Italian submarines in World War Two


Comandante Alfredo Cappellini (CL, I.4, UIT.24)
Cappellini


Comandante Alfredo Cappellini. Seen as German UIT-24 after 10 Sep 1943

TypeOcean going 
ClassImproved Marcello (13) 
Laid down 25 Apr 1938 Odero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano
Launched14 May 1939
Commissioned23 Sep 1939
End service
Stricken
Loss date
Loss position
History Converted as a transport submarine, code name "AQUILA III". Captured by the Germans at Sabang, renumbered UIT-24. Taken over by Japan at Kobe on 5th May 1945, renamed I-503. Scuttled by the US Navy on 16th April 1946 in the Kii Suido.
Fate

Commands


CommanderDate fromDate toCommand notes
Walter Auconi
Walter Auconi15 Sep 1943
C.C. Cristiano Masi30 Sep 193925 Sep 1940
C.C. Salvatore Todaro26 Sep 19401 Oct 1941
T.V. Aldo Lenzi1 Oct 194128 Jan 1942
S.T.V. Sergio Bresina28 Jan 194210 Apr 1942
C.C. Marco Revedin10 Apr 194230 Apr 1943
C.C. Walter Auconi1 May 194315 Sep 1943

Ships hit


DateCommanderShip hitTypeGRTNat.Loss type
1.16 Oct 1940C.C. Salvatore TodaroKabaloCargo ship5,074BelgianSunk
2.5 Jan 1941C.C. Salvatore TodaroShakespearCargo ship5,029BritishSunk
3.14 Jan 1941C.C. Salvatore TodaroEumaeusCargo ship7,735BritishSunk
4.2 Dec 1941T.V. Aldo LenziMiguel De LarrinagaCargo ship5,231BritishDamaged
5.19 May 1942C.C. Marco RevedinTisnarenCargo ship5,747SwedishSunk
6.31 May 1942C.C. Marco RevedinDinsdaleTanker8,214BritishSunk

Patrols and events

 CommanderDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Masi, Cristiano3 Jun 19402300La Spezia5 Jun 19400200Cagliari326Passage La Spezia-Cagliari with Glauco, Tazzoli and Finzi, escorted by the torpedo boat Curtatone.

1Masi, Cristiano6 Jun 19401100Cagliari14 Jun 19400200Ceuta (Spain)787,5Patrolled off Cape Palos, Cape de Gata and Punta Almina (Madeira). Attempted to enter the Atlantic, but failed. Had to go Ceuta because of rudder defects. Sir Samuel Hoare, the British ambassador in Madrid, insisted that the crew should be interned and reported that it had been done, but it was later learnt that the submarine had sailed during the night of 23rd/24th June.
  14 Jun 19400050
0005 (e)

(e) 35° 44'N, 5° 16'W
At 0020 hours, Comandante Alfredo Cappellini had reported sighting a light cruiser, three destroyers and two gunboats.

At 0050 hours, a destroyer was sighted turning toward the submarine at full speed. Cappellini fired a stern torpedo (533mm) from a distance of 900 metres. This was the destroyer HMS Vidette, who reported being missed astern by the torpedo. The submarine had been reported earlier by the trawler HMT Arctic Ranger. The strong current and shallow depth made maneuvers difficult and C.C. Masi decided to escape to Ceuta where the submarine arrived at 0200 hours.

1bMasi, Cristiano23 Jun 19402330Ceuta29 Jun 19401950La Spezia887,1Passage Ceuta-La Spezia for repairs.
  26 Jun 19402106
2017 (e)

(e) 36° 54'N, 1° 54'W
At 0335 hours, Cappellini had submerged for a listening watch, using the Rovetto apparatus to maintain her trim.

At 2030 hours, at periscope depth, a steamer was observed on a southerly course. She was identified as British.

At 2106 hours, one torpedo (533mm) was fired from a distance of 700 metres, but missed. One minute later, she had to submerge as a Spanish vessel suddenly appeared on a collision course. When she surfaced at 2124 hours, her target had disappeared. This had been the British Cydonia (3517 GRT, built 1927).

