Raid on Pula

The Raid on Pula was a maritime raid undertaken on 1 November 1918 during the end of World War I. It was carried out by two officers of the Italian Regia Marina with the goal of damaging the Austro-Hungarian fleet anchored in the bay of Pula. The fleet was handed by the Austrians to the newly established State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs only a couple of hours before the raid, with Janko Vuković, previously an officer of the Austro-Hungarian navy, being declared the commander-in-chief of the new state's navy. State of SHS, declared neutrality in the war and informed the Allies shortly after taking over armed forces on 31 October. However, the attackers were not aware of this, and had rigged the main ship SMS Viribus Unitis (renamed to Jugoslavija) with explosives, which ended in the ship's sinking and the death of Vuković.[1][2]

Raid on Pula
Part of the Mediterranean campaign of World War I

Viribus Unitis sinking, 1 November 1918
Date31 October - 1 November 1918
Location
Pula, State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
Result Italian victory
Belligerents
 Italy  State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
Commanders and leaders
Paolo Thaon di Revel Janko Vuković  †
Strength
1 motorboat 1 battleship
Casualties and losses
2 captured 300–400 killed
1 battleship sunk

Remnants of sunken naval ships from the Raid on Pula have left over 3000 tonnes of steel at the bottom of Pula Port. The Pula Port seabed is now littered with thousands of parts from Austro-Hungarian ships from the Uljanik Shipyard. Today, debris is still preventing cruise ships from safely docking at the ports.[3]

References
  1. Stjepan Bernadić Kula. "Slučaj bojnog broda 'Viribus Unitis'".
  2. m.b.H., STANDARD Verlagsgesellschaft. "Schicksal der absurden Art".
  3. "3000 Tonnes of Steel at the Bottom of Pula Port". Retrieved 2018-11-15.

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