Agostino Incisa della Rocchetta and the sinking of the Roma
Roma , the most modern battleship of the Regia Marina and the flagship of the commander-in-chief of Italy’s battlefleet, Admiral Carlo Bergamini, was sunk during a Luftwaffe attack on the Italian fleet which had left its bases and was sailing towards Malta (originally towards La Maddalena in Sardinia, where it was supposed to stop for some time waiting for the situation to clear up) in compliance with the terms of the Armistice of Cassibile. The German attack and the sinking of Roma are thus described by Lieutenant Agostino Incisa della Rocchetta, fire control officer of the port side 90 mm anti-aircraft guns. Incisa was one of the survivors who were closest to the point where the bomb fell, causing the deflagration that sank the ship; he was also the highest ranking survivor, having personally given the order to abandon ship as all officers senior to him were dead or dying. “ From 12:00 to 16:00 I was off duty (…) in my place in the port anti-aircraft fire director turret was Lieutena