Boats

The VELELLA was one of the two submarines originally designed and built for the Portuguese Navy by the C.R.D.A. shipyard of Monfalcone.

Monfalcone December 18th, 1936 the launch of the Velella
(Istituto Luce B101906)

In that period, 1920s and 1930s, several foreign navies ordered submarines from Italian shipyards. These boats were already in an advanced state of completion when, due to financial difficulties, Portugal had to renounce their construction.

The VELELLA in 1937 just before delivery to the Navy.
(Photo Turrini)

Thus, in 1935, these boats were acquired by the Regia Marina, which completed their construction making some alterations to the original design. The two boats, named VELELLA and ARGO, made up the class ARGO of coastal submarines. They turned out to be a good purchase, since their design, slightly altered, would be utilized to build the famous class TRITONE from 1941 to 1943. The VELELLA, although laid down since the early 1930s, was officially laid down in September 1935, when the Regia Marina took over the project. It was launched on December 18th, 1936 and delivered to the Navy on September 1st, 1937.

Upon entering service, the VELELLA, under the command of Lieutenant Pasquale Terra, was part of the 42nd Squadron of the 4th Submarine Group based in Taranto. In October 1938, it was first sent to Leros (Aegean), then Tobruk (Libya), and finally in December to Massawa (Eritrea) as part of the Submarine Flotilla of Italian East Africa. Here it remained until spring of 1940 and then it was sent back to the motherland, assigned to the 14th squadron of the 1st Submarine Group based in La Spezia.

Upon the commencement of the hostilities, June 10th 1940, the VELELLA was one of the many boats already on patrol in the Mediterranean. It was assigned to an area between Rhodos and the Turkish coast. On the 19th of June, due to engine troubles, it interrupted its patrol, first reaching Leros and later Taranto, where it remained two months for repairs.

Selected for redeployment in the Atlantic, despite the boat classification as a “coastal” submarine, after a brief period of refitting to adapt the vessel to the new operational environment, the VELELLA left La Spezia on November 25th destined for BETASOM, the new Italian submarine base in Bordeaux. On December 1st, the boat faced the crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, always difficult due to the strict British surveillance and the strong underwater marine currents. Hence, the boat was forced to submerge and ended up under the bombs of two British destroyers which caused some damage; then, due to difficulties navigating underwater, it sank to 130 meters, well over the maximum depth of 100 meters. Dragged by the current, the boat often hit the bottom of the African coastline. At night, it attempted to reach the surface to recharge the batteries, but two destroyers, which subjected it to a strenuous hunt, immediately attacked it. Later, navigating along the Spanish coastline, it reached the Atlantic. From the 4th to the 20th of December it remained on patrol off Lisbon, and finally on Christmas day it reached Bordeaux.

The VELELLA in Bordeaux on December 15th, 1940.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

In the Atlantic, the VELELLA completed four patrols. The most important would be the one of June 1941, west of Gibraltar, in which it sank a 7,000 t. tanker and a 3,200 t. merchant ship. The VELELLA was sure of the sinking, but there is no confirmation in the British documentation. In August, the VELELLA was part of a group of submarines which had to return to the Mediterranean where the situation demanded more boats. After a few days of patrol west of Gibraltar, on the night of the 24th of August the boat crossed the strait on the surface, reaching Cagliari (Sardinia) on the 29th for a long period of refitting.

Thereafter, it began the wearing activity in the Mediterranean. With command transferred to Lieutenant Giovanni Febbraro, from the 3rd to the 17th of March 1942 the VELELLA was in Pula in support of training activity for the Submarine School. Here, it completed a few patrols: south of Cape Palos (Spain) in April 1942, south of the Balearic Islands in June, along the Tunisian coast in July, and west of the Island of Galite in August. With command transferred to Lieutenant Mario Patanè, the VELELLA continued the patrol activity: south of the Balearic in September 1942, in the Gulf of Philippeville and the Bay of Bona in November, north of Cape de Fer in April 1943.

When, on July 10th 1943, the Allies began landing in Sicily, the VELELLA was one of the boats already on alert and ready to move to the Sicilian waters. Soon after its departure from La Maddalena, the boat was attacked by an airplane which it fought back, and perhaps damaged by the boat’s machine guns. Once in the waters of eastern Sicily, the VELELLA had to abandon the patrol due to breakdowns and on the 12th it sailed on to Taranto. Along the way, near Cape Colonne, it rescued five shipwrecked from an Italian torpedo bomber shot down. On the 23rd, it was again on patrol between Syracuse and Augusta.

In the attempt to oppose the Allied landing, in July 1943 five submarines were lost. The last and fatal mission of the VELELLA began on September 7th when, along with 10 other boats, it made up a screen of submarines in the lower Tyrrenhian Sea to contrast the landing in Salerno. After the war, and from British documentation, it was possible to ascertain that the VELELLA was torpedoed by the British submarine SHAKESPEARE around 20:00 on the 7th off Punta Licosa, south of Salerno, in position 40°15’N, 14°30’E. There were no survivors.

The armistice, declared the following day, had already been signed since the 3rd of September, but the Regia Marina was not aware of it.

Translated by Cristiano D’Adamo

Operational Records

Patrols (Med.)	Patrols (Other)	NM Surface	NM Sub.	Days at Sea	NM/Day	Average Speed
30	4	34,844	3,052	276	137.3	5.72

Actions

Date	Time	Captain	Area	Coordinates	Convoy	Weapon	Result	Ship	Type	Tonns	Flag

Crew Members Lost

Last Name	First Name	Rank	Italian Rank
Alunni	Giuseppe	Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe
Antonini	Achille	Naval Rating	Comune
Bandini	Ildebrando	Ensign Other Branches	Sottotenente Altri Corpi
Bazzani	Enzo	Ensign	Guardiamarina
Biondini	Giuseppe	Naval Rating	Comune
Caielli	Carlo	Naval Rating	Comune
Campito	Giovanni	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Caruso	Giuseppe	Sergeant	Sergente
Castellano	Vittorio	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Cazzorla	Saverio	Naval Rating	Comune
Ceretto	Francesco	Naval Rating	Comune
Chiavegato	Giovanni	Sergeant	Sergente
Cilio	Renzo	Naval Rating	Comune
Cioni	Loris	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
D’asta	Giovanni	Naval Rating	Comune
Fabris	Aurelio	Naval Rating	Comune
Facchinetti	Ermenegildo	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Feleppa	Eudecchio	Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe
Festa	Saverio	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Fulmisi	Cristoforo	Naval Rating	Comune
Furlan	Duilio	Naval Rating	Comune
Giacalone	Antonino	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Gualco	Carlo	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Ingrassia	Salvatore	Naval Rating	Comune
Leoncini	Smilace	Naval Rating	Comune
Maffei	Armando	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Menin	Luigi	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Meoni	Mario	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Novellini	Raffaele	Ensign	Aspirante G.M.
Pardetti	Ugo	Naval Rating	Comune
Piroddi	Orlando	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Renzoni	Carmelo	Sergeant	Sergente
Rizza	Antonio	Naval Rating	Comune
Rizzi	Pietro	Naval Rating	Comune
Schiavone	Pietro	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Serrati	Pietro	Sublieutenant G.N.	Tenente G.N.
Sessa	Andrea	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Sesta	Giuseppe	Naval Rating	Comune
Severini	Angelo	Junior Chief	Sottocapo
Simonetti	Eolo	Naval Rating	Comune
Sirugo	Giuseppe	Naval Rating	Comune
Sorrentino	Giorgio	Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe
Spina	Aldo	Sergeant	Sergente
Spisani	Doroteo	Naval Rating	Comune
Trapani	Salvatore	Naval Rating	Comune
Venuto	Luigi	Naval Rating	Comune
Vespucci	Aldo	Naval Rating	Comune
Vittori	Roberto	Sublieutenant	Sottotenente di Vascello
Zambrini	Giannino	Junior Chief	Sottocapo

The TRITONE was the first of a series of 9 boats and which bears its name (the Tritone Class). The boat was laid down at the C.R.D.A. shipyard of Monfalcone on May 12th, 1941, launched on January 3rd of the following year, and delivered to the Navy on October 10th, 1942. After a very brief period of training and testing, the boat was assigned to the base in Cagliari.

