ON 22.07.2008
WRECK - BIGGER THAN ENIONE EXPECTED
During an every day diving trip to lighthouse Mulo on 01.06.2008 Diving Center Pongo team noticed a big anomaly on usually strait sandy bottom. After some days of preparation of different diving gases because of the big depth, our team of Trimix divers went to investigate the anomaly. As soon as they came below 70 m it was evident that anomaly in question was a wreck of a big ship. Because of the big size of the wreck and short time possible for divers to stay at such depths it was not possible to determine details about the wreck.
Pongo divers have officially reported finding of Ninucci to Ministry of Culture and the team was assembled to valuate the wreck. Team was mead out of representative of Restaurateur Institute Kruno Zubcic, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) exploration team from FER (Faculty of etectro-tehnics and computers) leaded by Matko Barisic in Zagreb and Diving Center Pongo team of divers and support.
After arriving on the site and establishing perfect anchorage ROV team took over and the sub launched, sinking down almost 10 min. As soon as it passed the 65 m depth you could see the outlines of the wreck appearing on the screen. Because of the wide lens on the camera installed in ROV and great visibility the image of the wreck was good. Image could show entire sections of the wreck and give a good notion of overall condition and type of the ship Ninucci was.
You can clearly see the broken section of the stern where, we suspect, Thorn submarine first tried to sink it with gun fire and then succeeded after torpedoing it.
There are also evident big cargo areas 6 to 7 of them but because of the danger of entangling the ROV we could not make penetration in to them and see the nature of its cargo.
For three days we filmed the wreck and assembled a good overall picture reconstruction of it. We are missing mainly the mid ship area video and photo documentation.
FACTS
We can with a degree of serenity verify that it was a ship of around 110 to 125 m length and 22 to 26 m with. It was a cargo ship with 6 to 7 cargo areas. It was hit by torpedo and probably gun fire 28 m of the stern.
Wreck is leaning on it's starboard side on 96m depth, facing south. Port side of the wreck comes up to 80 m depth.
THE STORRY
As it seams the wreck in question is Ninuccia build in 1910 Maritime register in Genova.
It was a steamer with 4583 tsl, owned by Giuseppe Gavarone di Genova commissioned on the beginning of the 2WW by Region Marina as back up boat for transport (we still do not know what was her final cargo). ON 8 january 1942 during her passage from Split to Rijeka around 12:00 she was intercepted by English submarine Thorn just in front of Rogoznica. Thorn tried to sink it by his gun fire but after the boat cough on fire he torpedoed Ninuccia. Torpedo hit 20 m of the stern and sunk immediately.
Submarine Thorn was not destined for any nicer faith.
On the 7th August 1942 HMS Thorn encountered the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso, escorting the steamer Istria from Benghazi, 30 miles south west of Gaudhos Island, off southern Crete. At 1255 an escorting aircraft was seen to machine-gun the sea’s surface and Pegaso moved in to investigate. Just four minutes after the aircraft’s attack the Pegaso picked-up a contact and carried out seven attacks after which contact was lost. HMS Thorn failed to return from the patrol and is believed to have been lost in this attack.
''I have sincere hope that looking in to past can become a path for future days and enable one new generation to correct some mistakes mead in past years, and in this way in cohesion with needs on glory of man overwhelm threats of unknown future.''
Winston Spenser Churchill
