Argo (AO, I.26)
Argo

Type	Ocean going
Class	Argo (11)
Laid down	15 Oct 1931	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched	24 Nov 1936
Commissioned	31 Aug 1937
End service
Stricken
Loss date	11 Sep 1943
Loss position	45° 45'N, 13° 33'E
History	While undergoing a refit she was scuttled at Montfalcone on 11th September 1943 to prevent her being captured by the Germans.
Fate

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
T.V. Alberto Crepas	31 May 1940	31 Jan 1942
S.T.V. Guido Dall'Ostro	1 Feb 1942	3 Mar 1942
C.C. Giulio Contreas	4 Mar 1942	16 May 1942
T.V. Pasquale Gigli	15 May 1942	14 May 1943
T.V. Arcangelo Giliberti	8 May 1943	11 Sep 1943

Ships hit

	Date	Commander	Ship hit	Type	GRT	Nat.	Loss type
1.	1 Dec 1940	T.V. Alberto Crepas	HMCS Saguenay	Destroyer	1,337		Damaged
2.	5 Dec 1940	T.V. Alberto Crepas	Silverpine	Cargo ship	5,066		Sunk
3.	12 Nov 1942	T.V. Pasquale Gigli	HMS Tynwald	Auxiliary antiaircraft ship	2,376		Sunk

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
	Crepas, Alberto	17 Jun 1940	0645	La Spezia	17 Jun 1940	1700	La Spezia	75,6	Exercises after long refit.
	Crepas, Alberto	21 Jun 1940	0532	La Spezia	21 Jun 1940	1410	La Spezia	27,5	Exercises.
	Crepas, Alberto	22 Jun 1940	1420	La Spezia	22 Jun 1940	2053	Savona	72,8	Passage La Spezia-Savona.
	Crepas, Alberto	23 Jun 1940	1410	Savona	23 Jun 1940	2145	La Spezia	72,8	Passage Savona-La Spezia.
	Crepas, Alberto	26 Jun 1940	2235	La Spezia	27 Jun 1940	2035	La Maddalena	228	Passage La Spezia-La Maddalena with the submarines Neghelli and Scirè.
1	Crepas, Alberto	10 Jul 1940	0050	La Maddalena	12 Jul 1940	0952	La Maddalena	309,6	Patrolled in position 310° - Point Asinara Light (Sardinia) - 80 miles. She, was part of a barrage line, 15 miles apart with Iride, Scirè and Diaspro.
	Crepas, Alberto	27 Jul 1940	1343	La Maddalena	27 Jul 1940	2030	La Maddalena	41,8	Hydrophone watch.
2	Crepas, Alberto	31 Jul 1940	2225	La Maddalena	1 Aug 1940	1518	Cagliari	175,6	Sailed with Scirè and Neghelli for a patrol in 37°40'N, 06°20'E. Made a brief stop at Cagliari, to pick up her sailing orders before proceeding for patrol.
2b	Crepas, Alberto	1 Aug 1940	1542	Cagliari	10 Aug 1940	2237	La Maddalena	1167	Patrolled south of the Balearic Islands in position 37°49'N, 06°20'E. Part of a barrage line involving six other boats: Scirè, Neghelli, Turchese, Medusa, Axum, and Diaspro. MARICOSOM had ordered a screen on two lines (three and four boats respectively) north of Cape Bougaroni (06°20’ E meridian). The two lines were 10 miles apart and each submarine was positioned 20 miles from the next one. The second day into the mission, Medusa had to return to base and was later replaced by Manara. Uneventful.
	Crepas, Alberto	23 Aug 1940	1330	La Maddalena	24 Aug 1940	0930	La Spezia	41,8	Passage La Maddalena-La Spezia on hydrophone watch, then refit.
	Crepas, Alberto	23 Sep 1940	0835	La Spezia	23 Sep 1940	1630	La Spezia	42	Trials after refit.
	Crepas, Alberto	26 Sep 1940	0805	La Spezia	26 Sep 1940	1700	La Spezia	40	Trials after refit.
	Crepas, Alberto	28 Sep 1940	0800	La Spezia	28 Sep 1940	1620	La Spezia	31	Trials after refit.
3	Crepas, Alberto	2 Oct 1940	1400	La Spezia	24 Oct 1940	1320	Bordeaux	3038	Passage from La Spezia to Bordeaux. Passed Gibraltar on 8th October. Patrolled in area between 36°00'N and 36°30'N, and between 09°04'W and 09°42'W. The submarine experienced defects in two forward tubes and one stern tube. Escorted in by M-9, M-13 and M-21.
		12 Oct 1940	0940 0800 (e)	(e) 36° 50'N, 10° 00'W (0) 260° - Cape St. Vincent - 50 miles.	At 0846 hours, a smoke was observed. At 0900 hours, the submarine dived and recognised it as a 4,000-ton armed vessel on a 180° course. At 0940 hours, a single torpedo (533mm, type W) was fired from a bow tube at a distance of 600 metres. It missed. This was the armed trawler HMT Cape Barracouta who reported the attack. Bad weather prevented the submarine from a surface action.
		12 Oct 1940	1434-1545	36° 00'N, 9° 30'W (0) Approximately.	At 1434 hours, the Portuguese trawler Estrella Do Norte (325 GRT, built 1919) was ordered to stop, but was allowed to proceed after examination.
4	Crepas, Alberto	22 Nov 1940	1130	Bordeaux	12 Dec 1940	1900	Le Verdon	3075	Patrolled in the Atlantic between 53°20'N and 54°20'N, and between 17°00'W and 20°00'W.