Finishing touches on the TRITONE at the Monfalcone Shipyard near La Spezia.
(Photo Turrini)

The negative development of the conflict and the immediate necessity to halt the Allied forces forced the Submarine Command to deploy the TRITONE for operational duties even before the crew and boat were ready. Thus, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Paolo Monechi, the boat left Cagliari on January 18th, 1943 for its first and last patrol. The boat was instructed to reach the area off Bougie where there was intense enemy traffic.

On the 19th in the afternoon, convoy MKS6 was in position 37°06N, 05°22’E course 250 moving at a speed of 7 knots when H.M.C.S. Port Arthur, one of the escort units, picked up a faint asdic (sonar) contact at a range of 1400 yards, bearing 165. It was the TRITONE which was lying in wait for the convoy to pass by. At that point, aboard the Canadian ship Sub-Lieutenant P.R. Cowan took charge of the asdic and at a range of 1200 yards speed was increased to 12 knots. After the initial hesitation, the target was positively identified as a submarine and the Flower Class corvette went on the chase. After the launch of the first few charges, the nearby explosions caused the corvette to lose the use of some instrumentation, including asdic, thus a signal was sent to H.M.S. Antelope, another of the escort units, to close position. Unbeknown to Captain E.T. Simmons, the commanding officer of the Port Arthur, the TRITONE had already been mortally wounded.

H.M.C.S. Port Arthur

The chase went on and at 14:23 the crew of the Port Arthur saw the submarine break the surface down by the stern with crew members jumping out of the conning tower and into the water port side. Although the situation of the Italian boat appeared desperate, H.M.S. Antelope (Lieutenant Sinclair) opened fire with a 4.7” gun, hitting the hull of the TRITONE many times and causing great devastation. Two minutes later, the boat sank by the stern. After the attack, Antelope proceeded to rescue the survivors, amongst them the commanding officer, three officers, and twenty-two ratings, one of whom was injured in the leg from shrapnel.

The last moments of the TRITONE

Later reports indicated that the TRITONE had been badly damaged by a depth charge launched by the Port Arthur and that the Italian captain had opted to take the boat to the surface. Once the maneuver was completed, orders were immediately given to scuttle. Despite the cannon hits to the conning tower and the hull, the submarine’s fate had already been decided. Still, the close range attack caused many casualties. The hull of the TRINTONE still containing part of the crew sank to the deep bottom of the sea where it still rests. Amongst the victims there was Mr. Bove, a civilian worker who was finishing some of the warranty work aboard the unlucky vessel.

The submarine TRICHECO (2) (the same name was assigned to a previous boat) belonged to the class “SQUALO”. This class derived from and was an improvement on the preceding classes “PISANI” and “BANDIERA”, and was efficient and reliable and, as a matter of fact, brought to an end the experimental period of Italian submarine naval constructions.

The TRICHECO at sea.
(Photo Turrini)

The “SQUALO” class included four boats: SQUALO (2), NARVALO (2), DELFINO (2) and TRICHECO (2), all built by the C.R.D.A. shipyard of Monfalcone (Gorizia), between 1928 and 1931. The TRICHECO was laid down on November 10th, 1928, launched on September 11th, 1930. The same day, the vessel was delivered to the Regia Marina for what was to be a very unfortunate operational life which officially began on June 23rd, 1931.

Operational Life

On January 16th 1931, off Orsero (near Savona) the unit collided with a fishing boat and causing considerable damage. On November 3rd, 1933 an explosion aboard cause a fire which was promptly controlled. In 1934, the boat hit a crane causing considerable damage to the periscope.

From 1935 onward, the TRICHECO was redeployed in East Africa returning to the mainland two years later. During this period, the boat completed a 12 day mission is support of naval operations revolving around the Spanish Civil War. In 1938, the boat was transferred to Messina and in 1940 to Lero (Greece). Here the boat began war operations completing 13 patrols.

The 1st of October, the TRICHECO left for another war patrol along with the AMETISTA and GEMMA, in the area around the the Kassos Channel (East of the Island of Crete).

The area of the passage was divided into three sectors: north, center, and south – assigned in the same order to the GEMMA, AMETISTA, and TRICHECO. After two fruitless days, on the 3rd of October only the GEMMA was ordered to the east to patrol the area between Rhodes and Scarpanto (Karphatos) (to be more precise in the square defined by the Island of Seria and Cape Monolito (Rhodes), Cape Prosso (southernmost point of Rhodes), Cape Castello (southernmost point of the island of Scarpanto), until the evening of the 8th. It was precisely in this area that on the night of the 7th a tragedy took place.

The night of the 7th, the TRICHECO (Lieutenant Commander Alberto Avogadro di Cerrione), a day before completing its patrol, had left its assigned area south of the Island of Kassos because of a wounded person aboard, and it was navigating along the western coast of Scarpanto, thus in the area occupied by the GEMMA.

Due to a fatal mishap with radio communication, neither the GEMMA nor the TRICHECO were informed of each other’s movements. In addition, a message in cipher dated the 6th in which Leros, via SUPERMARINA, ordered the GEMMA to immediately return to base, was never transmitted by the central operating office. Around 1:15 on the 8th, the TRICHECO sighted a profile of a submarine and, unaware of the presence of an Italian boat in that area, and assuming that such a presence would have been signaled, believed it was an enemy submarine. This situation, with the equipment available at the time, did not leave time to attempt recognition: only the submarine that fires first survives.

Thus, around 1:21, the TRICHECO launched two torpedoes. The distance was close: impossible to miss the target. The GEMMA, hit midship, sank immediately in position 35 30’N, 27 18’E, three miles for 078 off Kero Panagia, not too distant from the City of Scarpanto. No one survived. The opposite could have taken place if the GEMMA had sighted the other submarine first. These are accidents that, unfortunately, take place in all wars and all Navies.

Anyway, such danger for the Italian Navy was very limited. As a matter of fact, Italian naval doctrine was based on the concept of “ambush war” and each boat was assigned a small square of sea from which it was absolutely not allowed to trespass, remaining in waiting for enemy ships. This tactic, inherited from the experience of WW I, proved unsuccessful.

The Germans, on the other hand, since the beginning adopted a method which we could describe as “guerre de corse”: the area assigned to each boat was relatively large and they would pursue ships. After a sighting, all the boats within reach were called to concentrate on the target (often a convoy), forming a “wolf pack”. Operating in this way, the risk of friendly fire was high, but the Germans took it into consideration.

On October 7th, 1941, under the command of Lieutenant Carlo Gandolfi, the Tricheco was approaching the base of Augusta (Sicily) when it became the object of an aerial attack by a British “Blenheim”. The gun battle that ensued caused damages to the enemy aircraft allowing the submarine to submerge.

On November 29th, 1941, under the command of Lieutenant Alberto Campanella, the Tricheco sighted an enemy formation and a cruiser was attacked with three torpedoes none of which reached the intended target.

On March 18th, 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Giovanni Console, the submarine was transferring from Augusta to Brindisi when, having almost reached its destination, was hit forward by a torpedo launched by the British submarine Upholder (Lt.Cdr. Malcolm David Wanklyn). Broken into two pieces, the vessel disappeared in a few seconds taking along the second in command, sub lieutenant Ermanno Tonti, 10 officers and 27 crew members, while the captain and a 2 other survivors were rescued by vessels from Brindisi.

The hull of the Tricheco was discovered by Stefano Maghelli at a depth of about 80 meters in 2005.

Laid down in 1925 in the OTO shipyard of Muggiano and delivered to the Regia Marina on September 20th, 1928, by 1940 the Enrico Toti was already a submarine at the end of its practical operational life. Of the four boats of the Balilla class, of which the Toti was part, none made it through the end of the conflict. The Balilla, along with the Toti and Millelire were removed from service, while the Sciesa was lost in the port off Tobruk after an aerial raid.

