Next April 10th a joint ceremony will be held between the Municipalities of Palau and La Maddalena to commemorate the tragic events of the Second World War which occurred on April 10th 1943, when the cruiser Trieste, anchored in Sciumara bay, suffered a heavy bombardment from part of the US Air Force. 77 officers, non-commissioned officers and sailors lost their lives and 74 of them were seriously injured. A few hours after the bombing the cruiser sank.
Last year on the occasion of the 80th anniversary, on the initiative of the two neighboring municipalities, a bronze monument was anchored right in the Sciumara bay, at a depth of 12 meters and approximately 250 meters from the ground, depicting a winged angel leaning towards the sea. another, in perpetual memory of the fallen. The ceremony took place on the Orione ship, with the re-enactment of the events and the throwing of a laurel wreath into the sea, blessed by bishop Sebastiano Sanguinetti, in the presence of the mayor of Palau, Franco Manna, of that of La Maddalena, Fabio Lai, and Admiral Enrico Pacioni, commander of the Western Navy. The commemoration then continued in the church of Palau where a plaque was unveiled bearing the names of all the fallen of the cruiser. Then the procession moved to the Sciumara beach, where the two mayors and the admiral himself held their speeches. The event was accompanied by performances by the Sassari Brigade Band and the Northern Maritime Command Fanfare.
Next Wednesday 10 April the celebrations will begin at 10.30am in the parish church of Palau with a Mass in honor of the fallen. This will be followed by the laying of a floral cushion and the reading of the sailor's prayer in Piazza Popoli d'Europa, in front of the commemorative monument; then there will be speeches by the mayors and a performance by the Sassari Brigade Fanfare. At 12, in the council hall, historical films of those tragic events and the film of last year's celebrations will be shown.
