SS Presidente Wilson

The SS Presidente Wilson was built by Cantiere Navale Triestino, Monfalcone (engines by D.Rowan & Co, Glasgow) for the Austrian Company, Unione Austriaca of Trieste. She was a 12,567 gross ton ship, length 477.5ft x beam 60.2ft, two funnels, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 17 knots. There was accommodation for 125-1st, 550-2nd and 1,230-3rd class passengers. Launched on 9 September 1911 as the "Kaiser Franz Josef I", she sailed from Trieste on her maiden voyage to Buenos Aires in February 1912. On 25 May 1912 she started her first voyage from Trieste to Patras, Palermo, Algiers and New York, and commenced her last sailing on this service on 13 June 1914. At the outbreak of the war in August 1914, she was at Trieste, and after the war, Trieste changed from Austrian to Italian rule and the company changed to Cosulich Societa Triestina di Navigazione. In 1919 she was renamed "Presidente Wilson" and on 5 May 1919 commenced her first voyage from Genoa to Marseilles and New York under the Inter-Allied flag and carrying mostly troops. On June 24 1919 she commenced her first sailing from Trieste to Messina, Naples and New York, also with a large number of troops. It was not until her third peacetime voyage, and her first under the Italian flag, that she left Trieste on September 12 1919 for Patras, Naples and New York with 97-1st, 371-2nd and 623-3rd class passengers. Between 1925-26 she was converted to oil fuel, and in November 1929 she commenced her last sailing from Trieste to Naples, New York (dep. 7 December 1929), Boston, Naples and Trieste. In 1930 she went to Lloyd Triestino and was renamed "Gange", and in 1936 went to Adriatica and was renamed "Marco Polo".On May 12 1944 she was scuttled by the Germans at Spezia and in 1949-50 was refloated and scrapped. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.3, p.1332] - [Posted to The ShipsList by Ted Finch - 18 March 1998]