The Italian Attack That Shook Greece: 86 Years Since the Torpedoing of the 'Elli '

Eighty-six years ago, on August 15, 1940, the Italian submarine "Delfino" torpedoed and sank the Greek naval ship "Elli " in the harbor of Tinos. This act of aggression, occurring on the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, was a significant provocation by Italy against Greece, just months before the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War.

The attack took place while Tinos was crowded with pilgrims celebrating the Dormition. The "Elli " had arrived to participate in the festivities when it was suddenly struck by three torpedoes. The Italian submarine had departed from the naval base at Partheni, Leros, on the night of August 14, under the command of Lieutenant Giuseppe Aicardi. The order for the operation came from Cesare Maria De Vecchi, the Italian commander of the Dodecanese islands, with the mission to attack enemy ships in Tinos and Syros and then blockade the Corinth Canal.

This was not an isolated incident. In the months preceding the war, Italy had already carried out a series of provocative actions against Greek vessels. On July 12, 1940, three Italian bombers attacked the Greek Navy's auxiliary ship "Orio" near Crete and later the destroyer "Hydra." A few days later, on July 30, an Italian aircraft dropped bombs on the Greek destroyers "Vasilefs Georgios" and "Vasilissa Olga," along with two Greek submarines in the port of Nafpaktos. The atmosphere in Greco-Italian relations grew increasingly tense.

In the early morning hours of August 15, 1940, the "Delfino" lay submerged outside Tinos harbor. The commander spotted the " Elli " arriving for the religious celebrations. Around 8:30 a.m., just minutes before the procession of the icon of the Virgin Mary, with a crowd gathered on the shore, the Italian submarine launched three torpedoes. Two missed their target and exploded on the quay, but the third hit the "Elli " in a critical area, its engine room and fuel tanks. The ship sustained severe damage and sank about an hour later, at 9:45 a.m.

The attack resulted in the death of one petty officer from the "Elli " and, according to reports at the time, injured 29 people. The explosion of one torpedo on the quay also caused the death of a woman who suffered a heart attack. The "Delfino" departed undetected. It later sailed to Syros but did not attack, as no Greek ships were found in port. It then returned hastily.