A lovely reminder of just how beautiful these ships really were.

I remember thinking while growing up in Cape Town (which of course became a regular port of call on Marconi and Galileo's route after the Suez blockade of '67) that the Italian sisters looked like science fiction spaceships that somehow landed in the ocean; their styling was so staggeringly modern compared to most other merchant vessels at the time.

Truly still my favourites — the impressions of childhood last a lifetime.

Thanks for this, and all the other stunning and historically significant photos you've been uploading. I've been following along with great interest.