The sinking

In the days following the Armistice, in an attempt to restore order to the area, Italy continued to deploy troops, occupying other localities and islands of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. For instance, in the international port of Rijeka law and order was especially fragile as a result of irregular Serbian and Croatian forces threatening the Italian population in residence there. Because of this, Italian naval forces were ordered to Rijeka where they were to await further orders.

On the morning of 16 November 1918, Lt. Ludovico De Filippi, captain of the Cesare Rossarol, received orders to sail immediately toward Rijeka. He had with him an official of the newly formed Yugoslavian Army who was acting as an emissary for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His orders were to persuade the irregular Serbian and Croatian forces to put down their arms and accept Italian authority. As they steamed toward Rijeka, the cruiser’s crew was very careful, ever conscious of the hidden dangers posed to navigation by the abandoned, unmarked, minefields of a now defunct empire. In fact, Austro-Hungarian forces had still not communicated the position or extent of their minefields to anyone.

At 12:40 A.M., one mile offshore, near the town of Lisignano, the vessel struck a mine; the ensuing explosion split the vessel into two. The violence of the explosion, followed immediately by a flood of water entering the holds left no avenue of escape for those working in the engine room or below deck. The bow quickly sank vertically, while the severed stern, sailed alone for about a hundred meters before it too sank swiftly to the bottom. Soon after the explosion, aid made its way towards the stricken ship; by sea, 16 OS and two MAS arrived on the scene, by land, a truck made its way through the crowds toward the coast and the sinking ship. Most of the crew, trapped inside the hull, sank together with the ship. All told, ninety-three crewmembers (petty officers and sailors) died that day, as did seven officers, including the Captain, Lt. Ludovico De Filippi. Only about thirty men survived as the result of the intervention of other naval units and the local population.

Today, on the coast of Lisignano, near the site of the sunken vessel, there is a small monument commemorating this loss, there is an iron anchor fixed on stone and a bronze gravestone marking the names of the one hundred men who died on the R.N. Cesare Rossarol. The silver medal posthumously awarded to Lt. Ludovico De Filippi preserves his memory: "On the morning of 16 November 1918, Lt. Ludovico De Filippi, captain of the Cesare Rossarol, received orders memory: “Captain of the R. N. Cesare Rossarol showed an attractive serenity of spirit to encourage his crew while she was sinking. He was a wonderful example of sublime sacrifice, when he gave his life-preserver to a sailor who was not able to swim, and in this generous action he lost his life.”