		1 Dec 1940	0449 0355 (e)	54° 05'N, 16° 55'W (e) 54° 40'N, 15° 20'W	Argo was proceeding on the surface when, at 0449 hours, the officer of the watch sighted a shadow which was at first taken for a submarine. She took an intercepting course and when it was realised that it was a destroyer, a single torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube at distance of 600 metres and scored a hit after 40 seconds. The submarine turned and tried to finish her off with a stern shot (450mm), but missed. A second stern shot (533mm) followed and was claimed to have hit (it had not). This was the destroyer HMCS Saguenay. With HMS Highlander, she had been escorting convoy HG.47 but had temporarily lost contact with the convoy. She had sighted the submarine at 800 yards and fired two rounds which missed before the torpedo hit the forward part on the port side. Twenty-one were killed. At 0700 hours, HMS Highlander arrived on the scene to assist her and took off five officers and eighty-five ratings. The remaining crew (five officers and fifty-three ratings) managed to bring Saguenay to port stern first. The tugs Englishman, Salvonia [she was later diverted to assist the armed merchant cruiser HMS Forfar] and Schelde, and the A/S trawlers HMT Foxtrot, HMT Stella Polaris and HMT Sphene were sailed to her assistance. She managed to reach Barrow in Furness towed by the tug Schelde at 1615 hours on 5th December.
		2 Dec 1940	0610	54° 53'N, 18° 28'W	At 0610 hours, the sound of gunfire was heard followed by what appeared to be a torpedo hit at a distance of 4,000 metres. Possibly the British Dunsley (3,862 GRT, built 1929) from convoy HX.90, damaged by gunfire at 0606 hours in 54°41' N, 18°41' W by U-47 (KK Günther Prien).
		2 Dec 1940	0825 0932-1350 (e)	54° 36'N, 18° 26'W (e) 54° 37'N, 18° 26'W	At 0800 hours, a small steamer or perhaps a convoy escort was observed, possibly collecting survivors. The submarine stopped its diesels and proceeded on its electric motors to avoid being heard. At 0825 hours, the submarine fired a torpedo (533mm) from no.4 tube at a range of 500 metres, but it appeared to veer to the right and missed. The submarine dived to a depth of 80 metres. At 0919 hours, "Hastig" was heard (sic, ASDIC), immediately followed by depth charges. From 0912 hours to 1437 hours, Argo was subjected to a systematic hunt by two destroyers and counted 96 depth charges, but suffered practically no damage. At 2045 hours, the submarine surfaced with the gun crew at action station, but the horizon was empty. The target had been the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent and together with HMS Viscount, they had hunted the submarine dropping 81 depth charges. HMCS St. Laurent had indeed picked up survivors from Conch and was looking for those of the armer merchant cruiser HMS Forfar when the attack occurred. Although both destroyer captains doubted the result of their attacks, the U-boat Assessment Committee had concluded the U-boat "probably sunk".
		4 Dec 1940	1255	54° 00'N, 18° 00'W (0) Very approximately.	At 1255 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was sighted at 2,000 metres. Argo fired six pans of machine gun rounds before diving to a depth of 60 metres. No explosions were reported.
		5 Dec 1940	0339 0220 (e)	54° 14'N, 18° 08'W (e) 54° 00'N, 17° 30'W (0) Z	At 0339 hours, the officer of the watch suddenly sighted a dark shape. A torpedo was immediately fired at a distance of 500 metres at a 12,000-ton two-funnel vessel. The torpedo hit after 35 seconds under the first funnel. A second explosion followed, attributed to a boiler and she sank. This was the steamer Silverpine (5,066 GRT, built 1924) in ballast and detached from convoy OB.252 bound from Glasgow to New York. Thirty-six were killed. Nineteen survivors were picked up by HMS Harvester at 0900 hours in 57°00' N, 17°30' W. The submarine was later hunted by HMS Harvester. Starting at 0412 hours, Argo reported three patterns of eight depth charges each.
		11 Dec 1940	1545	(0) ?	A big wave covered the bridge and carried over the First Officer T.V. Alessandro de Santis. The submarine turned back and closed to about 20 metres from the unfortunate officer. Sotto Capo Cannoniere [Petty Officer (Gunner)] Lorenzo Ciapetti bravely offered to jump in the water to reach him with a life saver. He closed to about 8-10 metres before De Santis disappeared and was no longer seen. Ciapetti was recovered and the submarine resumed course. For his bravery, Lorenzo Ciapetti was awarded the Medaglia d'Argento al valore militare (Silver Medal).
	Crepas, Alberto	25 Jan 1941		Le Verdon?	25 Jan 1941	Date?	Le Verdon?		According to the KTB of 2.MSFL, Argo made a sortie on this date, escorted by M-12 and M-21. Italian documents do not show such a sortie. She may have been mistaken for Dandolo who sailed on that day.
	Crepas, Alberto	21 Feb 1941	1508	Bordeaux	21 Feb 1941	1950	Le Verdon	47	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Crepas, Alberto	22 Feb 1941	1502	Bordeaux	22 Feb 1941	1745	Le Verdon	10	Trials.
	Crepas, Alberto	23 Feb 1941	1200	Le Verdon	24 Feb 1941	0030	La Pallice	62	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice with the submarine Brin escorted by the German minesweepers M-2, M-6 and M-21 and Sperrbrecher 16.
	Crepas, Alberto	25 Feb 1941	0840	La Pallice	25 Feb 1941	1653	La Pallice	53	Exercises.
5	Crepas, Alberto	28 Feb 1941	1705	La Pallice	30 Mar 1941	1142	Bordeaux	4270	Sailed for patrol between 59°30'N and 53°00'N, and between 13°00'W and 25°00'W. Then went into dry-dock for long refit.
