Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-31
ship CREW FACES
SEA FIRE HORRORS
Explosion of Fuel Oil Tanks
Smothers Flames on the
Nettun0.
By the Associat ted Press,


JACKSONVILLE, Fla, January 81
The Italian steamer Nettuno, bound
from Port Arthur, Tex, to Brindisi,
| Italy. was towed into port yesterday
by the coast guard cutter Yamacraw,
after being afire at sea
capt. Bersini attributes the saliva
ton of his ship to a miracle-the ex-
ploslon of her fuel oil tanks, which
literally snuffed out the fire after it
hours. The blaze originated in the
engine room from a bursting feed
pipe. when the Nettuno was four days
out from Port Arthur from which she
| cleared on January u with a cargo of
gasoline and fuel oil. At that time
she was off the Florida coast, in the
vicinity of Bermuda
In few moments the Nettuno was a
seething inferno amidships, and Capt.
Bersini stated that it did not seem
possible for her to remain af1oat but
a short time.
Capt. Bersini painted a vivid picture
of the horror through which he and
the ships personnel lived during the
twenty hours the fire ragged un-
checked in the ship wallowing help
lessly in heavy seas.
The crew fought with desperation to
keep the fire from the gasoline
stored in the hold of the vessel The
fight. however, appeared hopeless, ac-
cording to Capt. Bersini, and mo-
! mentarily he expected the flames to
reach the gasoline and blow the ship
to atoms.
Practically every lifeboat aboard the
Nettuno had either been carried away
or smashed by the terrible buffeting
the tanker sustained during the hours
of the fire.
The fact that the crew had no life
boats in which to leave the burning
vessel added to the horror of the sit
uation.
Praises His Crew.
Capt. Bersini spoke in the highest
terms Of the behavior of his officers
and crew. speaking feelingly of the
heroic work of the chief engineers,
Reteno and Crosa, as well as of the
heroism of Engineer Landi Joanna,
who volunteered to go below at the
time the feed pipe burst to shut off
trapped in the fireroom. Joanna was
SO severely burned that Capt. Bersini
stated he did not think the engineer
could survive. His clothing was
burned from his body and his flesh in
many, places literally cooked. Joanna
Losito. who were also badly burned.
were transferred to the Belgian
steamer Kremlin on January 26. the
day after the fire aboard the Nettuno
fidu Deen eXllnSu1SneQ, and sent to
Newport News.
The Yamacraw, which had been ad-
vised to look out for the Nettuno,
picked UP the ship. on January %
and headed for Jacksonville The
Nettuno is owned by the Italian state
railways, her home port being
Palmerno, Italy.
The Nettuno is a thousand ton
ship. 400 feet in length with a breadth
of beam of sixty feet. For four days
| the crew of the Nettuno was without
food or sleep.
NORFOLK, Va, January s1-Three
members of the crew of the Italian
steamer Nettuno were landed at New
port News yesterday by the Belgian
steamship Kremlin and rushed to
hospital for treatment of severe
burns sustained when fire broke out
in the engine room of the Nettuno off
he coast of Florida last Wednesday.
Zone of the men, Landi Vioganni, third
engineer Of the Nettuno, is not ex-
pected to live.
A stirring tale of heroism on the
high seas with Vioganni in the prin-
cipal role was told today by members
of the crew of the Krem1in.