The Medusa, a submarine of the Argonaut class, was launched into the sea on 10th December 1931 in the Italian shipyard C.R.D.A. in Monfalcone. It entered service into the Italian Navy on 25th September 1932.
From the spring of 1941 the Medusa performed navigation as part of the flotilla of the Submarine School in Pula. In the morning of 30th January 1942 the submarine sailed out on one more educational voyage towards the Bay of Kvarner (Croatia).
Around noon, when the Medusa found itself in Kvarner, near to the Cape of Kamenjak, the British submarine the Thorn, which had already resided in the Adriatic for some time, sailed by. At about 1430 hrs. the commander of the Thorn noticed the Italian submarine, on its return from Kvarner as it sailing back along the coast towards Pula, through his periscope. Placing itself into a position to attack, the Thorn fired a range of 4 torpedoes. On the tower of the Medusa at that moment there were 8 people. Three of the torpedoes missed, but the fourth hit the Medusa roughly in the centre. The terrible explosion threw everyone on the tower into the air, and then fell into the sea. The submarine sank immediately. On the surface only four people were left swimming alive, but only two were saved. In Pula the rescue operation was launched. Morse code signals from inside conveyed the message that 14 survivors were trapped in the hull. All attempts unfortunately did not bare fruit because the submarine could not be raised to the surface in time. The unfortunate submariners, amongst them young cadets, suffocated before a crane managed to raise part of the hull to the surface.
