This earthquake was the largest in the history of Europe. More than 200,000 people died.

The ships of the Baltic Fleet “Tsesarevich”, “Slava”, “Admiral Makarov” and “Bogatyr” were the first to arrive to help the victims. Provisions were unloaded onto the shore from the ships, food was provided to the survivors, and ship’s medics began to provide assistance to the wounded. The British ships also arrived, but they were in no hurry to disembark, fearing new tremors.

Many Italians literally thanked the Russians on their knees, but the sailors demanded that such expressions of gratitude be stopped, explaining: “We are doing our duty. Could the sailors of the Russian Imperial Navy have done otherwise?”

The sailors saved more than two thousand lives. In 1911, the Italians created a monument to Russian sailors. But it was installed in Messina only a hundred years later – in 2012.

@nasha_stranaZ