SS ''Giulio Cesare'' was initially a

liner A low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) is a type of galactic nucleus that is defined by its spectral line emission. The spectra typically include line emission from weakly ionized or neutral atoms, such as O, O+, N+, and S+. ...

of the

Navigazione Generale Italiana Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI) was an Italian shipping company. History The company formed in 1881 by the merger of '' I & V. Florio'' of Palermo and ''Raffaele Rubattino'' of Genoa. At the time of the merger, the two companies both operate ...

, which was later operated by the

Italian Line Italian Line and from 1992 Italia Line, whose official name was Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America. During ...

. The ship was used to transport first class, second class, and tourist-class passengers.

Features

A feature of this ship was the Club situated on the boat-deck, with a bar. The ship also featured a saloon dining room, galleries, a ballroom, and other function rooms. Second class was situated amidships. ''Talkie'' apparatus were also fitted to the ship and a long-distance wireless telephone was also available. The tourist class accommodation was situated astern and also had several public rooms. The tourist passengers shared an open-air swimming pool with the 2nd class passengers.

Service history

The ship was used on

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

-South America voyages but also served North American ports. Until 1925 the SS ''Giulio Cesare'' and the SS ''Duilio'' were the two largest ships in the Italian merchant fleet. In November 1933, she was reconditioned and made ready to serve on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

-South Africa Service. In 1935, she collided with the German steamship ''Barenfels'' in the harbour of

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. This collision was deemed to be the fault of the German steamship and the captain and crew were detained along with the ship. In 1942, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, SS ''Giulio Cesare'' was chartered to the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

for a time before being laid-up in the port of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

. SS ''Giulio Cesare'' was sunk by SAAF

Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

s from No. 16 Squadron on 28 August 1944. Upon returning from their mission, the airmen who sank the ship were reprimanded as their commanders believed that they had sunk a hospital ship."Beaufighter navigator interview: Brian Hickey" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGG-L4pPOYQ

Gallery

File:SS Guilio Cesare (1).jpg, First Class Outward Ticket Series B for S.S. ''Giulio Cesare'' sailing on 7 July 1923 from New York to Naples, Italy File:SS Giulio Cesare rocket attack (28 August 1944, Trieste harbour).jpg, Final rocket attack on 28 August 1944 File:GiulioCesareTicketFront.jpg, The front of a Second Class Ticket for S.S. Giulio Cesare that sailed on 5 September 1925 from Naples, Italy to New York. File:GiulioCesareTicketBack.jpg, The back of a Second Class Ticket for S.S. Giulio Cesare that sailed on 5 September 1925 from Naples, Italy to New York.

References

External links

Grace's Guide – Swan Hunter 1920
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giulio Cesare Passenger ships of Italy Steamships Ocean liners 1920 ships Maritime incidents in 1935 Merchant ships sunk by aircraft Maritime incidents in July 1944 Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar Ships sunk by South African aircraft