Il Barchino

by Ray Agius

Original - Not For Sale

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

16.000 x 12.000 inches

Title

Il Barchino

Artist

Ray Agius

Medium

Painting - Watercolour On Cold-pressed 300 Gsm Watercolour Paper

Description

Il Barchino
Watercolour
16" X 12"

July 26, 1941: Two Maiale and ten MAS boats (including six barchini) unsuccessfully attacked the port of Valletta, Malta.

The force was detected early on by a British radar installation, but the British coastal batteries held their fire until the Italians approached to close range.
15 of the Decima MAS crewmen were killed (including Commander Moccagatta) and 18 captured. Teseo Tesei and Petty Officer Alcide Pedretti on one torpedo died by Fort St. Elmo as they attempted to destroy the outer defenses of the harbour. Lieutenant Franco Costa and Sgt. Luigi Barla on the other torpedo became lost, scuttled their craft and swam ashore at St. George's Bay two miles NW of Valletta. Their Maiale was recovered by the British becoming the first example they had been able to examine.

All 6 MTMs, both SLCs and two MAS (MAS 451 and MAS 452) boats were lost, one of them being found adrift in open seas by the British and towed to port by a seaplane. This disaster forced the unit to make a huge reassessment of its operations. Commander Ernesto Forza was named as commander of the Decima MAS, and Borghese became leader of the sub-surface weapons group.

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January 10th, 2016

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