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Pola 1941

Pola (incrociatore) - foto ufficiale
Image: The original uploader was Moroboshi at Italian Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).

Key facts

NamePolaWikidata label
Year lost1941Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier
EraSecond World Warderived from year
Ship typeheavy cruiserWikidata P31 instance of
Cause of lossWar actionKeyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence
Nationality / flagKingdom of ItalyWikidata P8047 country of registry
OperatorRoyal Italian NavyWikidata P137 operator
ConflictWorld War IIWikidata P607 conflict
Sea / oceanMediterranean SeaNatural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon
Position35.3167, 20.9833Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0)

About the wreck

Pola was a Zara-class heavy cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy), named after the Italian city of Pola (now Pula, Croatia). She was built in the Odero Terni Orlando shipyard in Livorno in the early 1930s and entered service in 1932. She was the fourth and last ship in the class, which also included Zara, Fiume, and Gorizia. Compared to her sisters, Pola was built as a flagship with a larger conning tower to accommodate an admiral's staff. Like her sisters, she was armed with a battery of eight 203-millimeter (8.0 in) guns and was capable of a top speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph).

Pola initially served as the flagship of the 2nd Squadron, and in 1940 she led the squadron during the battles of Calabria and Cape Spartivento, in July and November, respectively. During the latter engagement she briefly battled the British cruiser HMS Berwick. Pola was thereafter reassigned to the 3rd Division, along with her three sister ships. The ship took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan in late March 1941. During the battle, she was disabled by a British aerial torpedo.

Location

  • Recorded position: 35.3167, 20.9833 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
  • Sea / ocean: Mediterranean Sea

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.

OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Italian cruiser Pola (revision 1378507563), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs and trimming at sentence boundaries; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.

Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).

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Further reading