The Vittorio Veneto ship was a very fampus and important ship for the Italian Navy (Marina Militare). A symbol of Italian history, it began service in 1940 and will be disassembled this year, after 34 years of activity and 18 of disuse. But what is the history of this ship?
Story of the Vittorio Veneto ship
The name comes from the battle of Vittorio Veneto, fought in the homonymous town in 1918 on the border during World War I: the end of the battle meant also the end of hostilities in Italy and the surrender by Austria-Hungary.
The Vittorio Veneto ship was used during World War II: designed by General Umberto Pugliese and engineer Francesco Mazzullo, it became famous as the first battleship to go over a standard displacement of 35 tonnes. The construction of the ship was completed in 1940: it had an iconic career, as it was used in 56 war missions. A fact among others that deserves to be remembered is that Vittorio Veneto was also the first Italian battleship to feature a radar system.
The Vittorio Veneto mission in Vietnam
The ship was also the protagonist to an important episode in 1979: during the war in Vietnam, it was sent over there to save lives. That year, in fact, many Vietnamese civilians tried to flee the communist regime of Hanoi: the population, sent back by the bordering countries, tried to save themselves using run-down lifeboats. They found themselves in the throes of rough waters in the Southern Chinese Sea and prey of pirates: the fleeing citizens were named “Boat people”.
The Vittorio Veneto left on the 4 of July and it was the first time in the history of Italian ships that a ship was used to save refugees. The operations started at the end of that same month and fortunately, they managed to save many refugees: the operations ended on the 1 of August when the ship had no room left to accommodate people. In total 907 refugees were saved, most of them starving, dehydrated and ill. The ships were transformed in reception shelters: the evenings were a special moment of aggregation, where everyone said the prayer of the sailor.
The Vittorio Veneto, after a glorious career, off duty since 2003, was disarmed in 2006: on that occasion, the shutters of the cannons were removed and the cannons were cut and sealed with bronze stoppers. That year the ship left Taranto to go to Turkey, where it will be dismantled.
Vittorio Veneto: its last journey
The Vittorio Veneto left Taranto’s military arsenal and heads towards Turkey, where it will be dismantled. Initially, the missile launcher was supposed to become a museum, after forty years of service. One of the main reasons that prevented this project to be carried out was the major presence of asbestos, hard and expensive to remove entirely.
Despite this, it seemed that this project could still be carried out. However, although it is an iconic and important ship it left the town of Taranto that hosted it for fifty years. The ship has represented Italy all around the world and the failure in having the ship become a museum ship was not only a failure for Taranto but for the country as a whole.
Another proposal was that to create a museum related to this ship: tools and instrumentations had to be retrieved as well as the computer and other objects. However, this idea too was not welcomed. In the end, the ship will be dismantled in the shipyard Simsekler of Aliaga, in Turkey.
If you love ships the news of the dismantling of the Vittorio Veneto will probably have you surprised: it is in fact one of the most important and glorious Italian ships which we must remember to protect the memory of a ship that has made the history of our country.
Cover Image: Wikipedia