		1 Mar 1941	1300	45° 55'N, 8° 30'W	At 1300 hours, an unidentified aircraft was sighted at 6,000 metres and circled the submarine as close as 1,000 metres. Argo made the recognition signal but was not answered. The aircraft disappeared and the submarine dived.
		5 Mar 1941	1400	47° 10'N, 11° 40'W	At 1400 hours, a submarine of the BIANCHI class was observed on 120° course. Argo turned away.
		7 Mar 1941	1400 1301 (e)	53° 35'N, 16° 50'W (e) 53° 20'N, 18° 50'W	At 1400 hours, an aircraft was sighted at 6,000 metres. When it had closed at 1,500 metres, Argo made a recognition signal, receiving the correct counter signal. At a range of 800 metres, the aircraft was identified as a Sunderland and the submarine opened fire with her machine guns. Argo managed to keep the aircraft at bay until she dived at 1415 hours. The aircraft was Sunderland 'H' of 210 Squadron and did not carry out an attack. The presence of HMS Taku in the area probably inhibited the pilot from pressing home an attack.
		10 Mar 1941	1830	57° 37'N, 23° 55'W	At 1830 hours, an antisubmarine vessel was sighted at 4,000 metres, the submarine dived and was not detected.
		11 Mar 1941	1220	57° 15'N, 24° 36'W	At 1220 hours, a 4-5,000-ton vessel was sighted at 6-7,000 metres on a 060° course. The submarine maneuvered around it intending to attack in the evening, but at 1355 hours lost contact.
		27 Mar 1941	1300	47° 20'N, 9° 20'W	At 1300 hours, an aircraft was sighted coming from the south. When the range had dropped to 1,000 metres, the submarine made the recognition signal which was not answered. At a distance of 800 metres, it was recognised as a Sunderland and two rounds were fired and the aircraft disappeared to the north. T.V. Crepas was not satisfied of his antiaircraft armament of two Breda machine guns and suggested that it must be increased to four.
6	Crepas, Alberto	19 May 1941	1345	Bordeaux	14 Jun 1941	1045	Bordeaux	3367	Patrolled off Portugal and west of the Strait of Gibraltar between 35°40'N and 36°20'N, and between 07°40'E and 06°30'W.
		20 May 1941	1510	44° 18'N, 3° 19'W	1510 hours, a German bomber was sighted and recognition signals exchanged.
		21 May 1941	1721	44° 28'N, 8° 15'W	At 1721 hours, an aircraft was sighted at 4,000 metres and came as close as 2,000 meters. It did not respond to recognition signals and flew away in a southerly direction.
		27 May 1941	0100	35° 45'N, 8° 56'W	At 2300 hours on 26th March, Argo was informed by BETASOM (signal of 2215/26) of a battleship, an aircraft carrier and a cruiser sighted at 1600 hours in Italian Grid 0326/22 [Force H], probably proceeding to Gibraltar. Argo, Marconi, Veniero and Mocenigo were ordered to intercept. At 0100 hours, an illuminated vessel was seen on a 200° course. It was apparently neutral and the submarine let her go.
		29 May 1941	1630+	35° 58'N, 6° 48'W (0) Italian Grid 1510/66.	The submarine heard H.E. at 1630 hours and shortly after sighted a convoy of ten steamers, escorted by three destroyers, steering 240°. The submarine surfaced at 1740 hours and made an enemy report. One diesel had broken down and Argo could not maintain contact.
		30 May 1941	0730-2252	35° 58'N, 6° 48'W (0) Approximately.	From 0730 to 2252 hours, the submarine was subjected to a systematic hunt and counted 91 depth charge explosions. However, Argo was undamaged and surfaced at 2330 hours and escaped to the westward.
		31 May 1941	1230-1546	35° 58'N, 6° 48'W (0) Approximately.	From 1230 to 1546 hours, the submarine was subjected to a systematic hunt by three vessels and counted fifteen depth charge explosions. However, Argo was undamaged.
		4 Jun 1941	0415	36° 32'N, 8° 00'W	At 2310 on 3rd June, the submarine received orders from BETASOM (1950/3) to move to Grid 7562/32 for a period of 48 hours. At 0415 hours, an enemy warship was sighted and perhaps two more. The submarine dived to avoid detection. At 2350 hours on the 5th, the submarine received a signal from BETASOM reporting a convoy at 1830 hours in Grid 8511/11, course 090°, 8 knots. She was ordered to intercept at 1600 hours on the 6th in Grid 8562/13.
		6 Jun 1941	0750	37° 10'N, 9° 25'W	At 0750 hours, a submarine was sighted but she apparently took avoiding action. Between 1255 and 1800 hours, Argo reported being hunted and hearing fifteen depth charges.
		7 Jun 1941	1230	37° 11'N, 10° 22'W	At 1230 hours, a steamer was observed to have sailed from Lisbon and taken a 220° course. This proved to be the Brazilian Bagé (8,235 GRT, built 1912) and she was left alone.
		8 Jun 1941	1540	(0) Off Lisbon.	At 1540 hours, the submarine was hunted and dived to 60 metres. Nine explosions were heard and Argo went to 80 metres. Four explosions followed at 1630 hours and two more at 1700 hours.
		11 Jun 1941	1845	43° 30'N, 10° 45'W	At 1845 hours, two corvettes were sighted but avoided.
		12 Jun 1941	1500	44° 10'N, 8° 20'W	An unidentified aircraft attempted an attack but was repulsed with the submarine expending four magazines of machine gun rounds.
	Crepas, Alberto	12 Sep 1941	0905	Bordeaux	12 Sep 1941	1330	Le Verdon		Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Crepas, Alberto	12 Sep 1941	1400	Le Verdon	12 Sep 1941	1650	Le Verdon		Gyrocompass tests.
