Giovanni delle Bande Nere 1942
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | Giovanni delle Bande Nere | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1942 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | light cruiser | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | Kingdom of Italy | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Royal Italian Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | World War II | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Tyrrhenian Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Sicily | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 58 km from land |
| Position | 38.7089, 15.0086 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
Giovanni delle Bande Nere was an Italian light cruiser of the Giussano class, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the eponymous 16th-century condottiero and member of the Medici family. Her keel was laid down in 1928 at Cantieri Navali di Castellammare di Stabia, Castellammare di Stabia; she was launched on 27 April 1930, and her construction was completed in 1931. Unlike her three sisters, the finish and workmanship on the vessel were not rated highly. She was sunk on 1 April 1942 by the British submarine HMS Urge.
The Giussano type of cruiser sacrificed protection for high speed and weaponry, as a counter to new French large destroyers.
Diving & visiting
On 9 March 2019, the Italian Navy reported that the minesweepers Vieste had discovered the wreck of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. Vieste used remotely operated vehicles (ROV) Hugin 1000 and Multipluto 03 to search for the wreck. The ROVs obtained images of the wreck that confirm the ship broke into three sections as it sank. From photos shown, at least part of the cruiser lies on its port side at a depth of 1,460 to 1,730 m (4,790 to 5,680 ft) of water.
Location
- Recorded position: 38.7089, 15.0086 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Tyrrhenian Sea
- Nearest coast: Sicily
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Italian cruiser Giovanni delle Bande Nere (revision 1380377186), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Discovery”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
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- U-374 1942 · 131 km
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Other wrecks of the World War II
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- USS Arizona (BB-39) 1941
- USS Hopewell 1941
- Vasilefs Georgios 1941
- Zara 1941
- Akagi 1942
- Aviere 1942
- Diana 1942
- HMAS Nestor 1942
- HMAS Perth 1942
All 599 wrecks of the World War II →
Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Sicily · Tyrrhenian Sea · Second World War