Queen & 'Rex'

The boot that is Italy continued to be studded with bombs last week, as it has been for more than a fortnight (TIME, July 27). One, unexploded, was found dangling outside a frontier guard's window in the village of Mattegna, near Trieste. Another went off with a blast at 1:40 a. m. in a Genoa street, breaking windows and giving officials the scare of their lives. For the King was arriving.

Shortly before 8 a. m. the King did arrive. His special train swooped in on a special track, traversed the yards of Ansaldo Shipbuilding Co. and rolled directly under the object of his visit, the 15,000-ton hull of Navigazione Generale Italiana's new 50,000-ton liner Rex, which was to be launched in a few minutes, with Queen Elena as sponsor. This vessel, which has been made ready for launching in 15 months and is expected to be commissioned by September 1932, is designed to be the fastest transatlantic ship afloat, capable of 27 or more knots and crossing from Naples to New York in seven days. It will carry 2,250 passengers of five classes, a crew of 800. Length: 879.66 ft. Beam: 101.68 ft. New: for lifeboats, 20 motor launches, each carrying 150 people. Because of the night's bombing, hundreds of soldiers lined the yards as the Queen stepped forward. At 8:02 a. m. the Rex started down the ways, splashed; the Queen waved; the King turned, hastened to dedicate a new sailors' home. Then, instead of going into the city as planned, the royal party ate aboard the train, hastened out of Genoa.

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