SS Minas (1891)
| Company type | Troopship, passenger vessel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime transport |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Founder | Gio. Ansaldo & C. |
| Headquarters | Genoa , Italy |
| Products | Passenger and troop transport |
SS Minas was an Italian troopship that sank on 15 February 1917 in the central area of the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the tragic loss of 870 lives.
Construction, specifications, and civilian operations
Constructed in 1891 by Gio. Ansaldo & C. at Sestri Ponente, Italy, SS Minas served as a passenger vessel operated by Angelo Parodi fu B. from Genoa.[1] The ship measured 110.90 metres (363 ft 10 in) in length and 12.22 metres (40 ft 1 in) in width, with a maximum speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). It accommodated 60 travelers in first class and 900 in third class. Before Italy's involvement in World War I in 1915, its primary route connected Genoa with destinations in South America.[2]
Sinking
After Italy joined the Allies in May 1915, Minas was requisitioned as a troopship. On 15 February 1917, while navigating the Mediterranean Sea en route from Taranto, Italy, to Salonika, Greece, she carried Italian, Serbian, and French troops along with arms and ammunition destined for the Salonika front. The vessel was escorted by the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") destroyer Fulmine. The Allies had segmented the Mediterranean into distinct zones, each assigned to a leading Allied navy—the Regia Marina, the French Navy, or the British Royal Navy—responsible for escorting convoys.[3] Upon reaching the border between the Italian and British escort sectors approximately 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) east of Malta, Fulmine left Minas to continue alone; however, due to a coordination failure, no British naval vessel took over escort duties.[3] Consequently, Minas proceeded unescorted and was later targeted on the same day by the Imperial German Navy submarine U-39, commanded by Walter Forstmann,[1] near Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. east of Cape Matapan. After being struck by two torpedoes, the ship’s ammunition cargo detonated, causing it to sink rapidly. The disaster claimed 870 lives, including eleven crew members and 315 Italian soldiers.[4] Among those lost was Vittorio Locchi, a young poet from Florence, known for his 1916 work The Feast of Santa Gorizia. Additionally, there were rumors that the ship transported 25 boxes containing gold bullion.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Cite Uboat.net
- ↑ "Minas" (in Italian). Agenzia Bozzo. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Franco Favre, La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico, p. 177 (in Italian)
- ↑ Silvia, Musi (9 April 2012). "Affondamenti Navi Grande Guerra" Archived 2014-04-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Pietri Grande Guerra.
- ↑ Causo, Lucio (7 February 2012). "Il fante della 'Sagra di Gorizia'" (in Italian). Cultura Salentina.
Template:February 1917 shipwrecks
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