 Italian hospital ship Marechiaro
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Italy | |
| Name | Marechiaro |
| Operator | Italian Navy |
| Launched | 1912 |
| Fate | Hit a mine from the U-boat UC-12 on February 21, 1916. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 412 |
| Length | 173 ft (53 m) |
Italian hospital ship Marechiaro was a steam ship originally built by an Italian shipping company, but requisitioned for use as an Italian hospital ship during the First World War. On February 21, 1916 she was sunk near the Albanian port of Durrës by a mine laid by the German U-boat UC-12. British drifters Hasting Castle and Selina saved 104 men from the water while 33 were killed. Other sources mention over 200 casualties.
Sinking
During the war SM UC-12 operated as a minelayer, and undertook 7 patrols in this role. Mines laid by UC-12 were credited with sinking 6 ships. One of these, the Italian Marechiaro sunk on 21 February 1916 and was listed as a hospital ship. Since Germany was not at war with Italy at this stage, though Austria was, UC 12, like other German U-boats in the Mediterranean, operated under the Austrian flag.
See also
References
- ^ "Mine sinks hospital ship" (PDF). The New York Times. February 29, 1916. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Marechiaro". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
External links
- Marechiaro Marina Militare website (in Italian)
| Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1916 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
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1915  1916  1917 January 1916 March 1916 | |
Categories:
- World War I shipwrecks in the Adriatic Sea
- Maritime incidents in 1916
- Hospital ships in World War I
- Ships built in Ancona
- Ships built by Cantieri Navali del Tirreno e Riuniti
- Ships sunk by mines
- 1912 ships
- World War I naval ships of Italy
- World War I crimes by Imperial Germany
- Violations of medical neutrality during World War I