some time.

On 6 September 1944, ''Rex'' was spotted under tow south of Trieste, by a [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) pilot, and showed a slight [[Angle of list|list]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Giant Liner Rex Left Burning in North Adriatic |newspaper=The San Bernardino Daily Sun |location=San Bernardino, California |date=10 September 1944 |volume=51 |page=1}}</ref>

On 8 September 1944, she was attacked in the Bay of Koper, south of Trieste by twelve [[Bristol Beaufighter]] aircraft of [[No. 272 Squadron RAF|272 Squadron RAF]], escorted by nine [[North American P-51 Mustang]] aircraft assigned to the [[52nd Fighter Group]], [[USAAF]]. She was listing and on fire after being struck by 59 [[RP-3]] rockets and numerous 20&nbsp;mm cannon-shells. A second attack, later that day, by twelve more Beaufighters of [[No. 39 Squadron RAF|39 Squadron RAF]] and [[No. 16 Squadron SAAF|16 Squadron]], [[South African Air Force]], resulted in her overturning and sinking in shallow water.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205023347 | title=Photograph C 4622 |work=Royal Air Force Operations In Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940–1945 | publisher=Imperial War Museum |access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref>

==Post-war==
In 1946, officials of the Italian steamship line proposed to salvage ''Rex'' and recommission it. However, the liner had been sunk in a portion of the harbor allocated to [[Yugoslavia]], which blocked any recovery. The remains of ''Rex'' - about one-third of the ship, including [[double bottom]], boilers, and engines - are located off the [[Slovenia]]n coast in the Gulf of [[Koper]]. The rest was scavenged for scrap iron in the 1950s by the local government; it was said that the ship was the largest Slovenian "iron mine" at the time.<ref>Kralj M. [http://www.rex-mk.si/rex/index.html Rex] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724062956/http://www.rex-mk.si/rex/index.html |date=24 July 2008 }}. Accessed 18 July 2008. {{in lang|sl}}</ref> Since 1954, after the formal annexation of Zone B of the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] to Yugoslavia, an anchor claimed to be from ''Rex'' has been on display in [[Congress Square]] of the Slovenian capital [[Ljubljana]] to symbolize the defeat of fascist expansionism. Though claimed to be from the liner, this anchor is not of the dreadnought style that ''Rex'' had.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}

The transatlantic crossing record of ''Rex'' heralded a peak in Italy's cultural emergence; a lasting source of inspiration and national pride. In 1963 [[Peroni Brewery#Nastro Azzurro|Peroni Nastro Azzurro]] was named for the "Blue Ribbon" (''Nastro Azzurro'') which ''Rex'' won.<ref>[http://www.millerbrands.co.uk/beers/peroni/campaigns/Pages/home.aspx]{{dead link|date=April 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Peroni Nastro Azzurro Campaigns. Retrieved on 4 April 2013.</ref>

==In popular culture==
The ship was featured in the 1973 film ''[[Amarcord]]'', representing the "greatest thing the [Italian] regime ever built."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rowin |first1=Michael Joshua |title=A Man for All Seasons |url=http://www.reverseshot.org/reviews/entry/157/amarcord |publisher=Reverse Shot}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080110014029/http://classicliners.nicholaswwilson.com/ships/rex.htm Classic Liners of Long Ago]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080622140314/http://www.rex-mk.si/rex/ The Myth and the Legend, a page dedicated to the ship Rex] (sl,it,de)
*[http://www.greatships.net/rex.html ''Rex'', at "Great Ships"]
*{{citation |chapter-url=http://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/rex.html |chapter=The ''Rex'' and the ''Conte di Savoia'' |title=Shipping Wonders of the World |year=1937 |pages=1341–1345 |editor-first=Clarence |editor-last=Winchester }}, illustrated description of ''Rex'' and ''Conte di Savoia''

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{s-bef|before=''[[SS Europa (1928)|Europa]]''}}
{{s-ttl|title=Holder of the [[Blue Riband]] (Westbound)|years=1933 &ndash; 1935}}
{{s-aft|after=''[[SS Normandie|Normandie]]''}}
{{s-bef|before= None}}
{{s-ttl|title=Holder of the [[Hales Trophy]] |years=August 1935 &ndash; October 1935}}
{{s-aft|after=''[[SS Normandie|Normandie]]''}}
{{end}}

{{September 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{Coord|45|32|56|N|13|41|31|E|type:landmark_scale:2500|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rex}}
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Steamships]]
[[Category:Blue Riband holders]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Italy]]
[[Category:Merchant ships sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by British aircraft]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Adriatic Sea]]
[[Category:1931 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1944]]
[[Category:Ships built in Genoa]]
[[Category:Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of Italy]]