Glauco (GU, I.24)
Glauco

Type	Ocean going
Class	Glauco (9)
Laid down	12 Oct 1932	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched	5 Jan 1935
Commissioned	20 Sep 1935
End service
Stricken
Loss date	27 Jun 1941
Loss position	35° 06'N, 12° 41'W
History
Fate	Scuttled on 27th June 1941 to the west of Gibraltar, in position 35°06'N, 12°41'W after being forced to surface by depth charges and then being damaged by gunfire from the destroyer HMS Wishart.

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
C.C. Ferdinando Corsi	15 Feb 1940	Aug 1940
C.F. Giuseppe Mellina	26 Aug 1940	30 Nov 1940
C.C. Luigi Baroni	8 Dec 1940	27 Jun 1941

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
	Corvetti, Candido	3 Jun 1940	2300	La Spezia	5 Jun 1940	0250	Cagliari		Passage La Spezia-Calgari with the submarines Tazzoli, Finzi and Cappellini, escorted by the torpedo boat Curtatone.
1	Corvetti, Candido	21 Jun 1940	1820	Cagliari	28 Jun 1940	0130	Cagliari		Patrolled west of Cape Carbon near Cape Corbelin, in 37°20'N, 04°00'E on the parallel.
		26 Jun 1940	0250+ 0200 (e)	(e) 37° 16'N, 4° 45'E	Two merchant ships were sighted proceeding on a 270° course at 13 knots. One was described as a 10,000-ton and the other as a 1,500-ton transport. The submarine fired one torpedo (533mm) at 1,700 metres at the largest. The torpedo missed ahead. These were the British freighters Baron Erskine (3,657 GRT, built 1930) and Baron Newlands (3,628 GRT, built 1930), on passage from Oran to Bizerta, when they were recalled to Gibraltar due to the French Armistice. Shortly after, a second torpedo (533mm) was fired from 1,400 metres at Baron Erskine. This time the torpedo missed astern. C.C. Corvetti ordered his gun crew to open fire from 1,200 metres on Baron Erskine. The forward gun alone could be used as the aft gun crew was exposed to the heavy seas. Although many hits were claimed, only one round hit the British ship causing minor damage. Not to be outdone, Baron Erskine replied with her gun, claiming two hits from a distance of 2.5 cables (about 450 metres) but the submarine escaped damage. Corvetti wanted to fire a third torpedo, but the British ship was coming head on, intending to ram the submarine, and presented a poor target. As Baron Newland was now coming to the assistance of her sister ship and was opening fire, the Italian captain decided to take his submarine down. He thought that his victim was slowly sinking and he now attempted to fire another torpedo from periscope depth to finish her off. He could not regain contact and the two ships escaped.
2	Corvetti, Candido	3 Jul 1940	1437	Cagliari	6 Jul 1940	2205	Cagliari	330	Short patrol in 37°31'N, 10°14'E and on axis 125-305°. Uneventful.
3	Corvetti, Candido	9 Jul 1940	0225	Cagliari	12 Jul 1940	1225	Cagliari	360	Short patrol near Sardinia within 5 miles from 38°00'N, 09°20'E, on a patrol line with Ascianghi, Turchese and Axum. On 10th July, ordered to move 305° - 100 miles.
		12 Jul 1940	1025	(0) Between Cape Spartivento (Sardinia) and Cape Pula.	An Italian seaplane was observed flying at an altitude of 400 metres on opposite course. The plane returned on a second run to fly over the submarine from the stern. Despite the Italian flag being well displayed on the conning tower, it appeared to be threatening and the Glauco machine gun crew fired off 56 rounds before the error was recognised and the aircraft left.
4	Corvetti, Candido	31 Jul 1940	1540	Cagliari	8 Aug 1940	0150	Naples	1515	Sailed for the Atlantic. However, experienced fuel leaks which apparently revealed her presence to enemy aircraft and had to turn back.
		3 Aug 1940	0825	37° 35'N, 0° 38'W	The submarine was submerged at a depth of 30 meters, when four explosions were followed by two more very close. Glauco had apparently come under air attack, but was undamaged. RAF records do not seem to show such an air attack and the aircraft may have been Italian.
	Corvetti, Candido	25 Aug 1940	0940	Naples	25 Aug 1940	1500	Naples	19	Exercises.
	Mellina, Giuseppe	14 Sep 1940	0735	Naples	14 Sep 1940	1200	Naples	26	Exercises.
	Mellina, Giuseppe	21 Sep 1940	0755	Naples	21 Sep 1940	1205	Naples	28	Exercises.
