Gorizia was an Italian Zara class heavy cruiser, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. The ship was named after the city of Gorizia. She was the only surviving cruiser of her class after the Battle of Cape Matapan.
Gorizia participated in World War II as a member of 1st Division, 1st Squadron. She took part in the Battle of Punta Stilo, the Battle of Taranto, where she shot down a British Swordfish torpedo bomber, the Battle of Cape Teulada, where her Ro.43 floatplane spotted the British battle group, and the First and Second Battle of Sirte, where her guns hit two destroyers, HMS Kipling and HMS Sikh, inflicting minor damage on them. Some sources claim that she also hit and severely damaged the destroyer HMS Kingston, instead of the battleship Littorio as widely reported. Among her other missions, there were escorts to Italian and German convoys, for a total of 20 operations accomplished.
On 10 April 1943, Gorizia was damaged by an allied air strike at La Maddalena naval base, and moved to La Spezia for repairs. She was still there on 8 September, when the armistice between Italy and the Allies was signed. Gorizia was crippled on 26 June 1944 at her moorings in La Spezia by manned torpedoes, after the Italians joined the Allies, in order to prevent her use by the Germans. Her hull was scrapped after 1946.
Famous quotes containing the word italian:
“Their martyred blood and ashes sow
O’er all the Italian fields where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundredfold, who, having learnt thy way,
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)