Caterina Costa was an 8,060-ton motor ship. On March 28, 1943, while loading ammunition and supplies at Naples during World War II, the vessel caught fire and exploded. 600 people died and over 3,000 were wounded.

On March 28, 1943, it was moored in the port of Naples in the area overlooking the district of Saint Erasmus, while being loaded with arms and supplies (1,000 tons of gas, 900 explosives, tanks and others) to be transported to Bizerte to supply war materials for the Italian armed forces stationed in Africa. A fire broke out, possibly due to arson, which became uncontrollable. The fire reached the Caterina Costa's hold, causing a devastating explosion. The pier sank and a large number of buildings around were destroyed or badly damaged. Some ships nearby caught fire and sank while hot parts of the ship and tanks were thrown at great distance, finishing in via Atri and Piazza Carlo III. Other fragments reached the Market Square and Vomero while others set fire to the central station. More than 600 dead and over 3,000 wounded filled the streets. Admiral Lorenzo Gasparri, commander of the Fleet Destroyer Group, was among the casualties; he was killed by the explosion while trying to distance some barges laden with ammunitions from the blazing ship, and he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.^[1]

• Vintage film

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1943
Shipwrecks	2 Mar: Kyokusei Maru, Meriwether Lewis 3 Mar: Aiyo Maru, Arashio, Doggerbank, Kembu Maru, Oigawa Maru, Shirayuki, Sin-ai Maru, Stag Hound, Taimei Maru 4 Mar: Asashio, City of Pretoria, Marietta E, Tokitsukaze, U-87 5 Mar: Empire Tower, USS Grampus, Minegumo, Murasame 8 Mar: ′s Jacob, James B. Stephens, U-156 9 Mar: Fort Battle River 10 Mar: U-633, Richard Bland, Nailsea Court 11 Mar: HMS Harvester, U-432, U-444 12 Mar: HMS Lightning, HMS Turbulent, U-130 13 Mar: Clan Alpine, Empress of Canada, U-163 14 Mar: HMS Thunderbolt 15 Mar: USS Triton 16 Mar: Benjamin Harrison 19 Mar: Lulworth Hill, U-5, U-384 21 Mar: K-3, U-163 22 Mar: U-524, U-665 23 Mar: Delfino, Windsor Castle 24 Mar: Bungsberg 25 Mar: U-469 27 Mar: HMS Dasher, U-169 28 Mar: Caterina Costa, Ceuta, Masaya, Suwa Maru 29 Mar: U-77 30 Mar: SS Empire Bowman, U-416 Unknown date: Sirène
Other incidents	8 Mar: Ro-103 13 Mar: USS R-6 19 Mar: HMS Derwent Unknown date: USS Scorpion
1942 1943 1944 February 1943 April 1943