	Crepas, Alberto	13 Sep 1941	0900	Le Verdon	13 Sep 1941	1710	La Pallice		Diving tests at Le Pertuis d'Antioche. At a depth of 20 metres water infiltration was observed that could not be controlled. The submarine surfaced and a fuel leak was also seen. The submarine proceeded to La Pallice to carry out repairs.
	Crepas, Alberto	15 Sep 1941	0800	La Pallice	15 Sep 1941	1755	La Pallice		Diving tests to 40 metres. The infiltrations were verified to have stopped.
7	Crepas, Alberto	16 Sep 1941	0905	La Pallice	24 Sep 1941	1600	Bordeaux	1895	Sailed from Le Verdon for Cagliari. At 1000 hours she had reached in 39°12'N, 13°00'W and dived and several defects were noted including the gyrocompass. The submarine had to navigate with an ordinary compass and At 2200 hours surfaced. T.V. Crepas took the decision to turn back [mileage since Bordeaux on 12th September]. She was under repairs from 25th September to 7th October.
	Crepas, Alberto	8 Oct 1941	0830	Bordeaux	10 Oct 1941		La Pallice		Passage Bordeaux-La Pallice.
8	Crepas, Alberto	11 Oct 1941	1815	La Pallice	24 Oct 1941	1230	Cagliari	2399	Passage La Pallice to Cagliari. Passed Gibraltar on 20th October 1941. Sighted only neutral vessels.
		13 Oct 1941	1030 0939 (e)	45° 32'N, 8° 08'W (e) 45° 48'N, 8° 07'W	At 1030 hours, Argo came under attack by a Catalina aircraft. This was actually Hudson 'I' (AM553) of 233 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Haigh. One bomb was dropped but missed the submarine by 100 metres. The submarine remained on the surface firing 51 100mm rounds and 478 13.2mm rounds to keep the aircraft at bay. Three more bombs were dropped but missed the submarine's bow by 50 metres. At 1330 hours, the aircraft finally flew away and the submarine submerged. BETASOM requested from the BdU that aircraft cover be provided and two Me 110 were promised, but finally did not take off although a German U-boat was sent to her assistance.
		20 Oct 1941	0255	(0) 153° - Malabata - 6 miles.	At 0255 hours, a submarine chaser was sighted. The submarine submerged and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar without further incidents.
	Crepas, Alberto	28 Oct 1941	0830	Cagliari	29 Oct 1941	1130	Naples	285	Passage Cagliari-Naples for long refit.
	Dall'Ostro, Guido	1 Feb 1942		Naples	3 Mar 1942		Naples		Refit.
	Contreas, Giulio	2 Mar 1942	0924	Naples	2 Mar 1942	1300	Naples	16	Trials.
	Contreas, Giulio	6 Mar 1942	0900	Naples	7 Mar 1942	1725	Naples	46	Trials.
	Contreas, Giulio	8 Mar 1942	0800	Naples	8 Mar 1942	1615	Naples	26	Trials.
	Contreas, Giulio	9 Mar 1942	1215	Naples	9 Mar 1942	1905	Naples	41,9	Trials.
	Contreas, Giulio	17 Mar 1942	0728	Naples	17 Mar 1942	1655	Naples	49	Exercises.
	Contreas, Giulio	24 Mar 1942	0725	Naples	24 Mar 1942	1746	Naples	51	Exercises.
	Contreas, Giulio	26 Mar 1942	0735	Naples	26 Mar 1942	1849	Naples	53,5	Exercises.
	Contreas, Giulio	28 Mar 1942	1306	Naples	28 Mar 1942	1852	Naples	44,5	Exercises.
	Contreas, Giulio	29 Mar 1942	1500	Naples	29 Mar 1942	1903	Naples	32,5	Exercises.
	Contreas, Giulio	1 Apr 1942	1835	Naples	1 Apr 1942	2225	Naples	37	Exercises.
9	Contreas, Giulio	2 Apr 1942	1955	Naples	22 Apr 1942	2305	Cagliari	1796,5	Patrolled between 36°20'N and 36°40'N, and between 01°40'W and 00°40'E, southeast of Cape de Gata, southeast of Cape Palos, West of Cape Falcon to attack traffic to and from Gibraltar. On 13th April, was ordered in Grids 6366 and 4566. One of the longest Mediterranean patrol for an Italian submarine.
		10 Apr 1942	0605	36° 39'N, 0° 40'E	At 0605 hours, a cruiser or large destroyer was sighted at 3,000 metres. The submarine maneuvered to pass ahead of the enemy vessel to fire the stern tubes at less than 1,000 meters, but C.C. Contreas believed he had been detected and went down to 120 meters. No counterattack followed.
		15 Apr 1942	0224		At 0224 hours, the Portuguese schooner Pádua (665 GRT, built 1925) was sighted at 1,000 metres.
		19 Apr 1942	1310	36° 04'N, 1° 50'W	At 1310 hours, an enemy destroyer was sighted at 6,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		20 Apr 1942	0800		At 0800 hours, two small French steamers were sighted at a distance of 10,000 metres.
		21 Apr 1942	1910		At 1910 hours, a vessel was sighted and the submarine was in a favourable position and dived to the attack. This was the French ship Djebel Nador (3,168 GRT, built 1938) and the attack was aborted.
	Contreas, Giulio	13 May 1942	0800	Cagliari	13 May 1942	1500	Cagliari	22	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	17 May 1942	0700	Cagliari	17 May 1942	1208	Cagliari	25	Trials.
10	Gigli, Pasquale	20 May 1942	1800	Cagliari	30 May 1942	1100	Cagliari	1165	Patrolled area between 37°20'N and 37°40'N, and between 02°20'E and 03°00'E, northwest of Cap Caxine (Algeria) to attack Malta traffic. On 28th May was ordered to move 50 miles east and 10 miles north. Sustained three aerial attacks and was badly damaged.
