Marsala Ship Marsala Ship The Marsala Ship is the earliest warship known from archeological evidence. It is a wreck discovered in 1969 in an area called "Punta Scario" in the harbor of Marsala in western Sicily, Italy, near the Aegadian Islands. The Marsala Ship's "nationality" was painted on the sides with letters by its Punic builders from Carthage. Its architecture and contents show that it was not a merchant cargo ship. A merchant cargo ship made regular journeys and required large containers for storing water. It also needed grinders and mortars for dried food. It would normally carry large pots for communal
Italian cruiser Marsala Otranto Barrage—a patrol line of drifters intended to block Austro-Hungarian and German U-boats. "Marsala" was the only Italian cruiser with steam up in her boilers when word of the Austro-Hungarian attack reached Brindisi. The British cruisers and departed first, along with five Italian destroyers. "Marsala", the flotilla leader , and three destroyers followed thereafter. "Marsala" briefly engaged the fleeing Austro-Hungarians in the Battle of the Otranto Straits, before Acton broke off the pursuit and ordered a return to port. Following the end of the war in November 1918, the "Regia Marina" demobilized; severely reduced naval budgets—the result of a weakened