Today, November 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., a ceremony was held near Farmingdale, a town on Long Island, New York, at the Pinelawn Memorial Cemetery to honor the fallen members of the Italian Navy who were prisoners of war during World War II.
The memorial is the resting place of 364,000 fallen soldiers, including 54 Italians—36 of whom remain unidentified and are buried in a common grave. The sailors were among 1,800 prisoners aboard the SS Benjamin Contee, a ship operated by the British. On August 16, 1943, the vessel was struck by an aerial torpedo off the coast of Bone, Algeria. Many prisoners locked in the holds were killed, some from the impact and others by drowning.
Initial recovery efforts failed to locate all the victims. Later, when the ship returned to the United States, the remains of another 36 Italian prisoners were recovered from the holds.
The commemoration was organized by the National Association of Italian Navy Veterans in New York. Also attending were representatives from the Military Office of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations, personnel from the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., and members of Italian Veterans’ and Armed Forces Associations (including the Carabinieri and the Alpini Corps). They paid tribute to the fallen Italian sailors buried in the cemetery by laying two wreaths of flowers.
Monsignor Ellis Tommaseo, Chaplain of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, led a brief religious service and delivered a final blessing.
During the ceremony, remarks were given by Rocco Munna, President of the National Association of Italian Navy Veterans, and Major General Alfonso Manzo, Military Advisor of Italy to the United Nations. Both emphasized the importance and solemnity of remembering those who gave their lives in service to their country.
