Interview with
Commander
Salvatore Romano

by Cristiano D'Adamo

Part III

 Part II
 

My father was an officer (originally a non-commissioned one) from the signal station corps. He took part in World War I, fighting in the trenches with the San Marco battalion, and then had followed a career path with the signal corps. As a senior non-commissioned officer, he was the chief of station of some signaling posts and my mother and I, who were his family, followed him. In particular, at the Anzio station I spent my early years and my adolescence in daily contact with the signalmen group and the operational activities of the signal corps, which were essentially based on surveillance and optical and telegraphic communication.  All this had surely left an imprint on me and with the years it transformed into a desire to enter the Navy through the main door, that is to say participate in the national competitive examination to be admitted to the Naval Academy. Therefore, my choice was fully my own and the only “suggestion” I received from my father was “study, study, study!”

Here I would like to remember that my father, after the period in the signal corps, participated as a volunteer in the Abyssinian War for about two years, and in 1939 in the Italian landing in Albania where, already an officer, he organized ex-novo the Albanian signal network. After a brief period in Rome at the Ministry of the Navy, in 1940 at the beginning of the war he returned, again as a volunteer, to Albania where he stayed until March 1943 when he was sent back home due to an illness contracted while in service and of which unfortunately he died.

But let’s go back to the “recommendations” of my father. I followed them to the letter since algebra, geometry, and trigonometry taught in high school were completely insufficient to pass the “killer” examination. 
 

The announcement for the  national competitive examination for the Naval Academy.

As soon as the national competitive examination was announced, I signed up. Actually, my parents did (I was 18 and legal age was 21), presenting a request for admission to the “preliminary training”. I passed the first medical in Naples, and a much more severe one in Leghorn. Finally, on July 9th, 1941 I crossed for the first time the gates of the Naval Academy, thus beginning my life in the Navy.
 

The Royal Naval Academy
(note the fascist symbols on either site of the clock

Training lasted about three months during which we conducted the same life as the cadets. We were taught again algebra, geometry, and trigonometry with daily lessons, tests, and oral exams. There was intense sport and sailor-like activity, and at the end, after a series of oral and written exams which were heavily weighted toward the evaluation of the “professional aptitude”, one would arrive at the yearned admission. It should be mentioned that, usually, despite the very large number of candidates, the placements available were not all filled. This is proof of the severity of the selection which did not take into consideration the strong need for young officers to replace the numerous casualties caused by the war.

Admission to the academy, about which I just spoke, was not for sure; one could always be dismissed, especially after the first year of attendance, for good reasons, suddenly, and without possibility of appeal.

During this period, cadets had to pay a monthly boarding fee, and an assessment fee for the equipment which was distributed during the three years of attendance, and a payback for eventual medicines, extracurricular material, and damages (even a broken plate). Furthermore, the cadet could go on short leave (twice a week) and the family had to contribute a small sum of money, which was used for the “purse” about which I will talk later.  Age limits to enter the academy were quite restrictive. Nevertheless, there were a very limited number of seats available to non-commissioned officers with the necessary degree and with a maximum age of 25 years. Thus it happened that in my course were admitted two second chiefs, one of whom, the more advanced in age of the whole course, got the nickname “grandpa” (he was 25 and we were 18 or 19!), and “grandpa” he remained to us to the end of his days.

He was an important point of reference for all of us, a rock like those of the Dolomites from which he came. His wisdom, his calmness, were soothing moments to our boyish escapades, Yes, because amongst the austere walls, with the discipline, we were also 18-and-19 year-old boys. Grandpa had always been assigned to submarines. After a year of war he disembarked from, I believe, the Toti to be admitted with us to the academy.  Forgive me this interlude not concerning your question, but going back to my past so many windows open and it is difficult to immediately close them all. Please, go on with your questions.
 

You asked me a question to which, due to the nature of the interview, I should give a short answer, but here again so many windows open up bringing back, reliving the years at the academy with the same intensity and participation with which I really lived them.  Thus, I am afraid my answer will not be short. I shall not speak of the academy, but of “my” academy.
 

Royal Naval Academy - Aerial view
1 - Courtyard  2 - Brigantine  3  S. Jacopo Landing 4 - Studies  5 - "Villa Miniati"

Behind the very elegant dress uniforms, the glowing red daggers with real mother of pearl hilts hid a life thought to be hard by those who had entered the academy with lesser convictions, but which instead was accepted, although with the inevitable whines, by those, like me, who had entered it with a strong desire to enjoy (in full breath) the most beautiful aspects and put up with a bit less enthusiasm, with the more rigid aspects. All is relative! The father of one of my course-mates, at the time a Vice-Admiral 1st Class who had entered the academy 40 years earlier, thought that “our” academy was not much different from a girls’ boarding school for young women from wealthy families. 

