The Restyled Conte Grande

Heard from the Promenade Deck

A classic looking ocean liner, and like her near-sister Conte Biancamano, Conte Grande was refitted and modernized after World War II. It had a new look – sleek and more modern. In ways, it defied its true age – coming out of the mid 1920s.

This 25,661-tonner was built for Lloyd Sabaudo, but transferred to the Italian Line in 1932. Used on both the Italy to New York and South America services, it was seized by the Brazilian Government at Santos in 1940 and later transferred to the US government and used as the troopship USS Monticello. Returned to the Italians in 1947, it was thoroughly rebuilt and in service until scrapped in 1961.