		27 May 1942	2350	37° 40'N, 2° 10'E (e) 37° 38'N, 2° 05'E	At 2350 hours, a lookout spotted an aircraft making a run from the stern under the moonlight. Four depth charges straddled the submarine, one actually hitting the forward port hydroplane, and injuring one man in the forward torpedo room. The torpedo tube caps had been opened and three torpedoes had to be ejected. The submarine remained on the surface firing off its antiaircraft machine guns and 19 100mm rounds at the aircraft identified as a Sunderland, which now circled at a distance of 1,000 to 1,500 metres. This was actually Catalina 'C' (AJ162) of 202 Squadron based at Gibraltar and piloted by Flight Lieutenant R.Y. Powell. It had detected the submarine by radar at 6-7 miles and sighted the submarine at 300 yards, and identifying at as of the Italian BALILLA class. It had strafed the submarine releasing eight depth charges from a height of only 50 feet.
		28 May 1942	1423 1415-1642 (e)	37° 46'N, 2° 47'E (e) 37° 59'N, 2° 08'E	At 1355 hours, an aircraft was sighted coming from the stern at a distance of 6,000 metres. T.V. Gigli elected to fight on the surface. This was Sunderland "R" of 10 Squadron (RAAF) piloted by Flight Lieutenant H.G. Pockley. At 1423 hours, it dropped a salvo of four depth charges from a height of 50 metres and strafed the submarine. The submarine was near-missed. The aircraft came for a second attack and at 1427 hours dropped another four depth charges (others failed to release) and was met by heavy flak, it took several hits but suffered minor damages. In all Argo fired 17 rounds of 100mm and 1,200 round of 13.2mm but a depth charge lodged in the bow section but failed to explode. It prevented the submarine from diving from fear it would detonate and she made an SOS. The Sunderland came for a third attack and dropped another three depth charges. At 1830 hours, the Sunderland left the scene and was replaced by Hudson 'V' of 233 Squadron.
		28 May 1942	1820 1841 (e)	37° 55'N, 3° 30'E (e) 38° 09'N, 3° 27'E (0) Approximately.	At 1820 hours, an aircraft attacked Argo with four depth charges. This was Hudson "V" (V9168) of 233 Squadron, piloted by Flying Officer Paisey. The charges failed astern. The submarine was strafed but maintained heavy antiaircraft fire. She was believed to have been damaged and the light cruiser HMS Charybdis and the destroyers HMS Westcott and HMS Wrestler were sailed from Gibraltar at 2000 hours on the 28th but failed to locate her.
		30 May 1942	1030	(0) Anchored at buoy off entrance of Cagliari.	Argo had anchored at 0715 hours off Cagliari as she had been told not to enter the habour because of an unexploded bomb. At 1030 hours, the submarine was visited by Admiral Legnani and Gruppo commander C.F.Criscuolo who congratulated the crew for their escape.
	Gigli, Pasquale	8 Jun 1942	0737	Cagliari	8 Jun 1942	1230	Cagliari	0	Gyrocompass tests.
	Gigli, Pasquale	10 Jun 1942	1803	Cagliari	11 Jun 1942	2000	Naples	268	Passage Cagliari-Naples for refit, escorted by the torpedo boat Cosenz.
	Gigli, Pasquale	18 Aug 1942	0903	Naples	18 Aug 1942	1532	Naples	27	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	23 Aug 1942	0810	Naples	23 Aug 1942	1249	Naples	14	Trials and torpedo firing exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	24 Aug 1942	1625	Naples	24 Aug 1942	2310	Naples	1417,9	Simulated torpedo firing exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	26 Aug 1942	1524	Naples	26 Aug 1942	1804	Naples	26,5	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	28 Aug 1942	1103	Naples	29 Aug 1942	1829	La Spezia	335,2	Passage Naples-La Spezia.
	Gigli, Pasquale	2 Sep 1942	1101	La Spezia	2 Sep 1942	1853	La Spezia	15,3	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	3 Sep 1942	0905	La Spezia	3 Sep 1942	1748	La Spezia	17,5	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	4 Sep 1942	0840	La Spezia	4 Sep 1942	1351	La Spezia	19,8	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	5 Sep 1942	0812	La Spezia	5 Sep 1942	1346	La Spezia	12,6	Hydrophone trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	8 Sep 1942	0739	La Spezia	8 Sep 1942	1720	La Spezia	47,5	Radiogoniometry test and hydrophone trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	9 Sep 1942	0851	La Spezia	9 Sep 1942	1305	La Spezia	5,4	Gyrocompass tests.
	Gigli, Pasquale	10 Sep 1942	2149	La Spezia	12 Sep 1942	0748	Cagliari	351	Passage La Spezia-Cagliari.
11	Gigli, Pasquale	13 Sep 1942	1709	Cagliari	28 Sep 1942	1158	Cagliari	1320,5	Sailed with Alabastro via (1) Point C (2) 37°08'N, 04°10'E (3) 37°08'N, 02°40'E for a patrol off Algiers between 37°00'N and 37°30'N, and between 02°00'E and 02°20'E.
		14 Sep 1942	1419	37° 30'N, 5° 14'E	At 1419 hours, Argo sighted a submarine believed to be Alabastro who did not return from patrol.
		14 Sep 1942	1610	37° 24'N, 4° 58'E	At 1610 hours, Argo sighted a Sunderland and crash-dived. This was probably the same which attacked Alabastro a few minutes later.
		14 Sep 1942	2000	37° 21'N, 4° 50'E	At 2000 hours, an illuminated vessel was sighted proceeding to Algeria. It was probably a Vichy ship and was left alone.
