The SS Kaiser Franz Joseph I was an Austro-Hungarian passenger liner built by Cantiere Navale Triestino for the Cosulich Line.

The Kaiser Franz Joseph I, now the Presidente Wilson of the Cosulich Line was sold to another Italian company until WWII began.

She was christened on 9 September 1911 by Archduchess Maria Josepha and Navy Commander Admiral Count Rudolf Montecuccoli and was launched on the same day.

[3] In 1918, after the Armistice of Villa Giusti and the surrender of Austria-Hungary, the ship was commissioned by the Italian Navy as a troopship and was renamed Generale A. Diaz.

In 1940 When WWII broke out, the ship was decommissioned for passenger service and served as a troop transport until she was laid up in La Spezia in 1943.