GI Brides of World War II

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Vulcania Vulcania Liner (1f/2m). L/B: 631.4 × 79.8 (192.4m × 24.3m). Tons: 23,970 grt. Hull: steel. Comp.: 1st 310, 2nd 460, intermediate 310, 3rd 700. Mach.: motorship, 2 screws; 19 kts. Built: Cantiere Navale Triestino, Monfalcone, Italy; 1928. The second of three near-sister ships built for Italy's Cosulich Line (the others were Saturnia and Urania), Vulcania is considered one of the most successful passenger ships ever built. During her career she carried more passengers than any other Italian-flag ship. In the prewar years she had four classes and regularly called at ten ports: Trieste, Venice, Patras, Messina, Palermo, Naples, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Halifax, and New York; in the mid-1930s she also undertook Caribbean cruises. In 1937, she was given new engines, then the most powerful diesel machinery ever fitted in a ship, which increased her service speed to twenty-one knots. Vulcania's wartime service began with special trooping duties during the Italian-Ethiopian war in 1935. She resumed her transatlantic sailings until Italy entered World War II in June 1940. Requisitioned as a troop transport, she sailed in support of Italy's North African campaign, and in 1942, under charter to the Red Cross, she repatriated refugees from East Africa. Italy surrendered in 1943 and Vulcania later saw duty as a U.S. troopship. Formally requisitioned after the war, she made six voyages for American Export Line before reverting to Italia. Vulcania made one voyage to South America in 1947 before entering express service between Genoa, Naples, and New York. When Andrea Doria and Cristoforo Colombo joined the fleet in 1955, Vulcania and Saturnia resumed their prewar schedule until 1965. Sold to Grimaldi-Siosa Line and renamed Caribia, she ran as an immigrant ship between Southampton, Vigo, and Lisbon, and various Caribbean islands, before being put into Mediterranean cruise service. After stranding near Nice, France, she was sold to three different ship breakers in turn—Italian, Spanish, and Taiwanese—and arrived at Kao-Hsiung for scrapping on July 20, 1974. Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway. Braynard & Miller, Fifty Famous Liners 2. Evelyne A Loewe; 21 Mar 1946; , Belgium > Seattle, WA - From daughter, < a href="mailto:parisaviv@gmail.com"> Vivian Sutton Fernande A. [Comte] Mead, Mar. 21, 1946, Paris, France > Schenectady, New York from daughter, Michelle Doreen (Anning) Rallis; 17 Feb. 1946, England > Lowell, MA from daughter, Katherine Marie Elizabeth (Downing) Brady; March 1946, Flackwell Heath, Buckinghamshire, England > Valley Stream,Long Island, New York from son, Bill Evelyn Tuss; , Durham, England > Lewistown, Montana Germaine Marie (Bertrand) Moses; Aug. 1945, Namur, Belgium > US (from daughter, Angie) Paulette Limousin Giovanniello; Mar. 12, 1946, Paris, France > Brockton, MA Bonnie (Wainwright) Keck; Feb. 1946, Huntingdon, England > Washington, Iowa *Simonne Migden; March 1946, France > US Yvonne Merau Ross Lillian Woolmore Bridges, March 21, 1946; England > Kentwood, La. Ginette Fouassier Huerta; March 1946; LeMans, France > Ingleside, Texas. BACK TO LIST