		15 Sep 1942	0502	37° 14'N, 2° 38'E	At 0502 hours, a submarine was sighted on a parallel course and Alabastro and Argo dived to avoid it. There is little doubt that Alabastro had been sunk the previous day. No other submarine appears to have operated in this area.
		24 Sep 1942	2201	37° 14'N, 2° 15'E	At 2201 hours, a Sunderland was sighted and Argo dived four minutes later.
	Gigli, Pasquale	4 Oct 1942	0803	Cagliari	4 Oct 1942	1203	Cagliari	21,5	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	21 Oct 1942	0801	Cagliari	21 Oct 1942	1310	Cagliari	28	Exercises.
12	Gigli, Pasquale	29 Oct 1942	0225	Cagliari	31 Oct 1942	0515	Cagliari	226	Patrolled off La Galite in 37°55'N, 08°35'E, on a patrol line with Asteria, Porfido and Nichelio, then recalled. Uneventful.
		29 Oct 1942	0923	38° 13'N, 8° 47'E	At 0923 hours, three Italian aircraft were sighted and exchanged recognition signals.
13	Gigli, Pasquale	7 Nov 1942	0440	Cagliari	13 Nov 1942	1715	Cagliari	812	Sailed for a patrol between 37°50'N and 38°00'N, and between 06°40'E and 07°10'E on an E/W axis. At 0800 hours on the 8th, she was ordered to move 60 miles to west. However, at 2100 hours the same evening, she was ordered to the Gulf of Philippeville, between 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, and between 06°10'E and 07°10'E. During the evening, she was ordered to the Bay of Bougie.
		8 Nov 1942	0340-0445	37° 56'N, 7° 00'E	Between 0340 and 0445 hours, about fifty flashes were sighted to the south (probably from Bone) on the horizon. The submarine dived at 0445 and continued her observations from periscope depth.
		8 Nov 1942	0805	37° 53'N, 6° 35'E	At 0805 hours, a submarine was seen and was assumed to be Italian. Argo refrained from attack.
		8 Nov 1942	0908	37° 54'N, 6° 28'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		8 Nov 1942	0929	37° 54'N, 6° 28'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen. It was probably Italian.
		8 Nov 1942	0959	37° 56'N, 6° 30'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		8 Nov 1942	1935	38° 01'N, 6° 14'E	At 1935 hours, an unidentified aircraft with a red light was observed. At 2125 hours, the submarine was ordered to the Gulf of Philippeville, which it it reached at 2130 hours on the following evening, but nothing was sighted.
		10 Nov 1942	0250	37° 05'N, 6° 42'E	At 0250 hours on 10th November, an unknown submarine was seen, but it was probably Italian and no action was taken.
		10 Nov 1942	0450	37° 05'N, 6° 39'E	At 0450 hours on 10th November, an unknown submarine was seen but it was probably Italian and no action was taken.
		11 Nov 1942	0814	37° 10'N, 6° 44'E	At 0814 hour on 11th November 1942, the submarine was at periscope depth when an aircraft was sighted but no action was taken.
		12 Nov 1942	0405	(0) Bay of Bougie.	At 0405 hours on 12th November, a steamer on fire and screened by three corvettes was observed moving slowly at 2,000 metres. Argo was in very shallow waters (ca. 20-25 meters) and her echo-sounding gear had just broke down. At 0424 hours, she had closed the steamer and prepared to attack with her bow torpedoes, when a second overlapping steamer appeared at a distance of 3-4,000 meters, the submarine then maneuvered to get into a good attacking position.
		12 Nov 1942	0601 0505 (e)	36° 42'N, 5° 10'E	At 0601 hours on 12th November, Argo observed two overlapping ships at a distance of 1,000-2,000 metres in the Bay of Bougie. Four bow torpedoes (533mm, G7e) were fired and three hits were claimed. The targets were the auxiliary antiaircraft ship HMS Tynwald (2,376 tons, built 1941) standing by the monitor HMS Roberts who was damaged by two bombs the previous day. In fact, two torpedoes had struck HMS Tynwald and she quickly sank in 7 fathoms of water. Three officers and twenty-one ratings were killed, three ratings wounded. Survivors were picked up by HMS Roberts and HMS Samphire (twenty officers and 175 ratings were repatriated on Strathnaver and Ocean Volga). The attack had been a very daring one, as there were some fourteen escort vessels in the anchorage. Karanja was sunk by air attack at about the same time. Shortly after, Argo turned and fired her two stern torpedoes (533mm, G7e) at the same targets from a distance of 2,000 metres. One hit was claimed but they had both missed. The target was probably the monitor HMS Roberts next to the sinking HMS Tynwald. The submarine managed to reach deep waters without interference. At 2325 hours, she received the order to return to base. Some sources have attributed the sinking of the troopship Awatea to her, but she was damaged by three bomb hits at 1700X hours on the 11th in position 310; - Cape Carbon - 2 miles and had been abandoned. At 1300 hours on the 12th, five Italian torpedo bombers attacked the anchorage and one hit the Tynwald, but she had already been abandoned. A surfaced submarine was sighted. HMS Spey and four escorts (including ORP Blyscawica, HMS Rother, probably HMS Bramham? and ?) went on an A/S hunt but, on the way, were attacked by aircraft and all were damaged by near misses and suffered some casualties.
14	Gigli, Pasquale	16 Nov 1942	1840	Cagliari	24 Nov 1942	1209	Cagliari	718	Patrolled between 37°00'N and 37°20'N, and between 07°00'E and 07°20'E, on a barrage line with Avorio. During the night of 19/20th November, she was ordered to reconnoitre Philippeville (Skikda).