The ENRICO TOTI at the submarine school in Pola.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

Soon after the beginning of the conflict, five submarines (Tazzoli, Glauco, Toti, Marcello and Medusa) operated in the western Mediterranean along the Algerian and Tunisian coastlines. From June 20th to the 27th, the Toti was assigned to the Gulf of Philippeville (Skikda, Tunisia) between Cape Bougaroni and Cape de Far, were it did not detect any traffic and thus returned to port.

After the middle of July, five submarines should have replaced the four assigned to the area between the island of Crete and the African coast. Of the five, only three were operational, amongst them the Toti which between the 19th and the 24th of July was deployed between Alexandria and Cape Krio (a promontory in southwest Turkey, on the Aegean Sea) about 70 miles south of the island of Crete. Once again, the unit left the area without having been able to detect any traffic.

In October, the Toti, part of large group of seven boats, failed to reach its patrol area due to a failure detected during the transfer. During its return to Brindisi, on October 15th, and with its electrical motors still inoperable, the Toti was navigating toward the Cape Colonna beacon, from which it would have continued on to Brindisi following the coastline.

At 1:10 AM, at about 50 miles 197° from Cape Colonne, a large submarine was sighted on the surface and the boat moved to attack it. Soon after, the enemy unit opened fire with the deck gun while positioning itself for an attack with the torpedo. On the counterattack, the Toti first opened fire with the machine guns, hitting the enemy’s conning tower, and later also with the deck gun. The torpedo launched by the enemy unit passed by the Toti’s stern, but one of its shells landed at the base of the Toti’s conning tower without causing major damages. At 1:40 AM, after 30 minutes of uninterrupted fighting, and while the enemy unit was trying to disengage, it was hit by the Italian’s fire and quickly went down.

In its 1967 edition of “I Sommergibili in Mediterraneo – Tomo I”, the “Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare” credited the Toti with the sinking of the British submarine “Rainbow” of 1,475 t.

H.M.S. Rainbow

During this prolonged exchange, when the aft gun jammed, the electrician Nicola Stagi threw one of his boots at the enemy repeating the heroic gesture performed by the submarine name bearer, Enrico Toti, on August 6th, 1916 in his dying moments on the battlefield of the Carso during World War I.

At the end of this controversial patrol, C.C. Bandini was transferred to the newer submarine “Atropo”, while C.F. Primo Longobardo assumed command and the boat was transferred to the submarine school in Pula. Here, the aging Toti would complete 93 training missions and patrols. Longobardo was then replaced by T.V. Giovanni Celeste.

Due to the desperate situation in North Africa, in 1942 the Toti was once again used to transport war materiel to Tobruk. The first transport mission started on June 30th, 1942 and was completed on July 13th (61 tons of gasoline, 3.7 tons of ammunition, and 1.5 of documents)

The second started on July 31st and was completed on August 6th, after having aborted navigation due to a fire which developed in the battery hold.

The third and last mission began on November 19th and was completed on the 28th of the same month (60 tons of gasoline, 2 tons of lubricants). Thereafter, the Toti was no longer operational and was officially removed from service on April 2nd, 1943.

Operational Life

1940

At the beginning of the war, the submarine Luigi Torelli was completing a training and shakedown period and therefore was not immediately assigned to operational duties. Upon completion of this training phase, the boat conducted a short reconnaissance mission in the Gulf of Genoa, after which it was reassigned to Bordeaux. The Torelli left La Spezia, its original base, on August 31st, 1940 as part of the first group of boats assigned to the newly established Atlantic base in Bordeaux. Following a pre-established plan, the boat crossed the Strait of Gibraltar the night of September 8, sailing, mostly submerged, along the African coast.

Between the 11 and the 29, the Torelli was assigned to a patrol area just off the Azores Islands. In this sector, is was assisted by the Tarantini to the north and the Faà di Bruno to the south. As part of this mission were also deployed the Emo (furthest north), the Baracca (south) and the Giuliani (farthest south). During the same period, the Marconi, Finzi and Bagnolin operated off the Northern Iberian Peninsula. During this mission, the Torelli encountered two ships, one neutral and one, which could not be reached and was assumed to be an enemy merchantman. Finally, on October 5th, the Torelli reached Bordeaux. In the following several weeks, the boat left port several times to complete short practice missions.

On December 11th, 1940 the Torelli left for its first Atlantic sortie, but a few days later, on the 21st, it was forced to abandon mission due to serious problems with the primary electric motors. Five days later, on the 26th, it reentered the base where it underwent repairs for over a month. During this period, C.F. Aldo Cocchia left the command of the submarine to become the Chief of Staff of BETASOM, and he was replaced by C.F. Primo Longobardo; one of the most recognized Italian submarine commander of the war.

1941

On the 5th of January 1941, the boat was again at sea, this time for a mission west of the Scottish coast.

The Torelli in Bordeaux while going through the locks leading to the tidal basin.
(Photo AMPA)

On the 15th, the boats sighted a small convoy of 6-7 ships, and commander Longobardo conducted a brilliant attack sinking the 5198 t. Greek SS Nemea, the 4.079 t. Norwegian SS Brask and, the following day, the 3.111 t. Greek SS Nicolas Filinis. The Nemea belonged to the “Ger N and Demetrios Denys Stathartos” of Athens and was built by Connel & Co. of Glasgow in 1913. The sinking was given in position 54° N 23° 58′ W and 17 crewmembers were lost, while the remaining 14 were rescued. The Brask belonged to the “Nilssen & Sonner” of Oslo and was originally built by the William Doxford & Co. of Sunderland in 1911. The sinking was given in position 52° 45′ N, 23° 59′ W, and 12 crewmembers were lost, while the remaining 20 rescued. The Nicolaos Filinis belonged to the “Nikes N Filinis” of Athens and was originally built in 1904 by the Richardson, Duck & Co. of Stockton-on-Tee. The sinking was given at 53° N, 24° W and 3 crewmembers lost their lives, while 26 were rescued. A forth vessel was also damaged, but escaped due to the foul weather.
This was one of the few examples of an Italian submarine archiving great results while participating in a Wolf pack attack. Eventually, this isolated episode would not stop B.d.U. from reassigning the Italian Submarines away from the Northern Atlantic into the more temperate waters of the Caribbean and South Atlantic. On the 20th of January, the Torelli conducted an attack against three enemy destroyers, but all three torpedoes launched failed to reach their targets.

On the 28th of January, the boat found and sank the 5.198 t. British SS Urla and then returned to the base, reaching Pauillac (30 KM north of Bordeaux) on the 4th of February. The Urla belonged to the “Bowring Steamship Co.” of Liverpool, and it was built by the “Ardrossan Dockyards” in 1924. The sinking was given at 54° N, 19° 20′ W and all 42 crewmembers were rescued. At the end of this mission, Commander Longobardi was transferred to the Calvi (submarine on which he will perish on the 15th of July, 1942 earning the Gold medal for Valor), and was replaced by T.V. Antonio De Giacomo. Unusual for a submarine, the second in command, T.V. Francesco Pedrotti was also replaced (he assumed the command of the submarine Beilul) by the S.T.V. Girolamo Fantoni.

After the usually period of rest and repairs, the Torelli left port in April as part of the “Da Vinci” group, moving off the coast of Ireland. This was a change of strategy, since Betasom had already began sending boats to the central Atlantic instead than the less hospitable northern Atlantic waters. Having failed to detect enemy shipping, T.V. De Giacomo later moved west of the Scottish coast, but then returned to base without having scored any success. The boat left the area on May 11th.

On June 29th, 1941 the submarine left the base for another mission off Gibraltar. On the 5th of July, it detected a convoy but, due to the prompt reaction of the escort units, could not conduct a successful attack. Two days later, on the 7th of July, the same situation would repeat itself, but this time the boat would have to avoid the violent reaction of the escort units. This attack took place at 35°15’N, 10°25’W.

