Piero Foscari ship wreck
September 10, 2023 marked the eightieth year since the sinking of the Piero Foscari ship on September 10, 1943 in Castiglioncello near Livorno (Italy). In this video I show you what remains of the wreck completely destroyed during the last war. Furthermore, after 80 years the sea has caused further deterioration of the structure. relitto nave piero foscari

The wreck is located at a depth of between 15 and 16 metres. The ship’s hull is completely covered by sand from the seabed and as regards the topsides, there are only a few plates and part of the frames that are still visible. However, from the video you can glimpse the complete structure of the ship.

In the initial part of the video I show you the exact point where Piero Foscari is located in relation to the distance from the coast: as you can see it is really close. I want to remind you that in the Secche di Vada, being an area near the important port of Livorno, there were numerous wrecks sunk during the last war following devastating bombings and a minefield.

Piero Foscari was an Italian merchant ship and then auxiliary cruiser of the Regia Marina. Built in 1928 for the Società Anonima di Navigazione Adriatica, it was originally a motor ship of 3,423 tons. Foscari served as a transport ship for the Regia Marina from 18 to 25 August 1940, and in 1941 was converted into an auxiliary cruiser to act as convoy escort. On 18 December 1942, while travelling from Naples to Civitavecchia, she was damaged by the torpedoes of the British minelaying submarine Rorqual.


After the Armistice with Italy, of 9 September 1943, while en route from Genoa to escort the merchant ship Valverde, she was shelled by coastal artillery and attacked by three German patrol boats and the minelayers Pommern and Brandenburg. Foscari took refuge at Castiglioncello, where she was sunk at 17:30 the following day in another attack by German units.
(extract from wikipedia)