		22 Nov 1942	0240	(0) Off Philippeville.	At 0240 hours on 22nd November, Argo encountered the submarine Avorio and exchanged recognition signals.
	Gigli, Pasquale	5 Dec 1942	0749	Cagliari	5 Dec 1942	1226	Cagliari	16,5	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	11 Dec 1942	1336	Cagliari	11 Dec 1942	1751	Cagliari	20	Exercises.
15	Gigli, Pasquale	28 Dec 1942	1704	Cagliari	8 Jan 1943	0930	Cagliari	812	Patrolled between 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, and between 04°00'E and 05°00'E, on a barrage line with Giada and Dandolo. On 1st January, her area was switched to between 37°30'N and the Algerian coast, and between 06°00'E and 07°00'E.
		30 Dec 1942	2123	37° 13'N, 4° 29'E	At 2123 hours on 30th December, a torpedo boat was observed at a distance of 1,500 metres and appeared to be proceeding at 14 knots to ram the submarine. Argo dived but was not attacked.
		1 Jan 1943	0434	37° 16'N, 4° 33'E	At 0434 hours on 1st January 1943, two steamers, escorted by three corvettes, were observed at a distance of 5-6,000 metres. The submarine closed to attack, but a corvette turned toward her and she was forced to dive at 0440 hours.
		2 Jan 1943	0007	37° 24'N, 5° 22'E	At 0007 hours, a warship, which could not be properly identified, was seen at a distance of 1,500 metres. It could have been a submarine, a submarine chaser similar to the Italian Albatros or even an MTB. The submarine readied her bow tubes but the target turned away.
		7 Jan 1943	0059	37° 03'N, 5° 12'E	At 0059 hours on 7th January 1943, two cruisers, one of them of the SOUTHAMPTON class, and four destroyers were seen at a distance of 2,000 metres on a 270° course. The submarine fired a salvo of four torpedoes (533mm) from her bow tubes and claimed one hit, but this was not confirmed. Four depth charges were dropped but Argo escaped by going down to a depth of 100 metres.
		7 Jan 1943	1842	37° 49'N, 7° 04'E	Two unidentified aircraft were seen.
		7 Jan 1943	1900	37° 50'N, 7° 05'E	A German aircraft was sighted and it made three recognition signals.
	Gigli, Pasquale	10 Jan 1943	0620	Cagliari	11 Jan 1943	0942	Naples	272	Passage Cagliari-Naples.
	Gigli, Pasquale	3 Feb 1943	1357	Naples	3 Feb 1943	1740	Naples	13	Trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	7 Feb 1943	1341	Naples	7 Feb 1943	1933	Naples	16	Hydrophone trials.
	Gigli, Pasquale	10 Feb 1943	0917	Naples	10 Feb 1943	1532	Naples	18	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	11 Feb 1943	0738	Naples	11 Feb 1943	1849	Naples	38,2	Gyrocompass tests.
	Gigli, Pasquale	12 Feb 1943	1309	Naples	12 Feb 1943	1731	Naples	14	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	13 Feb 1943	0934	Naples	13 Feb 1943	1638	Naples	17,5	Exercises.
16	Gigli, Pasquale	16 Feb 1943	1700	Naples	23 Feb 1943	0907	Cagliari	901	Patrolled off Algerian coast between 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, and between 05°20'E and 05°40'E. On 20th February, she was ordered back.
		17 Feb 1943	1000	39° 56'N, 11° 25'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		17 Feb 1943	1556	39° 32'N, 10° 58'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
	Gigli, Pasquale	26 Feb 1943	1355	Cagliari	26 Feb 1943	1650	Cagliari	12,5	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	28 Feb 1943	2050	Cagliari	1 Mar 1943	0920	Cagliari	15	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	1 Mar 1943	1115	Cagliari	2 Mar 1943	1100	La Maddalena	226,5	Passage Cagliari-La Maddalena via (1) Point B Cagliari (2) 39°20'N, 10°20'E (3) 41°00'N, 10°20'E (4) Point A; 40°55'N, 09°30'E. She was preceding Argento.
	Gigli, Pasquale	11 Mar 1943	1331	La Maddalena	11 Mar 1943	1831	La Maddalena	26	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	20 Mar 1943	1334	La Maddalena	20 Mar 1943	1910	La Maddalena	26	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	26 Mar 1943	1015	La Maddalena	26 Mar 1943	1828	La Maddalena	26,5	Exercises.
	Gigli, Pasquale	30 Mar 1943	1008	La Maddalena	30 Mar 1943	1731	La Maddalena	9	Exercises.
17	Gigli, Pasquale	3 Apr 1943	1540	La Maddalena	16 Apr 1943	1159	Cagliari	?	Patrolled between 37°08'N and 38°00'N, and between 07°00'E and 07°40'E and off Cape de Fer, on a barrage line with Acciaio, Velella and Axum. On 14th April, she was ordered to the area between 38°00' N and 38°40' N, and between 06°20' E and 07°00' E, to replace Axum who had been forced to turn back. Uneventful.
	Gigli, Pasquale	19 Apr 1943	0100	Cagliari	20 Apr 1943	0858	Naples	?	Passage Cagliari-Naples.
	Gigli, Pasquale	6 May 1943	0828	Napoli	6 May 1943	1025	Pozzuoli	18	Trilas and passage Napoli-Pozzuoli.
	Gigli, Pasquale	11 May 1943	0904	Pozzuoli	11 May 1943	1200	Pozzuoli	13,5	Exercises.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	15 May 1943	0815	Pozzuoli	15 May 1943	1145	Pozzuoli	9,2	Exercises.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	19 May 1943	0220	Pozzuoli	20 May 1943	0749	La Maddalena	254	Passage Pozzuoli-La Maddalena.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	1 Jun 1943	0450	La Maddalena	1 Jun 1943	1155	Ajaccio	75	Passage La Maddalena-Ajaccio.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	4 Jun 1943	0835	Ajaccio	4 Jun 1943	1229	Ajaccio	18,3	Exercises.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	8 Jun 1943	0815	Ajaccio	8 Jun 1943	1230	Ajaccio	12,5	Exercises.
