page_title: Adriatic Campaign of World War I
section_title: Bombardment of Ancona
hierarchical_section_title: Adriatic Campaign of World War I / History / 1915 / Bombardment of Ancona
caption_attribution_description: English: Gun turret on the SMS Tegetthoff of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
context_page_description: The Adriatic Campaign of World War I was a naval campaign fought between the Central Powers and the Mediterranean squadrons of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Australia and the United States.
context_section_description: When Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May, the Austrian fleet was quick to act, launching several attacks on the Marche region of Italy. That day, the destroyer Dinara and Tb 53T bombarded the port of Ancona. The destroyer SMS Lika—on reconnaissance duty between Palagruža and Cape Gargano—shelled the semaphore and radio station at Vieste and fired upon the Italian destroyer Turbine. On 24 May, the bulk of the Austrian fleet at Pola sailed for the Italian Adriatic coast. This included the dreadnoughts Viribus Unitis, Tegetthoff, Prinz Eugen and eight semi and pre-dreadnoughts. The fleet bombarded several cities and other targets in and around the Province of Ancona, especially damaging the port and town of Ancona itself.
  The destroyer SMS Velebit shelled the Italian airship Città di Ferrara off Ancona. The semi-dreadnought SMS Radetzky and two torpedo boats bombarded Potenza Picena, then returned to Pola. The Radetzky-class semi-dreadnought SMS Zrínyi, with two torpedo boats bombarded Senigallia, destroying a train and damaging a railway station and a bridge, then returned to Pola. The torpedo boat Tb 3 was unsuccessfully bombed by an Italian airship. The light cruiser SMS Admiral Spaun shelled the Italian signal station at Cretaccio Island, while the armoured cruiser SMS Sankt Georg—with two torpedo boats—shelled Rimini, damaging and derailing a freight train. The destroyer SMS Streiter shelled the signal station near Torre di Mileto. The light cruiser SMS Novara, a destroyer and two torpedo boats entered Corsini Channel and shelled an Italian torpedo boat station, a semaphore station, and coastal artillery batteries.
  The light cruiser SMS Helgoland—aided by four destroyers—sank the Italian destroyer Turbine in a pitched battle south of Pelagosa. The destroyer SMS Tátra shelled the railway embankment near Manfredonia while the destroyer SMS Csepel shelled the Manfredonia railway station.
  Finally, Austro-Hungarian flying boats dropped bombs on Venice and airship hangars at Chiaravalle.
caption: Gun turret on SMS Tegetthoff.
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