Masi, Cristiano14 Jul 19400800La Spezia14 Jul 19401336La Spezia58,5Exercises.

Masi, Cristiano24 Jul 19401320La Spezia24 Jul 19401550La Spezia8Exercises with the submarine Gondar, 5 miles south of Moneglia.

2Masi, Cristiano28 Jul 19401315La Spezia29 Jul 19401527Cagliari355,6Sailed for patrol off Cape de Gata but interrupted patrol and diverted to Cagliari because of defects.

2bMasi, Cristiano30 Jul 19401605Cagliari9 Aug 19400920La Spezia1635,6Patrolled off Cape de Gata, early return because of defects.

Masi, Cristiano12 Aug 19400630La Spezia12 Aug 19401230La Spezia75Exercises.

Masi, Cristiano18 Sep 19401000La Spezia18 Sep 19401855La Spezia62Exercises.

Masi, Cristiano20 Sep 19401230La Spezia20 Sep 19401625La Spezia20Exercises.

Masi, Cristiano25 Sep 19400820La Spezia25 Sep 19401905La Spezia86Exercises.

Todaro, Salvatore27 Sep 19400800La Spezia27 Sep 19401630La Spezia92,5Exercises.

3Todaro, Salvatore29 Sep 19401849La Spezia4 Nov 19401607Pauillac5368,1Passage La Spezia-Bordeaux (passed Gibraltar on 5th October) patrol off Azores between 32°00'N and 33°40'N, and between 16°50'W and 32°00'W. T.V. Athos Fraternale was second in command and was later to command with distinction Morosini and other submarines.
  13 Oct 19401620
(0) Off Lisbon.
At 1620 hours, a steamer was stopped with a warning shot. She proved to be the Yugoslav Rosina Topic (4,307 GRT, built 1913) on passage from Lisbon to New Jersey with a cargo of sugar. She was allowed to proceed.
  15 Oct 1940231532° 20'N, 31° 14'W
(e) 31° 59'N, 31° 21'W
(0) Approximately.
At 2315 hours, Cappellini sighted a steamer and closed at high speed. The vessel must have also sighted her as it turned away and increased speed. At a distance of 1,500 metres the steamer opened fire with her stern gun. When the range was reduced to 1,000 metres, the submarine replied with her artillery and scored a hit with her third round, which started a fire and silenced the freighter's gun. She was now repeatedly hit and took a list to port.

Shortly after, Cappellini fired a torpedo (533mm, S.I. type) from 500 metres but it missed under. A second torpedo (533mm, S.I. type), followed by a third (450mm, W 200 type), also appeared to head straight for the target, but without exploding.

The steamer was finally finished off with gunfire and sank at 0400 hours on the 16th. T.V. Athos Fraternale (who was later to command the submarine Morosini and other submarines with great distinction) was in charge of the forward gun. This was the Belgian Kabalo (5,074 GRT, built 1917, captain Georges Vogels) after dispersal of convoy OB.223 (also listed as QB.223d) on passage from Liverpool to Freetown. Only one was killed, a Congolese sailor. There were forty-two survivors.

Cappellini picked up twenty-six survivors and landed them on the Island of Santa Maria (Azores). Sixteen survivors were picked up by the Panamanian tanker Panam in 32°03' N, 30°00' W or 475 miles SW of the Azores. Kabalo had not been a lucky ship, she had collided with the Belgian Flanders on 12 February 1940 and the latter had sunk.
  27 Oct 19400230
(0) Off Azores.
At 0230 hours, a vessel was sighted. Although she was illuminated, the lights did not conform to regulations. Accordingly, Cappellini fired a warning shot and she stopped.

She was the French motor fishing vessel Marcella (800 GRT, built 1932) and reported that she was travelling from Bordeaux to Casablanca (in fact she had sailed from St. Pierre et Miquelon on 19th October). She was allowed to proceed.

