MV Nino Bixio
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MV Nino Bixio |
| Builder/Built | 1941 Giovanni Ansaldo & Coy, Genoa |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Displacement | 10,100 tons |
| Speed | 15 Knots |
Remarks
Built for the Garibaldi Group. A Royal Navy submarine torpedoed and damaged her in 1942, killing 336 Allied prisoners of war who were aboard her. The ship survived, was repaired, and continued in merchant service until 1970.
On 16 August the Nino Bixio and the Sestriere embarked thousands of allied POWs at Benghazi for Brindisi in Italy. The POWs were loaded alphabetically, with M-Z on the Nino Bixio, crowded into the ship's holds. 3,200 were aboard the Nino Bixio.
With an escort of two destroyers and two torpedo boats they were intercepted by British submarine HMS Turbulent which at 4:33pm on 17 Aug 1942 fired 4 torpedoes at the merchant ships. Three torpedoes hit the Nino Bixio with one exploding in No 1 hold, one in the engine room, and the other disabling her rudder. Although she settled in the water, she remained afloat and was towed to the Greek port of Pylos. 336 Allied POWs were killed, including 41 Australians, and many more were wounded.
The ship was later towed to Venice where it was sunk as a block ship to protect the port, but after the war it was refloated and resumed its commercial life until it was scrapped at La Spezia in August 1971.