On the 21st, near the end of its mission, the Torelli locates the 8.913 t. Norwegian motor tanker Ida Knudsen, which was navigating alone and which, was sank during a night attack. This ship belonged to the “Dampsk-A/S Jeanette Skinner” and was built in 1925 by the “Nakskov Skibsvaerft” in Denmark. The sinking was given at 34° 34′ N and 13°v 14′ W; 5 crewmembers were lost.

After a brief period in Bordeaux, the Torelli was again at sea west of Gibraltar; by this time, the period of Italian participating to the U-boat war in the North Atlantic had ended. On the 21st at 22:30, and on the 22nd at 00:30, the Torelli attacked a convoy, but the violent reaction of the escort caused considerable damage and the boat was forced to abandon mission. During this mission, the Torelli was part of a spotting network, which also included the Archimede, Cappellini, Morosini, Malaspina, Baracca ed the Da Vinci. Six large convoys crossed the water where the submarines where stationed, but mostly due to bad intelligence, none was attacked. Even U-boots send by B.d.U. participated to this action, and thanks to signals sent by the Da Vinci, U.203, U.124 and U.201 sank a total of nine ships. The 5th of December, the boat was again at sea, this time to participate, between the 7th and the 29th, to the rescue of the crewmembers of the German raider “Atlantis” returning the rescue personnel to Saint-Nazaire instead of Le Verdon, as originally planned. The Torelli, Along with the Tazzoli and Calvi, transferred 254 of the German sailors from U-boats using rubber rafts.

1942

On the 2nd of February, 1942 the Torelli left for its first mission along the American coast, specifically off the French Island of Martinique.

During the crossing of the Atlantic, on February 20th, it located and sank the 7.224 t. British SS Scottish Star with the torpedo and the deck gun. This ship belonged to the “Blue Start Line Ltd” of London and was built in 1917 as the “Millais” by the Harland of Greenock and renamed in 1938. The sinking was given at 13° 24′ N and 49° 36′ W; four crewmembers were lost and 69 rescued. It later reached its destination on the 24th, remaining in the area until March 10th.

The Esso Copenhagen sinking by the bow.
(Photo Elio Andò)

On the 25th it located and sank the 9.245 t. Panamanian motor tanker Esso Copenhagen. This ship under, in service to the United States, belonged to the “Panama Transport”, and was built in 1939 by the “Burmeister & Wain” of Copenhagen. The sinking was given at 10° 32′ N, 53° 20′ W and one crewmember was lost, while the remaining 38 rescued. The 10th of March, it located the British armed M/V Orari (10,350), but due to the superior speed of the target failed to reach a satisfactory position of attack.

On the 26th, it sighted the periscope of a submarine and, not knowing its identity, quickly disengaged. Later, It left the area and returning to Bordeaux on March 31st, where it entered the shipyard for routine maintenance work. During this period, CC. De Giacomo left the command and was replaced by T.V. Augusto Migliorini.
On June 2nd, 1942 the Torelli left for its second mission along the American coast, this time to patrol North East of the Bahamas Islands. Four days into the journey, on the 6th, the submarine was located by an airplane and attacked. This was the first such attack against one of Betasom’s boats. The technique was new: Allied aircraft had started operating at night and, with the aid of a radar, would locate Axis submarines illuminating them with a spot light and following with the launch of a cluster of bombs. In the case of the Torelli, the bombs, probably propelled by the high altitude of the launch, exploded under the hull causing very serious damage, but failing to sink the vessel. Still, an internal fire force the crew to flawed the ammunitions stowage area.

The Torelli with a heavy listing in the Spanish port of Aviles.
(Photo Elio Andò)

Commander Migliori, fearing the complete loss of the boat, directed toward the Spanish coast ending up aground near Cape Penas. This grounding was probably caused by the fact that the boat had lost all navigational aids. Later, the submarine was rescued by Spanish tugs and towed to the port of Aviles.

The submarine was in desperate conditions: unable to submerge, without navigational aids, and taking water. It was brought to rest on a sand bank, and after a few emergencies repairs, the 6th of June the Torelli left Spain attempting to return to Bordeaux. The following day, the boat was again attacked from the air by two Sunderlands; the captain and other officer were wounded and Sergeant Flavio Pallucchini was killed by the vicious and well-aimed strafing or the British planes, one of which appeared to have been hit.

To avoid sure sinking, the Torelli was, once again, brought back into Spanish territorial waters and place to rest on the sandy bottom of the harbor of the small port of Santander. Between the 8th of June and the 14th of July the crew proceeded with some emergency repairs. Having exceeded the maximum stay allowed in the territorial waters of a neutral country, the submarine was scheduled to be interned by the Spanish authorities, but on the 14th it escape the loose surveillance and reached Bordeaux in the evening of the 15th at the end of an incredible ordeal: this boat was a real survivor.

1943

Once at the base, the damage was so massive that it required about 6 months of repair work. T.V. Migliorini left the command and was transferred to the corvette Cicogna. The command was assigned to C.C. Antonio de Giacomo who was ordered to leave Le Verdon on the 21st of February, 1943 for a mission off the Brazilian coast. The 11th of March, the Torelli received 25 tons of diesel fuel from the Barbarigo. On the 16th, it was attacked by airplanes and due to a failure of the main shutoff valve (engine intake), it could not dive forcing a battle. One of the planes was damaged or shot down, and the others left but only after having caused serious damage and wounded the captain who was forced to transfer command to his second. Amongst the wounded were the chief engineer, C.G.N. Giuseppe Sguerra, and G.M. Alfio Petralia, while Sc.R.T. Radioman Francesco Lubrano was killed. Once again, the serious damages forced the boat to turn around and return to the base, which was eventually reached on the 3rd of April 1943; the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic had definitely turned.

Following negations with the Germans, the Torelli was one of the seven submarines designated to be transformed into transports. Supposedly, the idea of transforming these boats originated with C.V. Enzo Grossi, then commander of the base, who had realized that these submarines were no longer fitted for offensive operations. Grossi made a proposal to Adm. Donitz: in exchange for the 7 Italian submarines, the German would transfer 7 newly constructed U-boat to the Italian Navy. Although it could appear that the proposal was preposterous, it was actually warmly welcomed especially because the Germans were producing a boat a day, but did not have enough personnel to man them.
As part of the final agreement reached between the two navies, the Krisgmarine transferred seven U-boats of the class VII-c (designated by the Italians as class s) in exchange of an equivalent number of Italian boats which, due to their dimensions, were better suited for the long voyage to Japan. Of the seven boats, only five began the journey with the Torelli leaving on June 14th. This operation was completely under German control, and the boats were assigned a German name, but retained their Italian crew. Of the five boats, the Tazzoli was lost son after its departure, while the Barbarigo was lost probably soon after. Both losses were never documented and remain a mystery to these days. The two remaining transport submarines, the Bagnolin and the Finzi were trapped by the events surrounding the Italian surrender while still in Bordeaux and never left.

These missions were a desperate attempt to acquire precious and rare material, but even after extensive modifications, each submarine could, at the very most, carry only 150 t. of goods, a fraction of what a small cargo ship would usually load. As part of these alterations, the boats were stripped of their offensive weapons, both deck gun and torpedo launchers (turned into fuel depots), and left to defend themselves with only the 13.2 mm AA guns. In regards to these guns, it should be noted that they were not very effective against the new American four-engine bomber. Part of the batteries was removed, thus greatly reducing underwater range, and also the officer and crew quarters were reduced to a minimum. Life aboard was harsh: of the three toilettes, only one was left operational. Personal storage, showers, and most of the already Spartan amenities simply disappeared.

