Today is the 75 anniversary of the sinking of the Battleship Rome and of the destroyers Da Nola and Vivaldi, which occurred in North Sardinia on 9 September 1943, following a German air attack.
Precisely for these events with Decree Law n. 260 of 27 May 1949 has been arranged the institution of the "Day of Memory of the Sailors Disappeared in the Sea", which the Navy celebrates each year in Brindisi (at the Monument to the Sailor of Italy ) and Porto Torres (on land and at sea near the sinking point), perennial memory of the sacrifice of military and civilian sailors who disappeared at sea.
During the months of July and August 2018, just to honor the sacrifice of those sailors, the Vieste minehunter of the Navy conducted research activities to relocate the wreck of the flagship unit of the Royal Navy.
The sunken hull of the Armored Rome, which became a military shrine and guardian of the remains of 1.393 Mariani perished at sea, had already been located in the 2012 after decades of research at over 1.200 meters and about 16 miles from the coast of the Gulf of Asinara , just in the north of Sardinia.
For the first time in history, thanks to the help of the technology that distinguishes the autonomous wire-guided vehicles supplied on board of the Vieste ship, several sections of the wreck have been identified, results reversed and, in some cases buried, inside the deep canyon of Castelsardo, on a particularly impervious and rocky seabed.
The activities carried out by the Vieste ship have among other things brought to light numerous exceptional details of the hull and superstructures, such as the stern part, the forward part where there is the presence of one of the "Pugliese" cylinders - used at the time to the absorption of underwater explosions - as well as the midship superstructures such as the command bridge, the wheelhouse, the signal station, the towers containing medium and large caliber weapons, a sled of the stern catapult for launching reconnaissance seaplanes type RO43, an anti-aircraft battery consisting of 6 guns, range finders and the "admiral bridge", the latter symbol of the Battleship Roma where Admiral Bergamini gave his last orders on 9 September 1943, before making his heroic gesture sinking with the ship.
These incredible high-resolution images were captured in real time by the underwater vehicle of Vieste, which operates at high depths, up to altitudes higher than 1.500 meters, using a console managed by specialized Navy personnel on board the ship.
This activity has a very strong dual and complementary value, confirming the capabilities that the Navy can make available to the community, the superintendencies, the research world, the academic world and institutions.
The historical importance of the research carried out is the umpteenth testimony of the commitment of the Navy in the maintenance of the historical memory of the past and of the memory of the Sailors who fell in the performance of their duty, men who sacrificed their lives in the service of our country .
IN DEPTH:
The Battleship Roma it was a battle ship belonging to the Littorio class, symbol of the excellence of the Italian shipbuilding industry of the first years of the last century. Built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico and delivered to Navy the 14 Jun 1942, was damaged by a US air bombardment almost a year later while it was at anchor La Spezia. The damage suffered in this circumstance forced her to return to operation only the 13 1943 August. The 9 September 1943 following the dramatic events that led to the announcement of the signing of the armory of the 8 September, all the Naval Units present in Genoa and La Spezia, under the command of Admiral Bergamini, took the sea not to risk finish in German hand. The 9 September, at the 16: 00 approximately, the naval formation was reached by the German bombers and in 28 minutes the flagship, for a tragic fatality due to the explosion of a radio-controlled bomb inside the ammunition depot of the Tower B by 381 mm , dripped with all his crew, over 1200 sailors lost their lives, including Admiral Bergamini and a large part of his Staff.