SS Rastrello was an Italian cargo ship that was sunk in a British air raid on 16 June 1940 in Naples, Italy.[1]
Construction
Rastrello was built at the Irvine's Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Ltd. shipyard in Hartlepool, United Kingdom in January 1904. Where she was launched and completed that same year. The ship was 70.1 metres (230 ft 0 in) long, had a beam of 10.4 metres (34 ft 1 in) and had a depth of 4.5 metres (14 ft 9 in). She was assessed at 1,249 GRT and had 1 x 3 cyl. triple expansion engine driving a screw propeller. The ship could reach a maximum speed of 11 knots and could generate 212 n.h.p. thanks to her two boilers.[2]
First World War Capture
Despite being built as the
Kaiserliche Marine as a headquarters for the defense of Kiel and as an accommodation ship for mine warfare research.[3]
Interbellum
and First Sinking
After the war in 1919, Rastrello (at this time still named Atle Jarl) was again used as a cargo ship by the
the Netherlands with a cargo of wood. She was refloated on 28 June 1920 and repaired, re-entering to service that same year.[4]
World War II and Final Sinking
Rastrello finally received her name when she was bought by Italy in May 1937 with her new homeport in Genoa, Italy. On 16 June 1940 Rastrello was moored in the port of Naples, Italy, when she was sunk by a torpedo fired accidentally by the torpedo boat Procione. There were no casualty.[5]
Wreck
The wreck of Rastrello was lifted and broken up not long after she sank.[4]
References
^"1940 Juni". wlb-stuttgart.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
Genoa, Italy
