The San Giorgio was one of two San Giorgio-class Italian armoured cruiser that was built before the First World War.
She was modernised at La Spezia between the Wars for use as a training ship ...
... and was in Tobruk harbour when Allied troops captured the port. The ship's crew used demolition charges to sink her, and she came to rest on the harbour bottom with a large part of her hull above water.
She was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS San Giorgio and subsequently used as an immobile repair ship.
She was modernised at La Spezia between the Wars for use as a training ship ...
... and was in Tobruk harbour when Allied troops captured the port. The ship's crew used demolition charges to sink her, and she came to rest on the harbour bottom with a large part of her hull above water.
She was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS San Giorgio and subsequently used as an immobile repair ship.
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And the moral of the story? When scuttling your ship make sure the water is deep enough!
ReplyDeleteLee Hadley,
DeleteI’ve always wondered if the Italians hoped to salvage her at a later date.
All the best,
Bob