had been on our way for more than fifteen hours, and the Httle port of 

 Ponza, only a few hours away, offered us an ample refuge from the 

 weather. So we set sail for Ponza. 



In the bright intervals we could see more and more clearly the 

 contours of Ponza. Bit by bit the waves subsided, as we came under the 

 lee of the island. The cliffs dropped perpendicularly to the sea. The 

 ' Faraglioni ' rocks stood out starkly. 



Running along the coast, the Tenace rounded a headland, then 

 entered a bay. The commandant of the port came out in a launch to 

 meet us, and then went off with the officers of the Tenace and my son 

 to look for a berth in the port where the Trieste could be moored. 

 Although its displacement was only 3861 cu. ft., its draught was 19 ft. 

 10 in., so it had to be moored away from the quay. 



Ponza is a strange island, full of the unexpected: the climate is 

 extremely dry and springs are rare. The water has to be brought from 

 the mainland in tankers. One of the chief crops is the Agave or 

 sisal-hemp, the dried leaves of which are used for fuel. The houses of 

 the little town are grouped around the port and on the slopes sur- 

 rounding it : their neat, clean look makes an agreeable impression. 



We asked the mayor who welcomed us what the inhabitants lived 

 on. Crayfish-fishing — the Ponza crayfish is renowned throughout 

 Europe — provides for their needs in great part. Secondly, there is the 

 tourist trade. Little hospitable restaurants face the quays and visitors 

 lodge with the inhabitants : you are as well off as in a good hotel. 

 Another source of wealth is emigration. Of the 15,000 native-born, 

 8000 live in New York. Very much attached to their little country, 

 hardworking and intelligent, they send their savings to their famifies 

 left behind in Ponza. As far as is possible, they spend their holidays in 

 the island: when their working life is done, they come back to live 

 there. 



We were the guests of the municipality. 



The weather got better and we hoped to be able to undertake a 

 dive on the 30th September. On the 29th my son and Mr. Traetta 

 of the * Navalmeccanica ' yards went down to a depth of 50 ft. in the lee 

 of the island to inspect the bathyscaphe and make sure that the heavy 

 weather had not caused any damage. In the evening the corvette 

 Fenice went to the place where we intended to make the dive and told 

 us over the radio that there was a medium swell. 



At midnight, once more, we weighed anchor : at first, as long as we 



