Battle of the Strait of Otranto

15 May 1917. My great-grandfather became one of the unknown Austro-Hungarian heroes, in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto. The young K.u.K. Kriegsmarine Stabsgeschützmeister Both Ferencz was the master gunnery sergeant of the Tatra class destroyer 'SMS Csepel' that sank, after a terrible gun battle, the Italian Nembo class destroyer 'Borea', near the Albanian coast at 03:24 hours. And the battle continued...

A report of the day says that "At 07:45, Rear Admiral Acton's ships of the 'Mirabello group' encountered the destroyers 'Csepel' and 'Balaton'. After 20 minutes, the Italian destroyers were able to close the distance to the Austro-Hungarian ships; the two groups engaged in a short artillery duel before a shot from 'Csepel' struck 'Aquila' and disabled the ship's boilers. 

By this time, the Austro-Hungarian destroyers were under the cover of the coastal batteries at Durazzo, and were able to make good their escape." The young master gunnery sergeant Both Ferencz fired that shot, facilitating the escape of his ship.

Unfortunately, many Italian soldiers died that day and were sunk there, together with their ships. If it had been the other way round, and the 'Csepel' had been sunk, I wouldn't have existed.