Bombardment of Ancona
Encyclopedia
The Bombardment of Ancona was a naval engagement of the First World War
between the navies of Italy
and the Austro-Hungarian Empire
. Forces of the Austro-Hungarian Navy attacked and bombarded military and civilian targets all across Ancona
in central Italy and several other nearby islands and communities in response to Italy's declaration of war on Austria-Hungary.
region of Italy. That day, the destroyer
and torpedo boat
Tb 53T bombarded the port of Ancona. The destroyer , on a reconnaissance
mission between Palagruža
and Cape Gargano, shelled the semaphore
and radio station at Vieste
. Defending those waters at the time was the Italian destroyer . A small duel commenced with Lika coming out as the victor
, damaging the enemy destroyer.
The next day on May 24, the majority of the Austrian fleet at Pula
steamed for the Adriatic
coast of Italy. This included the dreadnought
s , , and eight pre-dreadnought
s. Other Austro-Hungarian ships were already in enemy waters or proceeding to the Ancona coast themselves. The fleet bombarded several of the Italian coastal cities and other targets in and around the Province of Ancona, especially damaging the city of Ancona.
SMS Tegetthoff and the destroyer shelled the Italian airship
Città di Ferrara off Ancona. The pre-dreadnought and two torpedo boat
s bombarded Potenza Picena
, then returned to Pula naval base. The pre-dreadnought —along with two more torpedo boats—bombarded Senigallia
, destroying a train
and damaging a railway station and a bridge, before returning to Pula. The torpedo boat was unsuccessfully bombed by an Italian flying boat
.
Austrian light cruiser
bombarded the Italian signal station at Cretaccio Island, while —with two torpedo boats—shelled Rimini
, damaging a freight train
. The destroyer attacked the signal station near Torre di Mileto. The light cruiser , a destroyer and two torpedo boats entered Corsini Channel and shelled an Italian torpedo boat station, another semaphore station, and few batteries of coastal artillery
.
The light cruiser —supported by four destroyers—ran into the Italian destroyer Turbine, in a pitched battle
south of Pelagosa. The destroyer shelled the railway embankment near Manfredonia
while the destroyer shelled the Manfredonia railway station. Finally Austro-Hungarian flying boats dropped ordnance on Venice
and seaplane hangar
s at Chiaravalle
.
blockade
to try stop the attacking Austro-Hungarian fleet. The "Otranto Barrage
" would be raided by the Austro-Hungarians, several times throughout the war.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
between the navies of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. Forces of the Austro-Hungarian Navy attacked and bombarded military and civilian targets all across Ancona
Province of Ancona
The Province of Ancona is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Ancona. The province has an area of 1940 km² and a 2006 population of 465,906 in 49 comuni , see Comunes of the Province of Ancona....
in central Italy and several other nearby islands and communities in response to Italy's declaration of war on Austria-Hungary.
Bombardment
When Italy declared war against Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915, the Austrian fleet was quick to react, the navy launched several attacks on the MarcheMarche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of Italy. That day, the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
and torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
Tb 53T bombarded the port of Ancona. The destroyer , on a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
mission between Palagruža
Palagruža
Palagruža is a small, remote archipelago of dolomite in the middle of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It consists of one main island, called Vela or Velika Palagruža, and one smaller one, Mala Palagruža, and there are twenty or so other closely associated rocks or reefs...
and Cape Gargano, shelled the semaphore
Semaphore
A semaphore telegraph, optical telegraph, shutter telegraph chain, Chappe telegraph, or Napoleonic semaphore is a system of conveying information by means of visual signals, using towers with pivoting shutters, also known as blades or paddles. Information is encoded by the position of the...
and radio station at Vieste
Vieste
Vieste is a town and comune in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.thumb|Cathedral of ViesteA marine resort in Gargano, Vieste has received Blue Flags for the purity of its waters from the Foundation for Environmental Education...
. Defending those waters at the time was the Italian destroyer . A small duel commenced with Lika coming out as the victor
Victory
Victory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
, damaging the enemy destroyer.
The next day on May 24, the majority of the Austrian fleet at Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
steamed for the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
coast of Italy. This included the dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s , , and eight pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
s. Other Austro-Hungarian ships were already in enemy waters or proceeding to the Ancona coast themselves. The fleet bombarded several of the Italian coastal cities and other targets in and around the Province of Ancona, especially damaging the city of Ancona.
SMS Tegetthoff and the destroyer shelled the Italian airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
Città di Ferrara off Ancona. The pre-dreadnought and two torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s bombarded Potenza Picena
Potenza Picena
Potenza Picena is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche, located about 30 km southeast of Ancona and about 15 km northeast of Macerata.-External links:*...
, then returned to Pula naval base. The pre-dreadnought —along with two more torpedo boats—bombarded Senigallia
Senigallia
Senigallia is a comune and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast, 25 km by rail north of Ancona, in the Marche region, province of Ancona....
, destroying a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
and damaging a railway station and a bridge, before returning to Pula. The torpedo boat was unsuccessfully bombed by an Italian flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
.
Austrian light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
bombarded the Italian signal station at Cretaccio Island, while —with two torpedo boats—shelled Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
, damaging a freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
. The destroyer attacked the signal station near Torre di Mileto. The light cruiser , a destroyer and two torpedo boats entered Corsini Channel and shelled an Italian torpedo boat station, another semaphore station, and few batteries of coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
.
The light cruiser —supported by four destroyers—ran into the Italian destroyer Turbine, in a pitched battle
Pitched battle
A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
south of Pelagosa. The destroyer shelled the railway embankment near Manfredonia
Manfredonia
Manfredonia is a town and comune of Puglia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometres northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and giving its name to the gulf to the east of it...
while the destroyer shelled the Manfredonia railway station. Finally Austro-Hungarian flying boats dropped ordnance on Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and seaplane hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
s at Chiaravalle
Chiaravalle
Chiaravalle may refer to:* Chiaravalle , a district of Milan, Italy* Chiaravalle Abbey: Cistercian abbey in the eponymous district of Milan* Chiaravalle , a town in the province of Ancona...
.
Aftermath
Heavy damage was inflicted by the Austrian navy, and 63 people, both Italian military and civilian personnel, died in Ancona alone. Austrian casualties were minimal if any. The war in the Adriatic Sea continued, culminating in a large BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
to try stop the attacking Austro-Hungarian fleet. The "Otranto Barrage
Otranto Barrage
The Otranto Barrage was an Allied naval blockade of the Otranto Straits between Brindisi in Italy and Corfu on the Albanian side of the Adriatic Sea in World War I. The blockade was intended to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Navy from escaping into the Mediterranean and threatening Allied operations...
" would be raided by the Austro-Hungarians, several times throughout the war.
See also
- Adriatic Campaign of World War IAdriatic Campaign of World War IThe Adriatic Campaign of World War I was a naval campaign fought during World War I between the Central Powers, and the Mediterranean squadrons of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Australia and the United States.-Characteristics:...
- Battle of the MediterraneanMediterranean naval engagements during World War IThere was sporadic naval warfare in the Mediterranean during World War I between the Central Powers' navies of Austria-Hungary, Germany and the Ottoman Empire and the Allied navies of Italy, France, Greece, Japan, America and the British Empire....
- Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War I)Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War I)The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign in the Mediterranean Sea was fought by Austria-Hungary and German Empire against the Allies during World War I...