while I stayed aboard the Tenace. We ran along the coast of the 

 Sorrento peninsula; close to Ischia and Capri. The corvette Fenice^ 

 engaged in manœuvres, was in the region and we exchanged military- 

 salutes. The following morning, at dawn, she was to join us at the 

 place selected for the dive. As night fell, the searchlights were lit, and 

 by the light of their beams we could watch the Trieste gliding smoothly 

 along in our wake. 



After a while the wind began to rise. By radio we were told that the 

 weather forecast had changed and was less and less favourable. The 

 Tenace was pitching. The Trieste behaved very well, however, in spite 

 of the waves which began to sweep her deck. The journey continued, 

 but all night long we were worried that heavy weather was going to 

 spoil our plans. Towards midnight the wind blew stronger and 

 stronger. The last stars hid behind big low clouds. By the light of the 

 floodlamps, we could see the waves breaking, sometimes covering the 

 Trieste to halfway up the tower. We could make no decisions at that 

 hour ; whatever happened we had to wait for daybreak. 



In the greyness of early morning, gathered on the quarter-deck of 

 the Tenace^ our faces roughened by the wind and spray, we had to 

 make a decision. 



Jacques had himself taken on board the Trieste by the little rubber 

 dinghy. He rapidly inspected the bathyscaphe, and found everything in 

 order. Tossed by the waves and pitching in the swell, the Trieste 

 behaved remarkably well. But it was clear that the operations which 

 precede a dive would have been almost impossible in that weather. 

 How were we to put into the water the trail-rope still rolled up on the 

 deck of the bathyscaphe "^ The men who were to put it in place at the 

 last moment would have all their time taken in hanging on to the 

 *Tientibene' (the hand-rail) let alone fixing it. How were we to 

 check the airspace of the electro-magnets }^ Or make sure that they still 

 had the y|^ j in. required } How could one ask the men, after the ' Let 

 go ! ', to get back to the boats by swimming, with waves several feet 

 high } 



However, a last endeavour had to be made : the Fenice poured out 

 oil to calm the waves and the Tenace stood broadside on to protect the 

 Trieste. But all these measures proved useless, and we finally had to 

 give up for the day. 



We did not, however, think of going back to Castellammare. We 



' See Appendix 2. 



[126] 



