ITALIAN LINE MARCO POLO of 1948

The Italian passenger ship fleet suffered extensive losses during WW2 including all their larger and more famous liners. The post-war rebuilding of the passenger ship fleet was started with the fitting out of six cargo ships into passenger-cargo liners of the Navigatori class.
Depicted in the company post card is the motor ship MARCO POLO of 1948, used by Italian Line on the Mediterranean to South America services until 1963.
Constructed at the Sestri Ponente Ansaldo yard the MARCO POLO was launched on 10 May 1942 under the name NOCCOLÒ GIANI only to be scuttled on 2 September 1944 by the Germans in Genoa. The damaged hull was raised in January 1947 and the ship was rebuilt as the MARCO POLO (8.949 grt / 1948) sailing from Genoa to Brazil and the River Plate on 7 August 1948 on her maiden voyage. Original passenger capacity to carry 95 cabin and 620 third-class passengers.
She did her final Italia voyage from Valparaiso in June 1963 and was transferred to Lloyd Triestino, operating on the South African service as a cargo-passenger liner until 1978. Scrapped at La Spezia in 1978.
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