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''Roma'' was an Italian ''Vittorio Veneto'' Class Battleship that served in the Regia Marina during World War II . She was built in 1940. ''Roma'' was sunk on 9 September 1943 , one day after the Italian government surrendered to the Allies , by a German Fritz X bomb launched from a Dornier Do 217 aircraft. It was thus the first capital ship to be sunk by a guided Anti-ship Missile . She was en route to the surrender point where she exploded after being hit by two Fritz X bombs. The first one hit amidship between 90mm AA gun mounts, piercing deck and side, then exploded halving speed; the other one hit aprow deck between turret #2 and conning tower. It caused an explosion that threw the turret outboard and affected boilers, starting a major fire that detonated main magazines. More than 1600 lives were lost; only 596 survivors, most badly burned, were rescued. Among those killed was the Italian Naval Commander in Chief, Admiral Carlo Bergamini {Link without Title} . EXTERNAL LINKS
sr: Италијански бојни брод Рома (1940.) |