My son, who entered the academy about 40 years after I did, thinks that my academy was comparable to living in the hard prison of the Cayenne (French Guiana).  Throughout the years, the discipline and strictness applied in the academy have been proportioned with objective of transforming youths from a variety of social and scholastic backgrounds into men ready to consciously assume their responsibilities. One thing has never been absent from the academy in its 120 plus years of existence: inflexibility in regards to lack of loyalty and truthfulness. The disciplinary actions which derived and still derive are always the same: immediate termination. But let’s return to “my” academy.

Every day wake call at 0530 excluding Sundays when we were allowed another half hour of sleep. We slept in dorms for 60 cadets each.

0530-0600 Morning routine. Undo your bed, carefully folding sheets, blankets and pajama (making the bed was the “attendant’s” responsibility, characters those about whom I shall speak later on). Shaving was obligatory every day; no postponements allowed, not even for those who had not yet fully developed and had nothing to shave. During the morning routine, the non-commissioned officer on watch patrolled the dorms and he was the one to be asked for a medical check-up, or to call to report. “Mr…. called me to report for …..(in the Navy officers were always called by their last name preceded by “Signor”, or mister). I will give you more details later on.

0600-0630 Physical exercise in the courtyard.
 

Partial view of one of the  "Studies"

0630-0725 study time, essentially dedicated to reviewing subject matters for the day’s lessons. The hardest part though was keeping the eyes open due to the strict watch by officers and non-commissioned officers who did not hesitate to call to report whoever was found “dozing off during study hours”. After all, getting used to fighting sleepiness was a not a subject matter but a hough thing to learn. Aboard, during the interminable sequences of four-and-four, meaning four hours of watch and four resting (so to speak), interrupted by alarms, action stations, cease action station, watch below, etc. one had to be used to keeping the eyes open and take advantage of the first five minutes available to catch up with a bit of sleep. But let’s return to my academy.

0725-0730 Brief break. All of five minutes!

0730 General assembly (in the courtyard) by section and lined up and then running to the mess for breakfast. The ritual into the mess was always the same; we entered running (a light run), we lined up at attention behind our chair (each table with about 10 cadets). “Hats off”, “sit down”. At the end of the meal “stand up”, “Hats on”, and lined up, running, we would leave the mess.
 

The cadets dining hall.

0745-0800 break. The cadets who had requested sick bay lined up and went to the infirmary for a medical check. Whoever had been called to report presented himself to the secretary of his class and waited to be called by the commander of his course to receive a good telling off, but not the disciplinary sanctions. These one would only be known at the general assembly at 1245, and I will describe it later.

During this break we also used  the “patcher”, attendants who, with their toolbox, sat in the internal gallery for small patches, sewing (buttons, etc).

0800 Assembly, inspection of the uniform, hair, beard, and every other day physical exercise at the parallel bars the rope, or “battle station” at the brigantine interred in the courtyard, but identical to a real one for both sails and maneuvering.
 

"Action station" on the brigantine and the "rope"

0830 Beginning of the lessons. Each course was subdivided into sections of about 30 cadets and they carried on their activities, scholastic, athletic, and military, just like a regular high school class (in Italy a class is never separated and all students take the same courses). Class lasted 55 minutes. 5 minutes were needed to move from one classroom to another or from one building of the academy to another, always lined up and running. To us officers (deck officers) during the three years of a regular course were taught subject matters of the first two or three years of the faculty of engineering. In addition, subsidiary subject matters like trigonometry, visual navigation, astronomical navigation, gun ammunitions, naval guns, ballistics, explosive chemistry, underwater weaponry, naval architecture, thermodynamics, naval equipment, telecommunications, engine (machinery), equipment and maneuvering, staffing, naval history, and for now I don’t remember more, but the list is not complete!
 

Inside gallery

Practice was required for all subject matters, exams, assignments and naturally written and oral examinations in February and final exams in June (in most cases both oral and written). Saturday afternoons were dedicated to class assignments; on rotation navigation, both optical and astronomical, quizzes (so called “the Americans”) in all professional subject matters.
 

General assembly for the reading of the “rewards and punishments”

Having completed morning classes and placed our books back into our school desks, at 1245 we had the “general assembly” for the three courses in the courtyard in the presence of the second in command or the third in command of the academy for the reading of the “rewards and punishments” by the “brigadier” cadet, meaning the head cadet of the third class (the only one wearing the “regular” uniform with a sword instead of a dagger). Here, whoever had been called to report finally knew the disciplinary sanctions he had “gotten”: one, two, or three days of confinement. One, two, three days of simple arrest, or the same or more of close arrest. In this last case, unofficially, the cadet was hinted to resign. At the end of the general assembly, still running, we moved on to the mess while the small group punished with arrests, under the orders of a non-commissioned officer in charge of the prison, moved toward “Villa Miniati”, a pompous nickname for the prison building which for many years had been managed by Chief Miniati. 

