Vincenzo Martellotta (1 January 1913,

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

- 27 August 1973,

Castelfranco Emilia Castelfranco Emilia ( Western Bolognese: ; Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, north-central Italy. The town lies about northwest of Bologna. Castelfranco either occupies or lies near the site of the ancient For ...

) was an officer of the Italian Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Istituto Comprensivo Martellotta school in Taranto is named after him, as is the Italian Navy auxiliary ship launched in 1990 with the pennant number A5320

Life

After graduating in classics from the Liceo Morea of

Conversano Conversano ( Barese: ) is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. It is southeast of Bari and from the Adriatic coast, at above sea level. The counts of Conversano owned a stud that they u ...

, he enrolled at the Faculty of Engineering at the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II ( it, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) is a public university in Naples, Italy. Founded in 1224, it is the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world, and is now organized into 26 depar ...

. Attracted by the sea, he applied to the

Italian Naval Academy The Italian Naval Academy (Italian: ''Accademia Navale'') is a coeducational military university in Livorno, which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy. History The Hospitals The Hospital of St. James ...

in Livorno and in October 1931 it shall submit an application to ' Naval Academy in Livorno and in October 1931 he was admitted as a student. In 1934 he moved to the Institute of War in Turin and gained a degree in industrial engineering at the

Turin Polytechnic The Polytechnic University of Turin ( it, Politecnico di Torino) is the oldest Italian Public university, public Institute of technology, technical university. The university offers several courses in the fields of Engineering, Architecture, Urba ...

. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant (gunnery) in the navy in 1935 and to lieutenant the following year. After finishing the supplementary course at the Naval Academy, in October 1937 he was sent to Massawa to head the Navy's torpedo, artillery and engine-repair workshops there. He returned to Italy in 1939 and initially worked at the underwater weaponry directorate at La Spezia, before moving to the torpedo and submarine testing facility at

. In October 1940 he moved to the

Decima Flottiglia MAS The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with commando frogman unit, of the ''Regia Marina'' ...

and at the end of a training course took part in operations off

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

on 26 July 1941 (for which he won the

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

) and the raid on Alexandria on the night of 18–19 December 1941. The latter severely damaged two Royal Navy battleships and the tanker ''Sagona'' - Martellota and

Mario Marino Mario Marino (27 March 1914 in Salerno – 11 May 1982 in Salerno) was an Italian sailor of the Regia Marina during World War Two. As a diver and human-torpedo operator with the Decima Flottiglia MAS, he won the Gold Medal of Military Valour for ...

attacked the tanker and also damaged the destroyer HMS ''Jervis''. He was awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valour The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

, but was captured during the engagement. He was released in February 1944 after Italy surrendered to the Allies and joined the Mariassalto unit to fight against the Germans. After the war's end, he volunteered for

mine clearance Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By contr ...

and repairing the ports of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, San Remo,

Oneglia Oneglia ( lij, Inêia or ) is a former town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast, in 1923 joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia. The name is still used for the suburb.Roy Palmer Domenico, ''The regions of Italy: a reference g ...

and Porto Maurizio. He and his brother Diego (a member of the

bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, whi ...

and a chemical-warfare expert) also assisted in making the ports of Brindisi, Bari,

Molfetta Molfetta (; Molfettese: ) is a town located in the northern side of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has a well restored old city, and its own dialect. History The earliest local signs of permanent habitation are a ...

and

Manfredonia Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the gulf to the east of ...

usable again. In 1947 he and his men put out a fire in an explosives depot in Bari, personally neutralizing chemical leaking from a bomb and sustaining mustard gas burns which left him in hospital. For his actions he was awarded the Silver Medal for Civil Valour. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel (navy) in January 1953 and in 1960 he was placed in the reserves with the rank of colonel (navy).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martellotta, Vincenzo Regia Marina personnel of World War II 1913 births 1973 deaths People from Taranto