The Torelli had a special experience since, in addition to a cargo of special metals and rare merchandizes (mercury, steel, ammunitions, 20mm guns, a 500 Kg. Bomb, etc), was to transport Colonel Kinze Sateke, a Japanese officer specialized in telecommunications returning to Japan after extensive training with the Germans, and a German engineer. Also aboard were two militarized civilian mechanics. The journey was n

ot unknown to the British: the boat under the special attentions of the various surface ships, Catalinas and Sunderlands from Gibraltar to Freetown. Despite the excellent preparation, the Torelli run out of fuel and, only thanks to some precious diesel fuel transferred from a German U-Boat on August 12th, it was eventually able to reach Sabang (Malaysia) on August 26th, 1943 and then Singapore on August 31st.

A few days later, after the 8th of September, the Torelli was surprised in the events of the Italian armistice. The boat, already under German control, was manned by German personnel, and the command transferred to Captain Werner Striegler, while the Italian crew were sent to POW camps. Eventually, part of the crew opted to continue fighting along the old allies, and the Torelli, now renamed UIT-25 continue serving until May 10th, 1945 (two days after the official German surrender). During this period the boat was assigned to the 12th and later the 33rd U-boot flotilla. Herbert Schrein, who then relinquished the command to Alfred Meier in February 1945, replaced Captain Striegler in September 1944. Taken over by the Japanese and renamed I-504, the Torelli continue fighting with a mixed crew until Japan’s surrendered. Captured in the port of Kobe, the submarine was scuttled by the Americans the following years in deep waters off the port of Kobe.

The submarine TOPAZIO was one of the 12 boats of the series “SIRENA” of the class “600” of coastal submarines. The boats of the series “SIRENA” derived from the previous one, the “ARGONAUTA”, with some improvements. They were built by the C.R.D.A. shipyard of Monfalcone, near Gorizia (6 boats), Tosi of Taranto (2 boats), Quarnaro of Fiume (2 boats), OTO of Muggiano, near La Spezia (2 boats) between 1931 and 1934.

The TOPAZIO during a torpedo drill in La Spezia.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

The TOPAZIO was one of the two boats built in Fiume (Rijeka). Laid down on September 26th, 1931, it was launched on May 15th 1933, and delivered to the Regia Marina on April 28th, 1934.

Operational Life

Upon Italy’s entry into the war, the TOPAZIO was part of the 62nd Squadron, 6th Submarine Group, based in Tobruk (Libya). At the beginning of the hostilities (June 10th, 1940), the boat was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Emilio Berengan and already assigned to a patrol off Solum, Egypt along with three other boats. After four days without having picked up anything, the boat returned to base.

From the 29th of June to July 9th and still off Solum, the boat completed a second patrol but failed to detect any activity. On the night of the 9th, the boat left the patrol area for Taranto to complete a minor refitting. On the 12th, while on the surface, the submarine found a Charlie with six shipwrecked sailors from the destroyer ESPERO, sunk two weeks earlier 120 miles southwest of Cape Matapan. The six shipwrecked rescued were the last of a group of 35, which had sought refuge aboard the Charlie. From the 16th to the 21st of October, the TOPAZIO was again on patrol northeast of Marsa Matruh (Egypt).

During the following patrol, between the 8th and 12th of November, the boat discovered in the waters south of Malta a convoy of four ships heavily escorted. Navigating full ahead on the surface, the boat was able to move on a position for the attack and, at 01:33, launched two torpedoes against the ships. After about three minutes, the crew heard two strong explosions, a sign that the weapons had hit. Nevertheless, as in many similar situations, in the British documentation there is no reference to this action. It is known though that after the attack the TOPAZIO underwent one and one half hours of intense hunt by two of the escorts, a sign that the attack had been detected.

In 1941, the TOPAZIO completed several patrols in the Aegean Sea and along the North African coast. On September 10th, 1941 around 21:00 off the port of Beirut, the TOPAZIO sank the British ship MUFERTE of 691 t. The vessel had been stopped with the deck gun and then finished with the torpedo, but only after the crew was allowed to escape.

Another picture of the TOPAZIO.
(Photo Turrini)

In January 1942, the boat’s command was transferred to Lieutenant Bruno Zelick who conducted a long patrol in the waters between Benghazi and Alexandria. After this mission, the TOPAZIO was sent to the shipyard of Leros for major maintenance, which lasted until October 10th. During this period, Lieutenant Zelick was replaced by Lieutenant Mario Patanè. Zelick was transferred to the R. Smg. Scirè aboard which he lost his life on August 10th, 1942. After the refitting, the boat returned to Taranto where it resumed operational activity.

From October 27th to November 9th 1942, the TOPAZIO was on patrol south of the Balearic Islands where, on the 7th, it sighted a convoy bound for Algeria. The boat launched one torpedo against one of the escort but without any result. A few weeks later, while south of Malta, the TOPAZIO launched three torpedoes against a group of British destroyers, missing the target; it was the 14th of December.

In March 1943, after 10 days of patrol in the Gulf of Sirte, the TOPAZIO returned to La Maddalena where, from May 1st to September 1st, it completed a period of refitting. During this time, Lieutenant Patanè left command and was replaced by Lieutenant Pier Vittorio Casarini, who would be lost with the boat.

On September 7th, nearing the Italian armistice, the TOPAZIO left La Maddalena to form, along with 9 other boats, a barrier in the southern Tyrrenhian (Operation Zeta) to oppose the now expected Allied moves.

On September 8th, the boat was caught in those waters. On the same day the submarine command (MARICOSOM) issued orders to the boats to cease hostilities, dive to 80 meters, and surface at 08:00 of the 9th, to then stay on the surface flying the colors and with a black signaling pendant attached to the periscope while waiting further orders. These orders instructed the boats to go to Bona (Algeria) keeping the signals quite visible.

Thus, along with three other submarines (DIASPRO, TURCHESE and MAREA), the TOPAZIO followed orders to the letter on the 9th and 10th, as proved by the testimony of the other submarine commanders. Then, on the night of the 10th, the boat disappears.

After the war, British documentation indicated that on the 12th, about 28 miles southwest of Cape Carbonara (Sardinia), a British airplane attacked, hit, and witnessed sink rapidly a submarine navigating on the surface without any recognition sign and not on route to Bona (38°39’N, 09°22’E). There wasn’t any survivor, even though the British report indicated that there were a few shipwrecked sailors in the water.

The fate of the TOPAZIO is uncertain. The most probable explanation is that the British airplane did not see the signals, although they were properly placed, and made a tragic mistake. If the British report were accurate, why would the boat lower the signals and change course? And why, from the night of the 10th, for two days, would it interrupt all contacts with the other boats? Even if the boat had decided not to obey MARICOSOM’s orders, why would the crew let themselves be found on the surface? The doubt remains.

During its operational life, the TOPAZIO completed 41 patrols for a total of almost 26,000 miles.

Translated from Italian by Cristiano D’Adamo

Operational Life

1940

Under the command of C.C. Vittore Raccanelli, the Tazzoli begins its duty by conducting patrols between June 21st and July 2nd, 1940 off Cape Tones ( North African Coast). Between July 30th and August 9th, 1940 the submarine attempts to cross the Strait of Gibraltar and reach Bordeaux, but it is forced to return to base due to technical difficulties with the hydroplanes. From August 9 to September 9th, 1940 the submarine is at the Navy yard of La Spezia for the necessary work to adapt the boat to operations from the new Atlantic base of Bordeaux.

The Tazzoli at the shipyard of Muggiano – December 13th, 1936
(Photo Turrini Collection)

Still under the command of C.C. Raccanelli, the Tazzoli left the submarine base of La Spezia on October 2nd, 1940 for the newly assigned base of Bordeaux. The submarine crossed with minimal difficulties the Strait of Gibraltar on the 7th of October after having avoided the British surveillance. During one of the maneuvers, the boat sank as low as 124 meters. This sudden lost of depth would be an event experienced by most Italian boats, causing some of them to hit bottom resulting in considerable damage.

