Carlo Margottini

Carlo Margottini (19 January 1899 – 12 October 1940) was an Italian naval officer during World War II.

Biography

Margottini was born in Rome in 1899, and attended the Italian Naval Academy from 1913 to 1916, graduating with the rank of ensign. He participated in the First World War, first serving on the battleship Conte di Cavour, then on the scout cruiser Nibbio and on torpedo boats. In May 1917 he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and in November 1918 to lieutenant, becoming aide to Admiral Enrico Millo, governor of Dalmatia. In 1927 he was promoted to lieutenant commander and in 1933 to commander; he was given command of the Aegean Submarine Group and later of a torpedo boat squadron.

In 1936 he participated in the London Naval Conference, as a military expert, on behalf of the Italian government. During the Spanish Civil War, in command of the heavy cruiser Fiume, he participated in the occupation of Ibiza and Mallorca and contributed to the political and military reorganization of Balearic Islands, being awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Savoy. On returning from the Spain, he was promoted to captain and appointed Naval Attache in Paris. Ajax quickly returned fire, however, and hit Artigliere several times within a few minutes, starting a large fire in the bow, knocking out most of the machinery and armament, and killing or wounding over half of the crew. Both officers were posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor.

Artigliere was sunk later on that morning by the heavy cruiser HMS York, after an aborted towing attempt by her sistership .

The Marina Militare has named two ships after Carlo Margottini: the Bergamini-class frigate Carlo Margottini (F 595), in service from 1962 to 1988, and the FREMM multipurpose frigate Carlo Margottini (F 592) completed in 2014.