The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-01-11
Two Heroic Italians
Story of the Destruction of Aus.
trian Battleship in Pola
Harbor.


HarbOr.
the Associated Press)-lt was by
swimming into Pola harbor and steer
ing two small submarine motors Tow
ing bombs that two Italian naval OF
ficers destroyed the Austrian dread
nought Viribus Units just before ire
signing of the armistice between Itafy
and Austria. The swimmers We're IN
the water nine hours and had to pene-
trate four barriers across the harbor
entrance, two Of which were compos-
ed of steel submarine nets. After theS
had attached their bomb to the slae
Of the dreadnought, they were cap
tured and taken on board the vessei
and were there when the Warshlp
was blown up.
They escaped without injury ana
have returned to Rome to tell OF
their exploit which is characterized as
one of the most daring and success
full in the history of naval warfare.
Only the fact that the Viribus Cnlt's
had been destroyed by Italian navai
forces previously had been made
known but now the details have oeeh
given out by the italian admiralty.
The officers who thus sent TO the
bottom a 20,000-ton ship, one OF the
most powerful in the Austrian navy,
were Lieut.. Raffaele Paolucci and Ma
ior Raffaele Rossetti. The attack was
| delivered on the morning Of Novem-
Der 1, 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 practiced in long dis
tance swimming. The Italian Ad-
miralty gave them the use OF mo-
tor boat.
Reaching the harbor entrance at
nightfall, the two daring men started
on their expedition swimming beslde
their little motors and steering them.
To escape detection by sentrles on a
wooden pier across the harbor mouth
Paolucci and Rosetti 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 foasht
their way through the steel nets ana
the Austrian fleet lay before them.
Reaching the side Of the Viribus Uni
tis, they attached the bomb to her
hull beneath the ladder which led to
her deck and timed the bomb to ex-
plode at $50 a. m.
| BY this time they were exhausted,
having been in the water more than
min hours AS they were leaving;
they were discovered and taken on
board the dreadnought. At first they
refused to answer the questions asked
them by Admiral Voucovich. At
SIS, however, they told the admiral
what they had done and he gave the
order to abandon ship. Paoluccl ask
ed the admiral if he and his friend
might also try to save themselves ana
he shook hands saying, You are
brave men and deserve to live" They
plunged into the water and swan
away, but ten minutes later the aa-
miral began to suspect the ponlo
story and sent launch to orlns
them back. They were made 20
walk up the ladder under which theN
had set the bomb which was cue 10
explode in two minutes. The LADDER
was crowded with sailors returning
to their ship.
Run. Run for your lives,
shouted Paolucci, strugglin. to reach
the deck before the explosion took
Mace. He and Rossetti had reached
the deck and ran to the stern OF the
dreadnought when terrific explosion
rent the air and column OF water
500 feet high shot upward. Admira!
voucovich again gave them permis-
sion to save themselves, and they
had been swimming away from the
ship five minutes when they hearti
another explosion and saw that the
other bomb which had been left adrlf'
had been carried by the current along
side the large Austrian liner Wien
and had there exploded.
The viribus Units was then lying
on her side, but suddenly the huge
ship turned bottom upward and Lieut..
Paolucci saw Admiral Voucovcn
scramble upward and stand with
folded arms on the keel. ready to 80
down with his vessel.
Major Rossetti and Lieut.. Paolucci
were recaptured and taken on board
,another Austrian warship where they
were kept prisoners until the arrnis-
tice was signed and an Italian war
ship entered the harbor Then a
launch was sent for the two heroes
tano they were sent on destroyer to
Venice where the people gave them
a yociferous welcome.