Italian Navy Minesweeper searching for the wreck of Destroyer Gioberti

18 April 2016 18.00

On 7 April 2016, the Italian Navy Minesweeper ITS Gaeta conducted underwater research on the wreck of Destroyer Vincenzo Gioberti, a ship of the 9th Destroyer Squadron, sunk on 9 August 1943, five miles west of Punta Mesco (La Spezia).

The ship was sunk by a British submarine, the HMS Simoom, which hit it with two torpedoes, breaking it into two pieces: the stern exploded and sank almost immediately, while the bow section went on and sank about one mile away from the impact. Destroyer Gioberti had conducted 216 war missions up to then, travelling on 74,071 nautical miles. The wreck was located at a depth of about 600 metres.

Besides their core minesweeping function, ITS Gaeta and Italian Navy Minesweepers in general are extremely flexible and suitable for dual use activities in favour of the collectivity, notably in terms of marine environment and seabed monitoring, namely in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT), as well as the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) and the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).

The potential capabilities offered by the new sonar system, introduced under the recent mid-life upgrade, enabled Minesweeper Gaeta to conduct deep-sea surveys and detect the contact of the wreck, which was later identified by a wire-guided underwater vehicle from Gay Marine.

This activity has been conducted in synergy with the MIBACT, in the framework of a partnership aimed at sharing innovative research methods in order to deepen the awareness and knowledge of the national underwater cultural heritage.

Vai al Giornale di Bordo