From October 9th to the 13th, the boat was assigned a patrol off Cape S.Vincenzo where, in the early afternoon of the 12th, it intercepts and sinks the Yugoslavia Stem Ship ORAO of 5,135 tons. The Orao was first shelled and then torpedoed. Of the 35 crew members aboard at the time of the attack, two perished. The submarine gives 35 41N 10 53W as coordinates of the sinking, while the Lloyds of London report 35 34N 10 35W. The Orao was built in the Greenok Shipyard in 1919 and was previously named Beechpark until 1937, and Ger-y-Bryn until 1938. It belonged to the Jugoslavenska Plovidba DD (Yugoslavian navigation Co) of Susak and had both a black hull and black funnel. Despite the fact that Italy was not at war with Yugoslavia, the Orao was attacked after it had radioed its position (along with the one of the submarine) to Gibraltar, thus violating international neutrality laws.

From October 14th to the 19th, the boat was assigned to patrol off Oporto. Having failed to detect any enemy shipping, the boat moved on to Bordeaux where it arrived on the 24th. On the 22nd, while approaching, it was targeted by several shells from a patrolling ship or submarine, which was avoided with a quick dive.

Between the 3rd and 13th of December, Betasom ordered six submarines to the British Isles under an agreement with B.d.U, the German submarine command. The Tazzoli left on the 13th and reached an area west of Scotland on the 19th. After a failed attack on the 25th, commander Roccanelli was able to locate the 4,980 t British merchantman ARDANBAHN on the 27th, which was sunk after a long series of attacks. This ship, built in 1929 by D & W Henderson & Co., had been previously attacked by U38, and it belonged to the Clark & Service Company. It was part of convoy OB263 which had left the port of Liverpool unescorted. The location of the sinking is given at 59 16N 20 27W, and all 40 crewmembers were lost at sea. On the 30th, it conducted another attack, but the escorting ships quickly repelled it. The submarine returned to Le Verdon on the 6th of January.

1941

Between January 20th and March 25th the boat was, once again, at a local shipyard for refitting. On April 5th, C.C. Fecia di Cossato, who was already aboard the Tazzoli for training, was promoted to the command of the submarine. On the 7th, the boat left Bordeaux to patrol an area between Freetown and the Azores, where intense enemy shipping traffic had been reported.

Commander Cossato (in the middle) on scouting the horizon from the conning tower of the Tazzoli
(Photo U.S.M.M.)

On April 12th, the crew located two warships and the commander launched a torpedo and then dived. A few seconds later, a loud explosion was clearly detected. The crew assumed that one of the two units had been hit because the hydrophones detected only one engine. After a quick immersion, the crew noted a large pool of oil and an enemy ship farther away. Immediately after, the enemy ship turned around, forcing the sub to make another quick dive. Allied war records did not confirm any sinking of warships in this area.

On the 15th of April, the Tazzoli intercepted, and sank with the torpedo, the 4,248 t. (4,733 according to other sources) British merchantman AURILLAC, which was seen blowing up in a terrible explosion. During this action, the crew noticed the presence of another submarine in the area. The Aurillac was a French ship built by William Pickersgill & Sons in 1921 and belonging to the Compagnie Du Chemin de Fer de Paris of Orleans. At the time of her sinking, she was flying the British flag and was under service of the Ministry of War Transport. Of the 41 crew members, one perished. The location of the sinking was 37 09N 18 42W.

On May 7th, the Tazzoli located and sank the 4,310 t. Norwegian motorship FERNLANE in service to the British and transporting ammunitions and possibly airplanes. The ship, built in 1921 by Burmeister & Wain’s Maskin of Copenhagen, belonged to Dampskibsinteressenskabet Garonne . All 35 members of the crew were saved. The coordinates of the sinking were given at 10 02N 20 17W.

On May 10th, the Tazzoli located and sank the 8,817 t. Norwegian tanker ALFRED OLSEN in service to the British. This modern ship was built in 1934 by Wm Hamilton & Co. Ltd. and belonged to the Gjerding, of Bergen, Norway. All 34 crew members were rescued. The coordinates of the attack were given at 2 59N 20 26W and those of the sinking at 03N 20 10W .

On May 23rd, while returning to Bordeaux, the submarine was attacked by a British airplane type Bristol Blenheim, which was shot down. During the engagement, one of the crew members (Capuzzo) was wounded and later would have a leg amputated. Between May 23rd and July 15 the submarine underwent the usual refitting

On July 15th the submarines left Bordeaux for a patrol off Freetown (Liberia). On the 12th of August in a position 50 miles from Greenville, the Tazzoli located and attacked a convoy of two ships. According to the Italian authorities, the vessel ZANGARA was stricken and forced to beach on the African coast. There is no mention of this vessel in “The World’s Merchant Fleets – 1939” and therefore it should be assumed to be an erroneous report. The ship in question could have been the British SANGARA, 4,124 t. belonging to the Elder Dempster Lines, ltd. Which was not indeed hit.

On the night of the 19th, the Norwegian tanker SILDRA of 7,313 t. was located and sunk. This relatively new ship was built in 1929 by Schichau of Danzig and belonged to the Jebsen, Wilh & Paul of Bergen. The ship was in the service of the British Admiralty and the location of the sinking was given at 05 30N 12 50W. All 40 members of the crew were rescued. On September 11th, the boat returned to Bordeaux where the crew were sent on leave and the boat underwent major refitting. From the 7th to the 27th of December 1941 the Tazzoli participated in the rescue of the crewmembers of the German auxiliary cruiser ATLANTIS, returning a large number of sailors to St. Nazaire on the 25th of the same month.

1942

On the second of February 1942, the Tazzoli left Bordeaux with the destination of Florida. This would be the first of the “American” missions. In the afternoon of March 3rd, it located and attacked the British tanker PARANA of 8,017 t., but all torpedoes were deviated by the heavy sea.

On the 6th of March it located and sank the Dutch steamer ASTREA. There is no reference of this ship in “The World’s Merchant Fleets – 1939”. Some authors give the tonnage at 1,406.The night of the same day it located and sank the Norwegian motor ship TONSBERGFIORD of 3,156 t. This modern motor ship was built in 1930 by Gotaverken (Gotheburg) and belonged to the Norske Amerikalinja (Oslo). The position of the sinking was given at 31 22N 68 05W. One member of the crew perished, while the remaining 32 were rescued.

On the 8th, the Tazzoli located and sank the 5,785 t. steamship MONTEVIDEO. This ship was the Italian ADAMELLO, built in 1920 by Northumberland Shipbuilding (UK) and seized by Uruguay in 1941. The location of the sinking was given at 29 13N 69 35 W and 14 crewmembers were lost, while 35 were rescued.

On the 10th of March, the Tazzoli located and sank the 3,628 t. Greek ship CYGNET. This ship, previously named MIRACH (Netherlands), was built in 1917 in Rotterdam by Droogdok Maatschappij and belonged to the Halcyon Steamship Company. The location of the sinking was given at 24 05N 74 20W and all 30 crewmembers were rescued.

On the 13th of March, it located and sank the British steamship DAYTONIAN of 6,434 tons. Built in 1922 by D&W Henderson & Co. Ltd., the ship belonged to the Charente Steamship Co. The location of the sinking was given at 26 33N 74 43W (the location given by the Italian authorities was 26 35N 75 00W). One crewmember perished, while the remaining 58 were rescued. Here is what the Daily News reported.

On the 15th, Commander Fecia di Cossato located and sank the 8,780 t. British tanker ATHELQUEEN. This ship was built in 1928 by Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and belonged to the Athen Lines. The location of the sinking was given at 26 50N 75 40W. Three crew members were lost, while the remaining 46 were later rescued. During this attack, the Tazzoli ended up colliding with the hard-to-sink Athelqueen, damaging the forward tubes. Due to the damage, Commander Fecia Di Cossato was forced to abandon mission and return to base, which was reached on the 31 of March.

From the end of March to the 1st of June, the Tazzoli underwent maintenance and repair work. The crew, after the very successful cruise, received the much-deserved rest. On June 18th the boat left port after a few tests following the repair work. The destination was, once again, the Caribbean.

