SINKING OF THE "KUCKUCK" 24/02/1945, FIUME (RIJEKA), YUGUSLAVIA
"Kuckuck" 1945
SAAF No.19 Squadron War Diary report on the sinking of the "Kuckuck"
Location of Fiume in Yugoslavia
Don's approach
Don's gun camera photograph
Don's aircraft attacking the "Kuckuck" with a salvo of 6 solid shot armour piercing rockets.
Perfect hits just below the water line. Don's aircraft banking away.
Lt. Steve Stevens' attack, hits were observed above the waterline. Splashes from Don's salvo strikes are visible.
Harbour damage
War-time reconnaissance photograph showing mole 7 in Fiume harbour.
Fiume today, now called Rijeka in Croatia. Mole 7 is indicated
Reconstruction of the attack showing the position of the ship and the aircraft attack vector. The war-time photograph is imposed on the Google image.
Modern Rijeka: Google Earth
Crews that participated in the "Kuckuck" attack: Capt. R F Dickson, F/O G T Craven, Lt. Col. Tilley, Capt. A Geater, Lt. G R Widdicombe, F/O F G Brace (Stevens and Bartlett not present)
SAAF No.19 squadron War Diary sortie report.
Information supplied by Jurica Vucetic on the "Kuckuck". Feb 2016
The building was start on 1st July 1942 as a ship No. 223 in shipyard Cantieri navali del Quarnero Fiume in town Fiume in Italy for Italian company Tirrenia in Tunisia. The first 4 ships of that class - POETI class - (VINCENZO MONTI, ALESSANDRO MANZONI, ALFREDO ORIANI and GABRIELE D` ANNUNZIO) was ended in year 1942. and other 3 ships (NICOLO TOMMASEO, VITTORIO ALFERI and GIACOMO LEOPARDI) in year 1943. In june 1943. VITTORIO LOCCHI was launched but it was not fully equiped when German army enter in town of Fiume on 10th Semptember 1943. The Germans was not interested in that ship because it was unfinished and in shipyard were more war ship to finish. In try to find in my doucments when Germans start to convert Locchi in minelayer ship but I did not find the date. But that was probably in second half of year 1944. In War Diary of German Adriatic Admiral for date 6th November 1944 the ship still has a name "Vittorio Locchi" and I can read that the ship must be put in use. It is probably beacuse the day before minelayer ship "Kiebitz" was sunked in port of Fiume.
The first planed armament on "Kuckuck" was 2x76 mm AA guns and 4x 20 mm Breda AA guns. Also ship would take a 200 mines. I also find that the later planed armament were 3x105 AA guns, 10x37 mm AA guns, 19x20 mm guns and 6x86 mm AA rocket launcrs. The ship would take a 290 EMC mines.
The first probe sailing of "Kuckuck" was on 15th February 1945. All was fine and ship returned for final works. But on the next day Allies bombers attack shipyard with bombs and
bomb directly hit a ship in stern and the ship rudder was destroyed. That is why it must stay in shipyard for more days. The ship AA arrmamnet was take out from ship and put arounf shipyard for AA defence. Now we know why ship did not had AA guns on 24th February 1945.
On 17th February 1945 bombers again attack the shipayrd and the port of Fiume, but "Kuckuck" was not damadged hardly. Almost every day after that the town of Fiume was under attack from air.
On 24th February 1945 the ship was atacked by SAAF. It was hit and the fire started. On 14.33 h te ship turn over and sunked on 23 m deepth near pier. Because of the sloping terrain and sea current the ship was slipped in the middle of the shipyard.
After the war, diving crew started to dig out the ship in April 1949. On 29th May 1949 the ship was almost all out of water but it`s suddenly sliped again on the bottom. But finally the ship was raissed out on 4th June 1949. It was converted into merchant ship and o 1st May 1951 it was given to company Jugoslavenska linijska plovidba with name Ucka. In year 1968 it was sold to company Losinjska plovidba. On 6th January 1978 the ship run aground near port of Tripoly in Libia. It was refloat fast but the old ship was damadged to much so it was scraped in March 1978.
Poeti class:
Lenght: 116,9 m
Beam: 15,2 m
Depth (full): 6,39 m
Gross tonnage: 3162 GRT
Displacement: 4570 T (max)
Speed: 14 kts / 17 kts max
Engine: 2 Ansaldo 8-cylinder 2-stroke diesels with 4375 hp
Armament: 1x120 mm gun and 7x20 mm Breda AA guns
1st photo - refloating of the ship
2nd photo - as Ucka
Position of the sunken ship
Raising of the ship 1949
Refurbished Kuckuck with new name Ucka
Ucka