18	Giliberti, Arcangelo	12 Jun 1943	2105	Ajaccio	21 Jun 1943	0855	Ajaccio	870,1	Patrolled between 38°20'N and 39°00'N, and between 05°00'E and 05°40'E. On 15th June, she was ordered to move 40 miles to the south. On 17th June, she was ordered 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, between 05°07'E and 05°40'E.
		19 Jun 1943	0220	37° 16'N, 5° 19'E	A Sunderland aircraft circled the submarine. The gun crew were readied to open fire on the aircraft, but an opportunity arose and Argo dived without being attacked.
		19 Jun 1943	0902	36° 54'N, 5° 25'E (0) 246° - Cape Carbon - 16 miles.	At 0656 hours on 19th June, H.E. were heard and the submarine came to periscope depth and sighted a patrol vessel. T.V. Giliberti assumed that the vessel was perhaps patrolling ahead of a convoy in the Gulf of Bougie and submerged to a depth of 50 metres for a listening watch. At 0812 hours, noises were heard. It was a convoy steering 105°, entering the anchorage. At 0902 hours, four torpedoes from the bow tubes were fired a 7,000-ton freighter from a distance of 3,000 metres. Three hits were heard and the submarine dived to a depth of 110 metres, but there was no immediate reaction from the enemy. In fact, no hits were confirmed.
		21 Jun 1943	0150	(0) Off Cape Scorno.	At 0150 hours, the submarine Velella was encountered and recognition signals were exchanged.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	22 Jun 1943	0930	Ajaccio	22 Jun 1943	1620	La Maddalena	67,6	Passage Ajaccio-La Maddalena.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	25 Jun 1943	2200	La Maddalena	26 Jun 1943	2324	Pozzuoli	226,1	Passage La Maddalena-Pozzuoli via (1) Point A Olbia (2) 40°48'N, 10°26'E (3) Point C Naples.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	28 Jun 1943	0610	Pozzuoli	28 Jun 1943	0829	Naples	11,5	Passage Pozzuoli-Naples.
19	Giliberti, Arcangelo	10 Jul 1943	0300	Castellammare di Stabia	14 Jul 1943	0835	Taranto	?	Patrolled off Sicilian coast for Operation ZETA in zone 172 [between 38°25'N and 38°35'N, and between 12°40'E and 13°00'E], ordered to area 83 (near 37°02'N, 15°28'E). Early return due to engine defects.
		11 Jul 1943	1000	37° 19'N, 15° 32'E	Many aircraft were seen and the submarine dived.
		11 Jul 1943	1131	37° 03'N, 15° 32'E	The submarine sighted the crew of a German torpedo bomber in a life boat and proceeded to pick up the four men. While the rescue was in progress, vessels were sighted on the horizon. As soon as the operation was completed, the submarine submerged to close the enemy, but they were too far to intercept.
		11 Jul 1943	1402	37° 02'N, 15° 28'E	At 1215 hours, Argo dived at a depth of 30 metres and closed Syracuse. She listened with her hydrophones and came back to periscope depth from time to time to take a peek. At 1257 hours, a convoy was discerned over the horizon. At 1330 hours, a cruiser of the SOUTHAMPTON class and other warships could be observed. This was later identified as one of two cruisers, screened by four destroyers. At 1402 hours, four torpedoes were fired from a distance of 4,000 metres. One explosion was heard, as the submarine went down to 110 metres. The target may have been the cruiser HMS Uganda, in company with the antiaircraft cruiser HMS Carlisle, but the attack does not appear to have been observed. An A/S hunt started at 1752 hours which lasted until 0055 hours on 12th July. At 0200 hours, the submarine surfaced and retired to the northeast.
		12 Jul 1943	0330	37° 19'N, 15° 51'E	At 0330 hours, Argo sighted an unknown submarine which may have been Bronzo,on her way to Syracuse.
		12 Jul 1943	0445	37° 26'N, 15° 57'E	An unidentified aircraft was seen and Argo dived. The submarine then reported to have been hunted from 0455 to 1808 hours.
		13 Jul 1943	0416	37° 56'N, 16° 42'E	At 0416 hours, flashes or flares were sighted to the rear and then several aircraft came into view. The submarine dived at 0436 hours and was hunted from 0449 to 1005 hours.
20	Giliberti, Arcangelo	22 Jul 1943	1955	Taranto	27 Jul 1943	1037	Taranto	?	Sailed for patrol off the east coast of Sicily (Operation ZETA) but aborted due to defects (damaged gyroscopic and magnetic compasses) before reaching her destination. This was known through ULTRA and she returned to Taranto and eventually went to Monfalcone for a long refit.
		26 Jul 1943	1024	38° 11'N, 17° 37'E	Two unidentified aircraft were seen and the submarine dived.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	30 Jul 1943	1957	Taranto	3 Aug 1943	0716	Venice	561	Passage Taranto-Venice.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	5 Aug 1943	0831	Venice	5 Aug 1943	1535	Monfalcone	55	Passage Venice-Monfalcone.
	Giliberti, Arcangelo	11 Sep 1943		Monfalcone	11 Sep 1943		Scuttled		Scuttled after armistice.
		11 Sep 1943		(0) At Monfalcone.	The submarine was at Monfalcone at armistice time and was scuttled.

158 entries. 101 total patrol entries (20 marked as war patrols) and 74 events.

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