When the battleship 'Leonardo da Vinci' sank it was the night of 2 August 1916. The ship was moored in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto. Between 23:00 and 24:00, an explosion in the ammunition depot caused a fire to break out at the stern. In the sinking 21 officers and 249 crew died. The bronze bust of Leonardo da Vinci is all that remains of the ship. It was located in the officers' quarters of the battleship and disappeared underwater on the day of the tragedy, only to be recovered five years later. It was donated to the city in 1928 and, after some wandering, it was placed in the Peritato gardens, right in front of the stretch of water where the ship sank.