SS Roma was a 30,000 gross register ton ocean liner

Ocean liner

An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...

 built for the Italian shipping company Navigazione Generale Italiana

Navigazione Generale Italiana

Navigazione Generale Italiana was an Italian shipping company formed in 1881 by the merger of I & V. Florio of Palermo and Raffaele Rubattino of Genoa...

 of Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

 by Ansaldo shipyard in Sestri Ponente

Sestri Ponente

Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente municipio of Genoa.-Geography:It is situated on the Ligurian Sea to the west of the city, between Cornigliano and Pegli...

. She was the sister ship to MS Augustus

MS Augustus

MS Augustus was a combined ocean liner and cruise ship built in 1927 for Navigazione Generale Italiana. The ship was later transferred to the new Italian Line after the merger of Navigazione Generale Italiana. Her sister ship was SS Roma-History:...

. The ship was later transferred to the new Italian Line

Italian Line

The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America...

 after the merger of Navigazione Generale Italiana.
Following the end of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, many shipping companies were waiting to have enough money to build a new liners. Navigazione Generale Italiana

Navigazione Generale Italiana

Navigazione Generale Italiana was an Italian shipping company formed in 1881 by the merger of I & V. Florio of Palermo and Raffaele Rubattino of Genoa...

 ordered two new 30,000 gross tons transatlantic ocean liners to Ansaldo shipyard.