5	Mellina, Giuseppe	26 Sep 1940	1931	Naples	20 Oct 1940	1136	Le Verdon		Sailed for Bordeaux via 38°20'N, 09°00'E and Atlantic patrol between 38°37'N and 38°40'N and 16°50'W and 32°00'W. Passed Gibraltar on 2nd October 1940. Escorted in by the German minesweepers M-13, M-21 and two V-boats (patrol boats).
		3 Oct 1940	0528	35° 45'N, 6° 19'W	An enemy escort vessel was sighted and attacked with a stern shot (450mm, W 200 type) from a distance of 1,000 metres, but was missed.
		3 Oct 1940	0530	35° 45'N, 6° 19'W	Two more torpedoes (533mm, S.I. type) were fired at the same target from the stern tubes, at a distance of 1,400 metres, but again missed.
		4 Oct 1940	0900	(0) West of Gibraltar.	On passage from Port Arthur (Texas) to Barcelona, the Spanish tanker Campero (6,382 GRT, built 1934) was stopped and her papers examined before she was allowed to proceed.
		7 Oct 1940	0945	37° 07'N, 19° 36'W	AA convoy was observed, steering 030° at 10 knots. The attack was aborted due to the indecision of C.F. Mellina (who was later dismissed from submarine command due to his lack of offensive spirit).
		12 Oct 1940	1915	(0) West of Gibraltar.	The Portuguese Corvo (727 GRT, built 1919), on passage from Terceira to Lisbon, was stopped and her papers examined before she was released to resume her passage.
5b	Mellina, Giuseppe	21 Oct 1940	0845	Le Verdon	21 Oct 1940	1530	Pauillac		Passage Le Verdon-Pauillac, escorted by the auxiliary Cap Hadid.
5c	Mellina, Giuseppe	22 Oct 1940	0815	Pauillac	22 Oct 1940	1205	Bordeaux	3711	Passage Le Verdon-Bordeaux for refit [mileage from 26th September].
	Baroni, Luigi	10 Dec 1940	1530	Bordeaux	10 Dec 1940	1831	Pauillac	26	Passage Bordeaux-Pauillac and trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	13 Dec 1940	0925	Pauillac	13 Dec 1940	1124	Le Verdon	25	Passage Pauillac-Le Verdon and trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	14 Dec 1940	0845	Le Verdon	14 Dec 1940	1614	La Pallice	70	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	15 Dec 1940	0830	La Pallice	15 Dec 1940	1757	La Pallice	25	Trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	18 Dec 1940		La Pallice	18 Dec 1940		La Pallice		Trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	18 Dec 1940	0910	La Pallice	18 Dec 1940	1841	La Pallice	31	Trials.
	Baroni, Luigi	21 Dec 1940	0902	La Pallice	21 Dec 1940	1630	La Pallice	25	Trials.
6	Baroni, Luigi	23 Dec 1940	1600	La Pallice	16 Jan 1941	1230	Le Verdon		Sailed for Atlantic patrol between 56°00'N and 57°00'N, and between 17°00'W and 20°00'W. Returned escorted by the German minesweepers M-9 and M-21 and the submarine chaser UJ-E.
		1 Jan 1941	1050	56° 10'N, 19° 25'W	A submarine believed to be German, was observed proceeding at 12 knots, at a distance of 5,000 metres. Glauco did not attempt to make contact and was probably not sighted as she was on the dark side of the horizon.
		5 Jan 1941	1745	55° 35'N, 16° 00'W (0) Position approximate.	Glauco sighted a large aircraft, flying low, at a distance of 6,000 metres and dived. This was possibly Sunderland 'A' (L5798) of 210 Squadron piloted by Flight Lieutenant R.E.G. Van der Kiste. At 1500 hours, a submarine was sighted at 1/3 of a mile. The Sunderland attacked and 45 seconds after the sighting released two 450lb depth charges from 20 feet. They were estimated to fall 100 feet ahead of the track. No results were seen, and visibility was too bad for photographs. The bottom of the hull of the Sunderland was damaged by suspected fragments from the depth charges; on alighting at Bowmore, the aircraft rapidly filled with water. Only after heavy pumping and baling was a diver able to apply a leak stopper from the outside. However, Glauco did not report any attack.
		7 Jan 1941	0010		As the submarine was switching engines (from electric to diesel), a mistake in execution caused the door of cylinder no.2 to exploded, causing a leg injury to the rating responsible. The damage was repaired.