Then the mess ceremony as in the morning but with two variations:

at 1300 we listened, while standing at attention to the world bulletin. Each table, in a special folder, would have mail addressed to the members of that table. But the mail could not be read. We could read it only after the “dismissed” outside the mess.

And we are at about 1330. Up to 1425: break. During this time, weather permitting, we could go sailing (star, jole, olympic beccaccini, dinghy), go to the reading room, play pool-table, play the hard fought “ugly ball” tournament (forerunner of the 5 man soccer and played with a different ball made out of old socks bundled up), or simply “graze”, that is to say stroll, sun bathe, read the mail, chit-chat with friends. Here were borne the “groups” made up of former schoolmates, people from the same town, new friends. New friendships were created or strengthened, links which were reinforced by common assignments to ships, or by being docked nearby, and which withstood the test of time, decades of ups and downs in life and, after 60 years, still hold up. Actually…
 

Drill of  Commander Romano's class  (1942)
Cadet Salvatore ROMANO is circled in yellow.

But let’s return to “my” academy. We were grazing: some sailing, some sunbathing, some in the reading room, others playing the “ugly” ball when at

1425 “the blow”. That is to say the trumpet signals which recalled us to the reality of everyday life. Two hours of intense activity as called for by each section: training with the assistant professors in some university-level subject matters, military training, and sports activities.

About sports activities, I should say that there was a requirement for all of us to pass a minimum number of disciplines, while those who had entered the academy with their own competitive experience, after passing the “minimal”, were required to participate in competitive activities between courses in their own disciplines. Swimming was a different issue. Here there was the requirement to pass the “minimum” for swimming, diving (and relative exercise, diving from a 5-meter platform).  At that time fins and mask for scuba were not available and were utilized only by the special forces, thus underwater exercises were done in apnoea and without aids. The exercise were generally geared at giving us confidence in the water, thus at the end giving us a chance of survival in case of shipwreck. The swimming pool was considered the worst activity. First of all because we would die of cold (we would literally go in pink and come out purple), second because all, and I mean all without distinction for those who knew how and did not, we had to swim, without time limit, two laps (100 meters each), and dive from a 5-meter platform. For those who did not know how to swim, there was always someone in charge of the “rescue”.

Another athletic activity which did not spark enthusiasm was rowing “in a life boat with oars”. It would not create any envy to real prisoners!
 

Rowing “in a life boat with oars”.

But there were also some pleasant activities, sailing, kayaking, fencing, soccer, rugby, tennis (these last ones were only for those who had passed the minimal athletic requirements), shooting, scuba, “battle station exercise” on the brigantine. On average, once a month we would go out to sea aboard “old smoke crackers” for full navigational training. Astronomical navigational exercises with point fixing by sextant required a different ceremony; wake up before the others to be ready to make astronomical point fixing at the very first light of day, and wrap up calculations in time to take part regularly in the other morning activities. During the war, equestrian sports and judo were suspended.
 

Diving

But let’s go back where we left. At 1645 “blow”. The trumpet called to an end the early afternoon activities. Sports break and then we would line up to receive the “sandwich”.

At 1645 all to the study. The “study” was a large room which could host, in separate tables, all the cadets. Monitoring was very strict. Always, one or two officers would walk between the rows of tables and there were no alternatives; with the mind, one could travel aboard ships, or go strolling with the girlfriend, but two things had to be done: keep the eyes open and the books open under the eyes. After all, there weren’t many alternatives; exams, assignments in class and after class, and the final examination forced the most turbulent not to get distracted. I was going to forget… before being released from study there were, on a rotational basis, drills with light signaling or with the horn, and naturally, with the most strict supervision! Once a week, each section interrupted studying for about 20 minutes to go take a shower (again, lined up and running). Studying continued until 1930 with a very short break at 1730 to use the toilet and smoke a cigarette (in those days we all smoked).

1945 Assembly for dinner. After dinner, a break until 2045 at the reading room, pool table, or singing (there was always someone who sang and we had a piano). Grazing was always indoor because in Leghorn, between the southwest and the north wind it was always cold at night.

2045 Assembly and running even up the stairways we would go to the dorms.

2100- 2130 Night routine and at 2130 all to sleep while the “silence” was being played.  Since it was prohibited to own a watch (in those days objects of a certain value), the only sense of time at night was given by the inevitable striking of the hour from the bell tower.  When, accidentally, one would go to the restroom at night and the clock was striking 0500 brrrr….only another half hour of sleep!  

This was the usual day. 
 

Fist Class Cadet Salvatore Romano
(Leghorn, February 1942)

Part IV