Sunday - In the late morning the German submarine U 38 (commander, lieutenant Max Valentiner) flying the Austro-Hungarian flag lying in ambush west of Sicily cannonades the steamship Ancona of 8210 t (commander, maritime captain Pietro Massardo), bound for New York with 173 crewmen and 332 passengers (234 of whom emigrants): 206 victims including women and children and some US citizens.
Many survivors were rescued by the tugboat Pluton, sent by Cagliari at the request of the defense of Bizerte. Violent diplomatic protest by the Washington government.
The steamer has been of interest to treasure hunters for some years, as the same, during that tragic crossing that brought our emigrants to the United States, carried a load of twelve containers containing gold that, according to the two most accredited versions, served for the Italian participation in the San Francisco expositions or to pay concealed military supplies to the US because they disagree with the neutrality agreements.
