Baionetta was a Gabbiano-class

Gabbiano class corvette

The Gabbiano class corvettes were a group of 59 vessels built for the Regia Marina of Italy for service during the Second World War. They were built to a war-time design and intended for anti-submarine and escort duties.-Design:...

 corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

 of the Regia Marina

Regia Marina

The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...

. She served during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

On 9 September 1943, a day after the Italian armistice, Baionetta transported King Victor Emmanuel III and General Pietro Badoglio

Pietro Badoglio

Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...

, together with their respective entourages and general staff officers, from the small harbour town of Ortona

Ortona

Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between German and Canadian forces during the Italian campaign in World War II...

 and sailed south escorted by the Italian Capitani Romani-class

Capitani Romani class cruiser

Capitani Romani was a class of light cruisers of the Italian navy. They were essentially designed to out-run and out-gun the large new French destroyers of the Fantasque and Mogador classes. Twelve hulls were ordered in late 1939, but only four were completed, just three of these before the...

 light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

 Scipione Africano, arriving in Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

the next day.