Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-09-04
Rizzo Describes How Two Motor
Boats Sank Two Austrian
BattIeShips.
MOST DARING FEAT OF war
Whole Thing Didn't Take More Than
Quarter OF an Hour--Motor Boats
Crew Go Mad With Joy Over
Their Success.
BY BEATRICE BASKERVILLE.
un the New York WORLDLY

feat of the war. began his sea career
as officer in the Italian merchant serv-
ice. Not till Italy entered the war
was he acquainted with the royal
navy. He is under thirty, dark-eyed,
quiet, has largish features which look
as though they were cut out of steel.
a square jaw and a slower manner of
speaking than most Italians.
When l first asked him, during
his short stay in Ancona port, for
particulars of his sinking of the st.
Stephen and the Prince Eugene, Aus
tria's two largest ships, he modestly
replied that he was no talker, and
that for the rest he had to start off
for Genoa in very short while. But
when he learned that The World cor
respondent had travelled from Rome
| to hear him talk and that it would
not take long, he yielded.
ain the Creeping Dawn"
at was on the 10th of this month";"
he said. Il was returning to port
after one of those humble and hard
| missions which we sailors have had
| to perform all the while these three
| years. l had made up my mind to
| leave the enemys coast, when, In the
creeping dawn, l saw the smoke COM
! ing out of tunnels, about 5000 yards
Off. l thought we were found out
| and being chased by the enemy. 1t
was hopeless to try to run away, so l
| turned my two motor boats. the sec
| ond being commanded by Head Steers
man (now LeutenanD Aonzo, and
made for the enemy.
LAS the dawn grew l saw we were
| In for a large convoy of destroyers
escorting two floating cyclops, of the
viribus Units type, which is the larg-
est dreadnaught type in the Austrian
navy. They had four at the begin
| ming of the war; on the 9th Of June
they had three. Now they have only
| one left.
Here we are at last said to my
men. This is a holldayp
| 1--WE had not much in the way of
arms-two torpedoes on each boat,
eight, small enough to be thrown by
hand, between us, and two machine
guns. But this was a chance we would
never get again If we waited thou
sand years, so l took it.
Three Clean Hits.
"Aonzo was to slip around to the
| left and attack the Virlbus Units
dreadnaught that made up the rear,
| and which we now know was the
| Prince Eugene. / was to make for
| the sister ship, which we now know
was the st. Stephen. / slowed down
| to silence my motors, but as soon as
| | was well within the line of conveys
l went forward at full speed. Our
men held their breath. My motorist
had a quiet fit every time the engine
| made q little noise. Another moment
and the enemy saw US. Then began
a furious cannOnade.
"AOnzo sent his first torpedo, but it
did not work. His second hit the
giant full in her poop. Then | fol-
lowed with my two biscuits, precise,
obedient and sure The first landed
between the st. Stephens tunnels, in
the boiler compartment; the second
under her tower"
"After That 1t Was He'll"
The commandant paused. evidently
reviewing events, then went on:
after that 1t was hell. There was
a storm from their guns and mud
died crowd of destroyers encircled the
two giants, which were beginning TO
sink. Some chased my boat. l saw
must either get out into the open like
a dart or perish. With a violent jerk
we turned our boat on herself and
made for it. But a destroyer baked
our path. So / jerked round to the
left and rushed right under the prov
of the st. Stephen, now almost swal-
lowed by the sea. Aonzo took the
chance he got by their attacking me
and made of too. The same destroy
er that barred his way went for me.
sour motor boats were only a hun
bred yards apart. 1t was just as If
we were trying to escape from loco
motive by running along the railroad.
The cannons buzzed and roared round
our heads. | thought a dose of the
machine gun would do them good, but
1t didn't. They were very close and
our moment seemed to have come.
Like angry mastiffs they rushed after
us, their sprows looming over US from
above. Then I tried them with two
torpedoes. The first fell foul, but the
second hit its mark. There was a
terrific explosion and the destroyer
wobbled and began to turn over. l
made for safety as hard as l knew
how:
THE whole thing. from the time
we attacked till l fired that second
torpedo against the chasing destroyer.
didn't take more than quarter OF
an hour.