[1] She held the westbound Blue Riband between 1933 and 1935, for a passenger liner in regular service crossing the Atlantic Ocean with the record highest average speed.

Following North German Lloyd's successful capture of the Blue Riband with its Bremen and Europa duo of ocean liners, Rex was intended to be Italy's effort to do the same.

Rex sported a long hull with a moderately raked bow and two working funnels with the colours of the Italian flag (red, white and green stripes), but still featured the old-type overhanging counter stern (also known as a fantail) found on such liners as Olympic and Aquitania.

Half her passengers requested to leave, preferring to reach Germany's coasts and take Europa; arriving in New York they found Rex already at dock.

[5] In August 1933, Rex fulfilled the promises of her designers and captured the Blue Riband on its westbound crossing from the Bremen with a time of four days and thirteen hours, with an average speed of 28.92 knots (53.56 km/h; 33.28 mph).

[7] Following the outbreak of war, both Rex and Conte di Savoia continued regular Mediterranean cruises as if totally unaffected by events to the north.

The remains of Rex - about one-third of the ship, including double bottom, boilers, and engines - are located off the Slovenian coast in the Gulf of Capodistria.

[10] Since 1954, after the formal annexation of Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste to Yugoslavia, an anchor claimed to be from Rex has been on display in Congress Square of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana to symbolize the defeat of fascist expansionism.

[citation needed] The transatlantic crossing record of Rex heralded a peak in Italy's cultural emergence; a lasting source of inspiration and national pride.