SS Conte Biancamano Passenger Lists (1927–1951) – Voyages Between Italy and America
🚢 Review and Summary of the SS Conte Biancamano Passenger Lists (1927–1951)
The index page for the SS Conte Biancamano Passenger Lists is a fascinating window into the mid-20th-century era of Italian ocean travel. The GG Archives presents digitized passenger lists spanning from 1927 to 1951, covering both the ship’s early years under the Lloyd Sabaudo Line and later service with the Italia Line.
1927-06-30 SS Conte Biancamano Passenger List
Steamship Line: Lloyd Sabaudo
Class of Passengers: First Cabin
Date of Departure: 30 June 1927
Route: New York to Genoa via Gibraltar and Naples
Commander: Captain Giuseppe Turchi
1950-05-26 SS Conte Biancamano Passenger List
Steamship Line: Italia – Società di Navigazione
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 26 May 1950
Route: New York to Genoa via Lisbon, Gibraltar, and Naples
Commander: Captain Luigi Gulinelli
1950-08-11 SS Conte Biancamano Passenger List
Steamship Line: Italia Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 11 August 1950
Route: Genoa to New York via Naples, Gibraltar, and Lisbon
Commander: Captain Pasquale Pezzuto
1950-09-14 SS Conte Biancamano Passenger List
Steamship Line: Italia Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 14 September 1950
Route: Genoa to New York via Naples, Gibraltar, and Lisbon
Commander: Captain Pasquale Pezzuto
1951-08-12 SS Conte Biancamano Passenger List
Steamship Line: Italia Soc. An. Di Navigazione
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 12 August 1951
Route: Genoa to Halifax and New York via Naples and Gibraltar
Commander: Captain Pasquale Pezzuto
✨ Most Engaging Features
Long Timespan of Coverage (1927–1951) – The lists highlight the Conte Biancamano’s transition from the interwar years through the post-WWII migration wave. Few ships demonstrate such continuity.
Detailed Voyage Information – Each entry specifies the date of departure, class of passengers, route, steamship line, and captain’s name, giving genealogists and historians key research anchors.
Artistic Covers & Souvenir Value – Several entries feature front covers of the original booklets, which not only provided passenger names but also showcased Italian design and maritime elegance.
Notable Captains – The named commanders (e.g., Captain Giuseppe Turchi, Captain Luigi Gulinelli, Captain Pasquale Pezzuto) offer opportunities for maritime researchers to trace careers of Italian merchant navy officers.
Transatlantic Routes – Voyages between New York, Genoa, Naples, Gibraltar, Lisbon, and Halifax reveal both the economic and migratory networks that tied Italy to North America in the first half of the 20th century.
📚 Relevance for Teachers, Students, Genealogists, and Historians
Genealogists 👨👩👧 – These passenger lists are invaluable for tracing Italian-American roots, offering names, sailing dates, and the exact routes ancestors traveled.
Teachers & Students 🎓 – The materials illuminate immigration history, post-war migration trends, and the broader role of Italy in transatlantic exchange.
Historians 🕰️ – The documentation shows how passenger travel adapted between the glamorous interwar years and the austerity of the 1950s.
Collectors 💼 – Original souvenir lists are increasingly rare; the covers by Italian designers and the presence of multiple passenger classes make these artifacts highly desirable.
⚓ Historical Context
Launched in 1925, the SS Conte Biancamano was among Italy’s most famous liners, later seized during WWII and returned to Italy as part of postwar reparations. Her passenger lists chart the flow of diplomats, tourists, emigrants, and postwar returnees, providing a human dimension to the geopolitical shifts of the 20th century.
🔗 Related Materials on GG Archives
- Conte Biancamano Ship Information and Ephemera
- Genoa Passenger Lists 1896-1954
- Gibraltar Passenger Lists 1893-1954
- Naples, Italy Passenger Lists 1894-1954
- New York (Ellis Island) Passenger Lists 1910-1929
- New York (Ellis Island) Passenger Lists 1940-1966
- Italian Passenger Lists 1893-1954
- Ellis Island Passenger Lists - 1927
- Italian Steamship Lines: A Legacy of Transatlantic Travel & Immigration (Passenger Lists, Ship Histories, & Ephemera)
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.
📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.
