That of today, 9 August 2016, is an important date for ship Garibaldi and for all the ships that over the years have had the honor of carrying the name ofHero of the two worlds and jealously guarding his motto: "obey".
On 9 August 1866, exactly 150 years ago, General Giuseppe Garibaldi, then head of the corps of volunteer Hunters of the Alps, drew up the historic telegram intended for General Alfonso La Marmora, head of the Italian Army.
These were the years of the Third War of Independence, when the forces of the Kingdom of Italy, allied with the Prussians, fought on land and at sea against the Habsburg ones. The goal was to free the Veneto and Venice from the Austrian oppression and return these lands to the Italians. Our hero, revered and idolized throughout the peninsula, left the island of Caprera to give his important contribution to the Savoy for the liberation of what he felt deeply to be his Fatherland.
What happened then is known, and much has been written about the events and the great battles of June and July 1866 (Custoza and Lissa) which, besides proving to be non-resolutive, did not influence the balance of power between the two adversaries.
These battles are opposed by the important victories of Garibaldi's troops, such as Bezzecca. The volunteers, continuing their unstoppable advance towards Trento, demonstrated the ability not only to stand up to the enemy, but even to conquer precious territory for the successful outcome of the conflict.
The fate of the Italian war, however, would not have been decided on the field, but through diplomatic channels, through a truce agreement of hostilities. It was for this reason that General Garibaldi was forced to stop his advance and to submit to the orders of General La Marmora, to whom he replied in a dry and peremptory manner with a telegram that would enter the history of the Fatherland, renouncing his personal dream of entering Venice with victorious troops.
"I obey" therefore represents the sentiment of the Hero of the Risorgimento, but even today, after exactly 150 years, this simple word embodies the meaning of our work: fidelity to the Res Publica that goes far beyond the will of each individual Commanding.
