SS Duilio was the first Italian super ocean liner and one of the largest Italian merchant fleets up until 1925. She was weighed 24,281 gross tons and was the sister of the SS Giulio Cesare, which was launched in 1921. She was constructed for the Italian shipping company “Navigazione Generale Italiana” based in Genoa and constructed by Ansaldo Shipyard owned by Sestri Ponente.SS Duilio was laid down in 1914 and launched on January 9, 1916 in the Ansaldo Yard but was not completed until 1923.