Arizona republican., 1919-07-02
HOW TWO DARING ITALIANS
 SANK THE VIRIBUS UNITS
CWebb and Marion Waldron in Col
 Hers Weekly)

(Webb and Marion Waldron in Col
 Hers Weekly)
 More than a year ago two Italians, Major Rosetti and Lieutenant Paoluccf, worked out a scheme for sinking en- emy ships. The essential part of the device was mine wrapped in a high " magnetic coil This mine was to be carried in a tiny craft made of two air cylinders driven by a little motor. Between the cylinders sat a steers man, with only his head above water. When this strange craft had crept to within a hundred yards or so of an enemy warship, the mine would be released and magnetic force would pull it to the ship. A time mechanism would delay the explosion till the air cylinder boat" could get to a safe distance.
 Rosetti and Paolucci couldn't inter- est the Italian navy in their idea, but they went ahead with their plans. B.,- sides constructing two boats" and several magnetic mines, they sys- tematica1ly hardened themselves to long exposure in the water. Finally, late in October, 1918, they got permis- sion to make a trial
 On the evening of November 1 a
 
 of the Austrian mine field, a few miles outside Pola- There they launched their "boats' and started out, steering for Pola. When they came to a tor pedo net they stopped, showed it down and slid over it But there were more nets than they had expected, and the channels among the islands are hard to follow by the time they reached the inner harbor dawn was. al ready coming They stole to within a hundred yards of the nearest Aus trian battleship-it happened to be the Niribus Unitis, the f1agship-released their mines, and turned back for the harbor entrance. At this moment a sentry on the Viribus spied the two human heads moving with strange speed over the surface of the water. He shouted. Rosetti and Paoluci steered on, but bullet sang close. and a few minutes later a swift launch set off in pursuit. They were overtaken, hauled out of the water, and they and their boats" taken back to the battle ship.
 No one had observed the two mines that had fastened themselves to the ships side, and the two Italians steeled themselves for the terrific explosion they knew would come in a few mo- ments. But, as soon as they got on board, they discovered an astounding thing. There had been a revolution the day before; the fleet wasn't in the hands of the Austrians, but of the .Iugoslavs. A Jugoslav named Vu- kovic commanded the Viribus Unitis:
 Rosetti and Paolucci didn't know exactly what a Jugoslav revolution meant-at least the ship wasn't Aus trian anymore. So, after an instant's hesitation they cried to Vukovic-who had come on deck himself-that his ship would be blown up in a moment or so, and appealed to him to order his men to the boats. Vukovic hesi- tated for an instant too suspectins some trick But as Rosetti and Pao- lucci protested frantically he gavs permission for the men to leave The report of the mines had spread; the crew didn't bother with boats; they leaped overheard en masse, the two Italians with them-just in time. The Virfbus Unitis was driven upward by a fearful shock, then sagged ant plunged to the bottom, Vukovit with it.
 When Rosetti and Paolucci go ashore they were thrown in jail; the1 were still suspected of some plo against the Jugoslavs. They stayed il jaif until the Italians took possession of Pola a week or so later.