SS Cristoforo Colombo Ship Model 34.3″

The SS Cristoforo Colombo is an Italian ocean liner built in the 1950s, serving as the sister ship to the SS Andrea Doria. Cristoforo Colombo was constructed at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa. Andrea Doria was built around the time of Cristoforo Colombo’s completion. Launched in 1953, Cristoforo Colombo was ready for her maiden voyage in 1954. Upon her debut, Cristoforo Colombo surpassed Andrea Doria in size, making her Italy’s largest merchant vessel.

In the spring of 1964, Cristoforo Colombo transported the Pietà from the Vatican to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The Pietà was placed in a specially designed crate filled with foam padding, lowered onto a rubber base in the first-class swimming pool, the area least susceptible to damage. During the actual loading process, Cristoforo Colombo was placed in dry dock to prevent her from shifting and endangering the crate and its contents. Only easily removable hooks were used to secure the crate so it could be easily lifted in case of an emergency. In the event of Cristoforo Colombo sinking during the voyage, the crate was designed to float. In New York, the cargo crate was hoisted by heavy-duty cranes onto a barge positioned alongside the ship.

Cristoforo Colombo and Leonardo da Vinci served as Italy’s flagship ocean liners in the North Atlantic until 1965, when the SS Michelangelo and SS Raffaello were put into service.