		9 Jan 1941	0305 0255 (e)	52° 40'N, 17° 25'W (e) 52° 29'N, 18° 22'W	At 0245 hours, Glauco sighted a steamer at a distance of 3,000 metres. At 0305 hours, she fired a bow shot (533mm) from a distance of 600 metres. It missed. This was the Ocean Boarding vessel HMS Cavina (6,908 GRT, built 1924). Glauco now opened fire with both her 100mm guns, firing ten rounds and claiming two hits. The Breda machine guns also joined in as the distance got shorter and fired 195 13.2mm rounds. The target (HMS Cavina), replied with what appeared to be two 2 cm guns and a stern gun (estimated at a 120 or 152mm calibre). The gunnery officer of the submarine (Sottotenente di vascello Carlo Marenco Di Moriondo) manning the rear gun, was killed and was posthumously awarded the Medaglia d'Oro.
		15 Jan 1941	0445	45° 48'N, 3° 45'W	A group of fishing vessels was encountered, one of which turned toward the submarine as if attempting to ram her. Glauco took evasive action.
	Baroni, Luigi	16 Jan 1941	1600	Le Verdon	16 Jan 1941	1800	Pauillac	25	Passage Le Verdon-Pauillac
	Baroni, Luigi	18 Jan 1941	0915	Pauillac	18 Jan 1941	1155	Bordeaux	25	Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.
7	Baroni, Luigi	19 Mar 1941	1010	Bordeaux	21 Mar 1941	1715	Pauillac	456	Sailed for patrol between 12°00'W and the Iberian peninsula after a brief stop at Le Verdon. Had to return due to defects. On her way back, met and escorted in by Sperrbrecher III, minesweepers M-9 and M-12, submarine chaser UJ-K and patrol boat V-406.
8	Baroni, Luigi	22 Mar 1941	1600	Pauillac	25 Mar 1941	1410	Pauillac	554	Sailed, escorted by Sperrbrecher 34 for patrol between 12°00'W and the Iberian Peninsula and but again returned due to defects.
	Baroni, Luigi	26 Mar 1941	1733	Pauillac	26 Mar 1941	2130	Le Verdon	26	Passage Pauillac-Le Verdon.
9	Baroni, Luigi	27 Mar 1941	1927	Le Verdon	22 Apr 1941	1540	Bordeaux	4033	Sailed for Atlantic patrol between 12°00'W and the Iberian Peninsula. Sighted several Spanish vessels.
		12 Apr 1941	1320	(0) Between Cape Espichel and Lisbon.	A destroyer was sighted, proceeding at 14 knots toward Lisbon. The submarine could not close at less than 4,000 meters and gave up carrying an attack.
		14 Apr 1941	1205 1216 (e)	(e) 38° 29'N, 9° 41'W	A submarine chaser was observed at a distance of 1,000 metres. It had apparently detected the submarine, this was the armed trawler HMT Scottish joined later by HMT Loch Oskaig. Glauco went down to 130 meters but, when passing 30 meters, she was depth-charged and damaged by a first pattern of six depth-charges. A total of 130 depth charges were counted until 2230 hours, but when the submarine surfaced at 2330, she sighted nothing and escaped at high speed to the westward.
		16 Apr 1941	0200	(0) Off Lisbon.	The Swedish freighter Lisa (?) was sighted. She was navigating with her lights on. The submarine desisted from attack and shortly after abandoned her patrol due to the damage incurred during the depth-charge attack of 14th April.
10	Baroni, Luigi	18 Jun 1941	1800	Royan	20 Jun 1941	0700	La Pallice		Sailed for patrol escorted by Sperrbrecher III, but returned due to defects. Met at 2214/19 by the German minesweepers M 4443 and M 4444 and escorted back to la Pallice.
11	Baroni, Luigi	23 Jun 1941	2145	Royan	27 Jun 1941	1220	Sunk		Sailed for Italy escorted by Sperrbrecher III. She was expected to cross the Strait of Gibraltar on the 28th. Sunk by the destroyer HMS Wishart. She carried four spare torpedoes at the time (1 x 533 mm and 1 x 450 mm forward and the same aft).
		27 Jun 1941	0941 (e)	(e) 35° 06'N, 12° 41'W	The destroyer HMS Wishart had left convoy HG 66 at 0655 hours when Glauco was sighted at 0941 hours at a distance of 4 miles. The submarine sighted the destroyer at 5,000 metres and submerged. At 0958 hours, Wishart carried out the first of eight depth-charge attacks and, at 1220 hours, the submarine was finally forced to the surface. The destroyer opened fire with Lewis guns and two 4-inch rounds. One officer and seven ratings were killed or drowned, seven officers and forty-four ratings were picked up. Attempts to tow the submarine to Gibraltar failed. The submarine was finally sunk with gunfire and three torpedoes (they all missed!). Some documents were recovered.

37 entries. 27 total patrol entries (11 marked as war patrols) and 17 events.

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