From bragozzi to landing craft

Early in the war, a number of bragozzi and trabaccoli, traditional Adriatic sailing boats, were requisitioned and turned into landing craft, as proper landing craft had not yet been built.

 

A brief, colorful anecdote on this transformation comes from Vero Roberti’s book “Con la pelle appesa a un chiodo”:

 

 “…the names I use for the four skippers aren’t the ones written on the civil registry, as they had been invented in a famous inn in an Adriatic port where on stormy evenings all sailors, fishermen and skippers gathered. Bragòz, skipper of Maria Rosa, as good as gold, red nose, belly as big as the prow of a bragozzo; Falchetta, skipper of Anselmina, wiry, a face preserved in vinegar, a thin nose that was as hooked as the beak of a buzzard; Semaforo, skipper of Maria Liberata, as lanky as a stack pole, with a bald head that shone more than the lighthouse of Castel di Mezzo; Gratusa, skipper of Padre Eterno, wild and ill-tempered as a cat that has been stroked the wrong way. These were the owners of the trabaccoli, always arguing about which one was the best. The declaration of war found them gathered at the inn, passionately discussing about European strategy; a discussion that would have soon spread to continents and oceans if sudden news – the Port Captaincy would requisition the best trabaccoli – had not triggered another, bigger argument for matters of jealousy. As usual, each of the four skippers vindicated the qualities of his boat, and boasted that he would be the first one to be called by the Captaincy. They bet their fishing nets, their sails, their trabaccoli, the moon and the stars, as insults and offenses filled the smoky air of the inn. But that night, the argument did not end like many others in the past. During the night, the four skippers thought out their plan and on the following day, secretly, each went to the Captaincy, offering his boat, crew and equipment included, to the Royal Government. Bragòz, Falchetta, Semaforo and Gratusa had cheated out of pride, and the Port Commander satisfied them. They signed the act of requisition. They were militarized and were ordered to buy a petty officer cap, with the rank of Chief Petty Officer. In less than a hour they had turned from “skippers” into “commanders” and, immediately after announcing their investiture to their crews, they demanded to be called with the new title the Navy had bestowed upon them. The war at sea had begun. One day, the four commanders received the order to sail. The trabaccoli put to sea. On the main mast, the tricolor flag with the royal crown on the Savoy shield was flying. After many hours of sailing they reached a military port. After mooring their “war trabaccoli”, the four commanders presented themselves to the Command. When they left, they were swollen with pride. They gathered their crews on the quay and spoke. “We are the first line of the fleet!” Said Bragòz, who for reasons of age had been appointed “flotilla commander”. “We are the vanguards of all the ships!”, said Falchetta, forgetting an “a” because of his dialect. “We are part of a Special Division!”, added Semaforo. “We are just landing craft! Ignorants!”, concluded Gratusa

From "Navi mercantili perdute" - Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare

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