On the 2nd August, the submarine intercepted and sank the Greek steamer KASTOR of 5,497 tons. Some sources report the sinking on the 1st of August. The Kastor, previously named PARANA until 1935, was built in 1921 by F. Schiechau GmbH of Danzig, and it belonged to George D Gratsos Co. The location of the sinking was given at 11 06N 59 05W. Of the crewmembers, 4 were lost and the remaining 31 rescued.

Four days later, on August 6th, the Tazzoli intercepted and sank the 6,161 t. Norwegian ship HAVSTEN, which was also being pursued by the German submarine U160, which had attacked her on the 3rd and eventually sunk another ship. The tanker, built in 1930 by Barcley, Curle & Co of Glasgow, belonged to Rafen & Leonnechen and was at the service of the British Admiralty. The location of the sinking was given at 11 18N 54 45W. Of the crewmembers, 2 were lost, the remaining 30 rescued, while 2 were taken prisoner.

Soon after, the Tazzoli began the long journey back to the French base which was reached on the 5th of September. The boat was then taken to the naval yard for two months of refitting necessary after the 71 days and 10,348 miles at sea.

On November 14th, the boat left again for a mission off the cost of Brazil, near Cape S. Rocco. Here the Tazzoli was on patrols from the 12th of December to the 15th of January, 1943.

On December 12th, the submarine intercepted and sank the 5,032 t. British ship EMPIRE HAWK. There is no reference of this ship in “The World’s Merchant Fleets – 1939”. The same day, it intercepted and sank the 5,658t. Dutch ship OMBILIN. Built in 1916 by the Nederlanssche Dok Maatschappij, of Amsterdam, the ship belonged to Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij, a Dutch company based in Java. The location of the sinking was given at 7 25N 39 19W. Of the crewmembers, 79 were rescued, while 2 were taken prisoner.

A few days later, on December 21st, the Tazzoli intercepted and sank the 4,814 t. British ship QUEEN CITY, formerly known as the CRAGNESS. This ship was built in 1924 by J L Thomson & Sons Ltd and belonged to Smith & Son of Cardiff. The location of the sinking is given at. Of the crewmembers, 6 perished, while it is not known how many survived. Some of the wounded were taken aboard the Tazzoli and celebrated Christmas with the Italian crew.

On Christmas day, December 25th, the Tazzoli intercepted and sank the 5,011 t. American ship DOŇA AURORA . Built in 1939 by the Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico in Trieste, Italy, this ship belonged to the De La Rama Steamships, a company based in the Philippines. The location of the sinking was given at 02 02S 35 17W. Of the crew members, 62 were rescued, 7 perished and the remaining 2 were taken prisoner.

1943

After this last sinking, the Tazzoli return to France where it arrived on the 2nd of February. Upon arrival, the commander, C.C. Fecia di Cossato, was transferred to the torpedo boat Aliseo in the Mediterranean. From the 10th of February to the 1st of May the submarines underwent modification to fit the boat for transporting goods to Japan. It would leave Bordeaux on the 16th of May with 165 tons of various goods.

Chief 2nd Class Tommaso Molinari who perished aboard the Tazzoli
(Photo Alcide Molinari)

Communication was lost on the 17th and the boat was presumed lost between the 18th and the 24th of May, most probably in the Bay of Biscay. After the war, the Italian Navy conducted an inquiry with the assistance of the British Admiralty and the U.S. Navy, but there was no confirmation of any successful Allied attack. The Royal Navy confirmed that the U.S.N. Mackenzie had conducted two depth charge attacks on May 16th in position 38 53N 20 33W. A similar attack was then repeated on the 22nd. With the boat, all crewmembers were lost.

Operational Records

Patrols (Other)	NM Surface	NM Sub.	Days at Sea	NM/Day	Average Speed
9	67,888	2,911	396	178.79	7.45

Actions

Date	Time	Captain	Area	Coordinates	Convoy	Weapon	Result	Ship	Type	Tonns	Flag
10/1/1940	16.15	C.C. Enrico Bertarelli	Atlantic Ocean	40’N-16°55’W		Artillery	Sank	Aghios Nicolaos	Steam Freighter	3687	Greece
11/18/1940	17.40	C.C. Enrico Bertarelli	Atlantic Ocean	53°N-17°W	SLS.53d	Torpedo	Sank	Lilian Moller	Steam Freighter	4866	Great Britain

Casualties

Rank	Italian Rank	Date
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	9/12/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	12/11/1941
Naval Rating	Comune	4/15/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	12/15/1940
Naval Rating	Comune	10/31/1940
Naval Rating	Comune	8/12/1942
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	3/23/1943
Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe	6/20/1940
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Lieutenant Commander	Capitano di Corvetta	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Sublieutenant G.N.	Tenente G.N.	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Lieutenant Other Branches	Capitano G.N.	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe	5/18/1943
Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Ensign	Aspirante G.M.	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 1st Class	Capo di 1a Classe	5/18/1943
Chief 3rd Class	Capo di 3a Classe	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Sublieutenant	Sottotenente di Vascello	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Sublieutenant	Sottotenente di Vascello	5/18/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/18/1943
Chief 1st Class	Capo di 1a Classe	5/18/1943
Ensign Other Branches	Sottotenente Altri Corpi	7/11/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	7/11/1943
Sublieutenant G.N.	Tenente G.N.	7/11/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	2/28/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/15/1943
Naval Rating	Comune	5/23/1943
Ensign	Guardiamarina	5/23/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/23/1943
Sergeant	Sergente	5/23/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	5/23/1943
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	9/8/1941
Naval Rating	Comune	2/22/1941
Lieutenant Commander	Capitano di Corvetta	1/30/1942
Naval Rating	Comune	7/5/1941
Chief 2nd Class	Capo di 2a Classe	7/15/1943
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	8/10/1942
Sublieutenant G.N.	Tenente G.N.	8/2/1941
Junior Chief	Sottocapo	6/9/1942

Operational Life

This submarine (more commonly known as the TARANTINI), was one of the four boats of the “LIUZZI” class, all built by the TOSI shipyard of Taranto between 1938 and 1940. The TARANTINI was laid down on April 5th, 1939, launched on January 7th, 1940 and delivered to the Regia Marina on January 16th of the same year.

At the beginning of the hostilities (for Italy June 10th, 1940), the TARANTINI, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Alfred0 Iashi, was already on patrol of Gavdos (Crete). On June 11th, it attacked a large tanker (around 7,000 t.), but failed due to malfunctioning torpedoes.

The Submarine CAPITANO TARANTINI.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

The boat’s second patrol, between the 27th of June and the 12th of July, called for a patrol off Haifa. During the transfer, it was attacked on the 28th in the Ionian Sea by an airplane, but without consequences. The day after, at around 5:00 AM, while on the surface south west of Cape Matapan, it sighted a British destroyers, probably H.M.S. DAINTY, which avoided the torpedoes and immediately retaliated, but without any success. Toward the end of the patrol, at 23:00 on the 11th of July, the TARANTINI launched torpedoes against a merchant ship departing Haifa, but missed the target. The, it continued on with the deck gun immobilizing the ship, and after having rescued the crew, sank the ship with a second torpedo. This was the Panamanian BEME of 3,040 t. in service to the British. Thereafter, it returned to base.

After two more patrols in the Mediterranean, the TARANTINI was assigned to BETASOM to operate in Atlantic. Thus, on August 31st, 1940 it left Trapani (Sicily) bound for Bordeaux. On September 10th, it crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and then moved on to patrol north of the Azores Islands where it remained, without any results, until the 29th. Thereafter, it moved on to Bordeaux where it arrived on October 5th.

On November 11th, 1940, the TARANTINI left Bordeaux for its first Atlantic mission: a patrol from November 18th to December 8th north west of Ireland. During the winter season the ocean was yet another enemy claiming victims; as soon as in open sea, at the estuary of the Gironde, exceptionally rough sea causes serious wounds to the second in command who was left immobilized for the remain of the mission. A few days later, on the 5th of December, another unusual wave ripped from the conning tower the 2nd Chief helm-man Sergio CIOTTI who, despite the long search, was never found.

