Caterina Costa was an 8,060-ton motor ship. On March 28, 1943, while loading ammunition and supplies at Naples during World War II, the vessel caught fire and exploded. 600 people died and over 3,000 were wounded.
On March 28, 1943, it was moored in the port of Naples in the area overlooking the district of Saint Erasmus, while being loaded with arms and supplies (1,000 tons of gas, 900 explosives, tanks and others) to be transported to Bizerte to supply war materials for the Italian armed forces stationed in Africa. A fire broke out, possibly due to arson, which became uncontrollable. The fire reached the Caterina Costa's hold, causing a devastating explosion. The pier sank and a large number of buildings around were destroyed or badly damaged. Some ships nearby caught fire and sank while hot parts of the ship and tanks were thrown at great distance, finishing in via Atri and Piazza Carlo III. Other fragments reached the Market Square and Vomero while others set fire to the central station. More than 600 dead and over 3,000 wounded filled the streets. AdmiralLorenzo Gasparri, commander of the Fleet Destroyer Group, was among the casualties; he was killed by the explosion while trying to distance some barges laden with ammunitions from the blazing ship, and he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.[1]
caterina, costa, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january, 2. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Caterina Costa news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2017 Learn how and when to remove this message Caterina Costa was an 8 060 ton motor ship On March 28 1943 while loading ammunition and supplies at Naples during World War II the vessel caught fire and exploded 600 people died and over 3 000 were wounded History NameCaterina Costa FateBlew up and sank March 28 1943 General characteristics Tonnage8 060 GRTSinking editOn March 28 1943 it was moored in the port of Naples in the area overlooking the district of Saint Erasmus while being loaded with arms and supplies 1 000 tons of gas 900 explosives tanks and others to be transported to Bizerte to supply war materials for the Italian armed forces stationed in Africa A fire broke out possibly due to arson which became uncontrollable The fire reached the Caterina Costa s hold causing a devastating explosion The pier sank and a large number of buildings around were destroyed or badly damaged Some ships nearby caught fire and sank while hot parts of the ship and tanks were thrown at great distance finishing in via Atri and Piazza Carlo III Other fragments reached the Market Square and Vomero while others set fire to the central station More than 600 dead and over 3 000 wounded filled the streets Admiral Lorenzo Gasparri commander of the Fleet Destroyer Group was among the casualties he was killed by the explosion while trying to distance some barges laden with ammunitions from the blazing ship and he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour 1 References edit Lorenzo GasparriExternal links editVintage film nbsp This article about a specific civilian ship or boat is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Caterina Costa amp oldid 1162860659, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
