The ships, later reinforced by those of the 2a Division, had the task of safeguarding the life and interests of the Italian resident communities; the Active Team will remain in those waters until the return to Taranto between the 31 January and the 3 February 1896, after having stopped for a long time in Smyrna, twice, and in Thessaloniki.
[The Hamidiés were Kurdish battalions specially set up by the Sultan for their ferocity and ethnic hatred towards the Armenians, who will transform the repressive action into a true genocide with more than 200.000 dead, according to the most accredited estimates]
Source: Military Navy
(in the photo a moment of persecution)