During the patrol, on the 2nd of December, the TARANTINI sighted a large convoy and, while the boat was preparing for the launch, it was discovered and underwent a bombardment, which lasted 24 hours. A total of 106 depth charges were heard, but fortunately without serious damages. Another attack, lasting 12 hours, was also avoided on the 5th of December.

The British submarine H.M.S. Thunderbolt, which was nothing else that the famous H.M.S. Thetis re-floated after a tragic sinking. The Thunderbolt would be later sank by the Italian corvette CICOGNA on March 14th, 1943.

On the 9th, the boat began the return voyage. The 15th it arrived at the estuary of the Gironde, to be navigated all the way to Bordeaux, and was already under the escort of German units sent, as usual, to protect the return of submarines. At 10:17, the TARANTINI was torpedoed by the British submarine Thunderbolt and sank almost immediately. Only 5 crewmembers are rescued: the second in command, Lieutenant Attilio Frattura, and other four people.

The SMERALDO was one of the 12 boats of the series “SIRENA”, class “600”. This series was built between 1931 and 1934 by four shipyards: C.R.D.A. of Monfalcone, Gorizia (6 units), TOSI of Taranto (2 units), QUARNARO of Fiume (2 units) and OTO of Muggianiano, near La Spezia (2 units).

Operational Life

Upon entering service in December 1933, the SMERALDO left the shipyard TOSI remaining in Taranto assigned to the “Inspectorate Submarines” which took care of the initial training. As part of this activity, in 1934 the boat completed a cruise in the eastern Mediterranean.

The SMERALDO
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

In 1935, the boat was deployed in Messina, first assigned to the 7th Squadron, then in 1936, to the 9th. But in 1937, it was reassigned to the 45th Squadron, 4th Submarine Group, based in Taranto. During the Spanish Civil War, the boat completed a patrol under the command of Lieutenant Commander Mario Canò from August 25th to September 6th, 1937 off Cape Palos, but without obtaining any result.

When Italy entered World War II (June 10th, 1940), the SMERALDO was assigned to the 61st Squadron, 6th Submarine Group based in Tobruk, Libya. From here, under the command of Leiutenant Carlo Todaro (brother of Captain Salvatore Todaro, Gold Medal), the boat left the same day to patrol off Alexandria, 60 miles to the east. In the early hours of the 11th, the SMERALDO sighted a large ship against which it launched a torpedo, failing due to the heavy sea. It is the first torpedo launched by an Italian submarine in World War II. It returned to Tobruk on the 20th.

On July 3rd, the SMERALDO left for the subsequent patrol and on the 7th and 8th was, unwillingly the protagonist for another record; discovered by British antisubmarine units, it underwent the most dramatic bombardment in the whole war with about 200 depth charges. Despite some damage, it escaped, returning to base in Tobruk.

Nevertheless, the damage received (water infiltration through the resistant hull’s rivets, a broken electric motor, just to mention the main ones) was not repairable with the means available in Tobruk, so the boat was sent to Augusta where, from July 15th to December 2nd it remained in the shipyard. It began operating again on December 15th, for a patrol off the Egyptian coast, and since there wasn’t any enemy shipping, on the 22nd it returned to Augusta. The subsequent mission in the waters off Malta began on January 16th, 1941 and it was interrupted soon after when, on the 18th, a serious failure with the batteries forced the boat back to Augusta. During refitting, Lieutenant Carlo Todaro transferred command to Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Commander) Vincenzo D’Amato.

Activity started again on March 15th, this time in the Cerigotto Channel, between mainland Greece and the Island of Crete. On the 16th, the SMERALDO sighted a seven-ship convoy, escorted by a cruiser and several destroyers, but the position was not favorable and could not conduct an attack. It tried again two days later, on the 18th, when it was able to attack a fast enemy unit, but this one, having sighted the submarine, attacked it and was almost able to ram it, forcing it to dive. On the 22nd, the boat returned to Leros where it remained on a temporary assignment.

From this base the SMERALDO left for two more patrols in the area: the fist south of Crete from the 8th to the 16th of April, 1941. The second from May 29th to June 4th, south west of Cape Crios (Crete). Neither patrols produced any results. Anyway, differently from the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean traffic was scant and always heavily escorted. It was hard life for the submarines forced to strenuous patrols and rewarded by very modest results. Later, the boat returned to Augusta for refitting until September 1st. During this period, Lieutenant Commander D’Amato transferred command to the last skipper, Lieutenant Bartolomeo La Penna.

The patrol of the SMERALDO began on September 15th, 1942 when, along with other boats, it was positioned in the Strait of Sicily to form a naval screen against British naval forces. These forces had left Gibraltar between the 8th and the 14th, directed to the western Mediterranean. Specifically, the SMERALDO was assigned a patrol area off the Tunisian coast where the safety routes bypassing the minefields were located. The boat’s return was scheduled for the 26th, but after the departure from Augusta all contacts were lost.

Since in those days and places, after having verified the British documentation, there is no report of any antisubmarine activity, it should be assumed that the submarine was lost following contact with a mine between the 16th and 26th of September, 1941. Up to then, the SMERALDO had completed 15 missions (8 patrols and 7 transfers), for a total of 10,345 miles.

Translated from Italian by Cristiano D’Adamo

he Italian submarine Scirè was a vessel of the class “600” series “Adua”. This type of submarine was built for short cruises and was protected by a single hull and a false keel. This class of vessels obtained good results during W.W. II; they were robust and maneuverable, but their surface speed was too slow. Some participated in the Spanish Civil War.

On July 10th, 1940, under the command of Captain Pini, the unit was credited with the sinking of the 1,058 t. French steamer Cheick. The Scirè and her twin boat “Gondar” had different operational lives from the rest of the series. In August 1940, the unit underwent important structural modifications for the installation of cylindrical containers for the transport of sub-attack crafts of the S.L.C. (Siluro a Lenta Corsa), the famous “maiale” , and her command was transferred to Commander Borghese.
Later, the conning tower was modified similarly to the German U-Boots, removing the highly visible enclosed deck and lowering the periscopes’ sleeves. The 100/47 gun was removed and a new A.A. machine gun added. The unit was fitted with three cylinders, one forward and two aft. Each cylinder could carry a single S.L.C. The Scirè and the Gondar were almost identical, but the forward cylinder of the latter did not have reinforcement rings thus allowing for the two units to be properly identified. Despite her notoriety, there actually are very few pictures of the Scirè, and of the few, many were manually retouched.

The Scirè near La Spezia

Between September 24 and October 3, and once again from October 21 to November 3 1940 it operated in two missions against the British naval base of Gibraltar. A new mission took place on May 15th 1941 and it was repeated on September 10th, this time achieving some results. The most important mission was the one of December 19th, 1941 when human torpedoes launched by the Scirè sank the battleships Queen Elisabeth and Valiant, the tanker Sagona and the destroyer Jervis in the shallow waters of the port of Alexandria.

The “U-Boot” style tower.

Later, Borghese relinquished the command of his submarine to Commander Zelich. After having left La Spezia on July 27th, 1942, the Scirè reached Leros from which she then headed towards the British port of Haifa. The unit left Leros on the 6th of August and waited at sea for information from a German reconnaissance unit; communication was lost thereafter. According to British records, the Scirè was lost on August 10th just outside the port of Haifa in Palestine where it was intercepted by the British torpedo-boat Isley and sunk with all men aboard. The bodies of two swimmers, Captain Chersi and P.O. Del Ben were washed ashore and buried in the local cemetery.

A relict of Scirè at the Naval Museum of La Spezia.
(Photo Cristiano D’Adamo)

Between September 2 and 28, 1984 the Italian rescue ship Anteo recovered the remains of 42 of the 49 crew members and 11 operators aboard at the time of her lost. Parts of the hull, previously removed during a recovery attempt, are now displayed at the “Sacrario delle Bandiere” in Rome, and the naval museums in La Spezia and Venezia. The Scirè was one of only three Italian vessels to receive the Gold Medal for Valor.