The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-06
ITALIAN OFFICERS
SWAN NINE HOURS
TO SINK VIRIBUS
Story Of Brave Action Which Resulted in
the Sinking of Austria's Best War
ship Just Before the Ar
rnistice Was Signed.

Rome, Jan. 6 correspondence of the
Associated Press .--It was by swimming
into Pola harbor and steering two small
submarine motors towing bombs, that
two Italian naval officers destroyed the
Austrian dreadnought Viribus Units
just before the signing of the armistice
between Italy and Austria. The swim
mers were in the water nine hours and
had to penetrate four barriers across
the harbor entrance, two Of which were
composed of steel submarine nets. After
they had attached their bomb to the
side Of the dreadnought, they were cap
tlued and taken on board the vessel and
were there when the warship was blown
up
They escaped without injury and have
returned to Rome to tell of their exploit
which is characterized as one Of the most
daring and successful in the history of
naval warfare. Only the fact that the
Viribus Units had been destroyed by
Italian naval forces previously had been
made known but now the details have
been given out by the Italian admiralty.
The officers who thus sent to the bot
tom a 20,000-ton ship, one Of the most
powerful in the Austrian navy, were
Lieutenant Raffaele Paolucei and Major
Raffaele Rossetti The attack was de-
lievered on the morning OF Nov. /, 1918.
To tow the bombs into Pola harbor
the two Italians invented small com
pressed air motors to which were at.
tached bombs For six months the two
naval men praeticed in long distance
swimming The Italian admiralty gave
them the use of motor boat
Reaching the harbor entrance at night
fall, the two daring men started on their
expedition swimming beside their little
motors and steering them To escape de-
lection by sentries on wooden pier
across the harbor mouth. PaoIucci and
Rossetti had hats shaped like bottles
and the sentry saw nothing but couple
Of bottles being tossed about by the
waves. When his back was turned they
advanced and safely passed the first
barrier.
After infinite labor they fought their
way through the steel nets and the Aus.
trian fleet lay before them. Reaching the
side of the Niribus Units, they attached
he bomb to her hull beneath the ladder
which led to her deck and timed the
bomb to explode at $50 q. m.
By this time they were exhausted
having been in the water more than nine
hours. As they were leaving, they were
discovered and taken on board the dread
nought. At first they refused to answer
the questions asked them by Admira
Voucovich. At 6:l5, however, they tolt
the admiral what htey had done and hi
gave the order to abandon ship. Pao
lucci asked the admiral if he and his friend
might also try to save themselves and BIZ
shook hands saying, "You are brave mer
and deserve to live" They plunged into
the water and swan away. but ten min
utes later the admiral began to suspect
the bomb story and sent launch Il
bring them back. They were made tt
walk zip the ladder under which they haC
had set the bomb which was due to ex
plode in two minutes. The ladder was
crowded with sailors returning to Their
ship.
"Run, run for your lives" shouted
Psolueci, struggling to reach the decA
before the explosion took place. He ant
Rossetti had reached the deck. and ran tt
the stern of the dreadnought when (
terrific explosion rent the air and col
umn Of water 800 feet high shot upward
Admiral Voucovich again gave then
permission to save themselves and they
had been swimming away from the shiI
five minute when they heard another ex
poion and say that the other boml
which had been left adrift had been ear
ried by the current alongside the larg
Austrian liner Wien and had there ex
~ploded.
The Viribus Units was then lying Of
her side, but suddenly the huge shil
turned bottom up and Lieutenant Pao
lucci saw Admiral Eoueoyieh scramble
upward and stand with folded arms OF
the keel, ready to go down with his YES
sell
Major Rossetti and Lieutenant PaoIuc
ci were recaptured and taken on boart
another Austrian warsbip, where the.
were kept prisoners until the armistic
was signed and an Italian warship on
tered the harbor. Then a launch wa
sent for the two heroes and they wer
sent on destroyer to Venice, where tn
people gave them q yociferous welcome
:
Mamsazsmazmwsswzzazazzzu.sv