Circular silvered bronze medal with eyelet and loop for ribbon suspension; the face with the battleship Caio Duilio at sea under full steam, travelling from left to right; the reverse with a ‘columna rostrata’ bearing three naval anchors and with six rostra (prows) of enemy ships; diameter 25.69mm (1.01 inch). The Caio Duilio was an Andrea Doria-class battleship launched on 24 April 1913 and named for Gaius Duilius, Roman politician and naval commander who defeated the previously dominant Carthaginians in the First Punic War. The rostral column was erected in the Forum Romanum, Rome, in his honour in the 3rd Century B.C.. The Caio Duilio saw service in both World Wars and was scrapped as late as 1956.
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