The Seaman's Monument is a sculpture depicting two sailors greeting ships leaving for the Mar Grande with their caps in hand, or joyfully welcoming them back to port. The bronze sculpture was created in 1974 by Vittorio di Cobertaldo at the behest of Admiral Angelo Iachino, who saw it as a way to commemorate the sailors who fell in the war during the so-called "Night of Taranto". The "Night of Taranto" was the night between 11 and 12 November 1940, when the British Royal Navy, led by Admiral Andrew Cunningham, launched an air attack on the naval base of Taranto to defend British convoys leaving Egypt. The battle lasted about 90 minutes and caused several damages to the naval base of Taranto.