Italian frogmen sank the Austro-Hungarian flagship SMS Viribus Unitis in Pula harbor on the eve of the armistice, killing an estimated 300–400 crew members.
Key Facts
- Date
- Night of 31 October – 1 November 1918
- Weapon used
- Mignatta human torpedo
- Ship sunk
- SMS Viribus Unitis (Austro-Hungarian flagship)
- Crew casualties
- 300–400 killed when Viribus Unitis sank
- Italian operators
- Lt. Col. Raffaele Rossetti and Raffaele Paolucci
- Award received
- Gold Medal of Military Valor
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the collapse of its armed forces on the Italian Front, the Austro-Hungarian fleet at Pula was transferred to the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The Italian government, seeking to secure territories promised under the 1915 Treaty of London, ordered its forces to advance and strike as far as possible before any armistice took effect.
Italian Navy frogmen Rossetti and Paolucci piloted the Mignatta human torpedo into the harbor at Pula during the night of 31 October–1 November 1918 and attached two explosive devices to the SMS Viribus Unitis. Discovered and captured before the explosion, they were briefly interrogated and released. The charges detonated and sank the flagship, killing an estimated 300–400 crew, and also destroyed the passenger ship Wien.
The raid destroyed the main Austro-Hungarian flagship and contributed to accelerating the armistice negotiations that produced the Armistice of Villa Giusti. Rossetti and Paolucci were freed when Italian forces reached Pula on 3 November and were later awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor. The event highlighted early use of human torpedo technology in naval warfare.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Raffaele Rossetti, Raffaele Paolucci.
Side B
1 belligerent
Janko Vuković.