Swimming into Pula
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fredleander
- Pilota
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:46 am
- Location: Stockholm
Swimming into Pula
While serving with the UNPROFOR in Former Yugoslavia in 1994/95 I had the opportunity to see the ancient naval base in Pula. Then came to mind a story I vaguely remembered of an Italian naval officer actually swimming into the Austro-Hungarian base with a torpedo or explosive device. That must have been one of the most extraordinary military feats of all time!
www.fredleander.com - a book on Operation Sealion
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Vincent Biondi
- Generale di Divisone Aerea
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:48 am
- Location: Niagara On The Lake, On. Canada
Hi Fredleander
You are talking about the sinking of the Viribus Unitis battleship.
Viribus Unitis was sunk by a limpet mine planted by frogmen of the Italian Regia Marina on November 1 1918.
The two men of the Regia Marina, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti, rode a primitive manned torpedo (nicknamed the Mignatta or "leech") into the Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola. Using limpet mines, they then sank the Viribus Unitis as well as the freighter Wien.
Vincent.
You are talking about the sinking of the Viribus Unitis battleship.
Viribus Unitis was sunk by a limpet mine planted by frogmen of the Italian Regia Marina on November 1 1918.
The two men of the Regia Marina, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti, rode a primitive manned torpedo (nicknamed the Mignatta or "leech") into the Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola. Using limpet mines, they then sank the Viribus Unitis as well as the freighter Wien.
Vincent.