Evening star., 1918-06-13
ENEMY BATTLESH|P
LOSS THRILLS ITALY
Officials Report Sinking of
One Austrian Dreadnaught,
Damaging of Another.
HEROIC DEED OF RIzzO

The Italian government has officially
announced the torpedoing Of an Aus
trian dreadnaught and the damaging
Of another by Italian torpedo boats
near the Dalmatian Islands. The Scent
1stvan is the one referred to as having
been sunk. This battleship displaced
20,010 tons and carried a complement
of 1000 men.
Commanders Graphic Story.
By the Associated Press.
VENICE, Wednesday, June 12.-
Commander Rizzo, whose remarkable
exploit in sinking an Austrian battle
ship in the Adriatic has thrilled Italy,
tells graphic story of the encounter
in which he took part, and during
which another Austrian battleship
was either badly damaged or destroy
ed by another motor boat, in charge
of Commander Millazo. 1t is possible
that 1000 sailors were lost during the
encounter.
am sorry for the sailors who lost
their lives" he said, in beginning his
story, but am glad that we got the
dreadnaughts. Why they had ven
tured out of Pola harbor no one
Knows, but, 1t was certainly foolish
for them to do so.
II was on patrol scout duty as usual
on the Dalmatia coast near Pass Selve,
between the islands of Asinello and
Premuda. l had just finished my pa
troll, and, as it would soon be day
1 Nl f~p
about ten miles away l saw a great
enveloping cloud of smoke 1t ap-
peared like blot through the early
light. thought at first it was some
boat which had discovered me and
was giving chase. 1 determined that
and get It before It got me. Here
Is where my luck, as my friends cali
1t, look like misfortune, as 1t Is no
fun to be chased.
best of a bad fix. After turning back
l said to my two crews Of ten men
to each boat:
".Fellows. the Italian scout boats
have been waiting for two years, and
the whole Italian navy has been try
three years: Are you willing to risk
all on a chance of obtaining glory
and the country's gratitude?"
TO man they answered yes
we were speeding back with car
motors mufned. when to my amaze
ment discovered two battIeships
surrounded by number of DESTROY
ers. which later I counted as ten. /
assigned the second battleship to the
other motorboat, while l took the
first.
II whipped inside the line of de-
stroyers. between the third and
fourth of these craft was not
noticed in the light fog. The water
was smooth and my torpedoes got off
nicely. My first. with a fve-hundred-
pound charge. struck the first dread
naught between the two tunnels,
while the second struck her Just aft
the second funnel AS the torpedoes
exploded 1 saw the mighty ship
rose high in the air and black smoke
welled up from the rents in her side.
Then / ran for it, escaping between
the second and third destroyers in
the line. I was discovered by the
fourth destroyer. which gave chase at
me. ! was too close. however, to be
hit. Then 1 dropped a depth charge
against submarines. Fortunately for
us. it exploded under the destroyer.
II saw her leap into the air, turn
sharply and then stop. giving up the
chase. and permitting us to escape.
The other destroyers were busy irving
to save the lives of the sailors on the
dreadnaughts."
equal to Battle Won,
ROME. Wednesday. June 12-"The
splendid exploit on the Dalmatian
coast is equivalent to a great naval
battle won." says the Idea Nazionaie
commenting on the achievement ~
Commander Rizzo. The newspaper he
iieves that the two Austrian battle
ships torpedoed by the two ,tornedo
boats under his command were lost
Commander Rizzo is the same officer
who entered the port OF Trieste and
torpedoed the Austrian battlesh;n
Wien: December 9. 1917.
This time" says the newspaper
some OF the largest ships Of the Aus.
trian fleet left Pola, from which thew
had never issued since the berinning
Of the war. but which is now cons
sidered unsafe after the audacious
exploit Of Commander Pellegrini' who
succeeded in entering that harbor and
torpedoing a dreadnaught.
Austria has lost altogether three NJ
her greatest naval units of the Vfribis
Units type and has only one left.