3bTodaro, Salvatore5 Nov 19400825Pauillac5 Nov 19401115Bordeaux30Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.

4Todaro, Salvatore21 Dec 19401036Bordeaux21 Dec 19401520Le Verdon38Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

4bTodaro, Salvatore22 Dec 19401630Le Verdon20 Jan 19410630Luz (Gran Canaria)5728,7Patrolled off Cape Ortegal, between 40°00'N and 42°00'N, and between 17°00'W and 21°00'W. Off Oporto, Funchal and Canaries and then to Luz, because of damage and to land a wounded crew member. She also took 73 tons of fuel from the supply ship Charlotte Schliemann.
  5 Jan 19411127
0930 (e)
18° 05'N, 21° 25'W
(e) 18° 05'N, 21° 11'W
At 1000 hours, the masts of a vessel were observed on the horizon. Cappellini took an intercepting course.

At 1045 hours, at a distance of 3,000 metres, the merchant ship opened fire. Cappellini altered course to starboard and opened fire with her artillery. The enemy's gunfire was accurate and, at 1100 hours, a shell exploded close to the submarine's aft gun and mortally wounded the gunner Giuseppe Bastoni who fell overboard. He was posthumously awarded the Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare. But the freighter was now being repeatedly hit by the submarine's artillery. At 1127 hours, the white flag was run up the mast and she sank. This was the British Shakespear (5,029 GRT, built 1926), carrying 8,000 tons of coal from Milford Haven to Alexandria via Capetown, a straggler from convoy OB.262.

The submarine turned back and conducted a thorough search to locate Bastoni, but he was never found. C.C. Salvatore Todaro, who was to earn the nickname of the "Knight of the Atlantic", was a chivalrous man. He returned to the site of his sinking and rescued twenty-two survivors (including eight wounded, one of whom would die shortly after) and landed them on the Island of Sal (Cape Verde). The destroyer HMS Velox arrived on the scene but found only wreckage. The Portuguese destroyer Gonçalves Zarco found twenty-five survivors (including ten wounded) and landed them on São Vicente Island (Cape Verde) on 9 January 1941.
  9 Jan 1941Control of the submarine's hydroplane broke down, requiring repairs at sea. The stern was continuously under water and sharks were making the repairs dangerous that had to be kept at bay by rifle fire. The repairs were finally completed during the day.
  14 Jan 19410900+
0658 (e)
9° 00'N, 15° 19'W
(e) 8° 55'N, 15° 33'W
(0) 285° - Cape Sierra Leon - 118 miles.
At 0830 hours, a large steamer was sighted. After 0900 hours, the submarine had closed to 700 metres and fired a pair of torpedoes (533mm, S.I. type) from the bow tubes. They had a normal run and one appeared to be about to hit near the mast aft, but there was no explosion. The target turned away and opened fire with two guns. Cappellini followed at full speed but the enemy was maintaining a distance of about 2,500 metres. The submarine opened fire with her guns but several of the enemy's shells were falling near her. As the range began to close, Cappellini's machine guns were beginning to take a toll of the freighter's gunners.

At 0930 hours, the submarine had to briefly suspend fire as the ammunition' s hoist broke down. Shells had to be passed through the conning tower hatch.

At 0940 hours, it was now Cappellini's aft gun that broke down. Gunfire was maintained with the gun forward.

At 0950 and 0955 hours, the conning tower was hit by two shells. Tenente G.N. D.M.c. Danilo Stiepovich had just replaced a wounded gunner, when a shell fragment took off his left leg. He remained at his station, fighting to the last. He died of his wounds at 1600 hours. His dying wish had been to watch the enemy vessel sink. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for his sacrifice.

This was the British Eumaeus (7,735 GRT, built 1921) proceeding independently at 13 knots from Birkenhead to Shanghai via Capetown with a crew of 91 and about 265 passengers (with 100 servicemen on board for the Far East). She was actually proceeding to Freetown to coal. She fought valiantly for two hours but ran out of ammunition and was finally brought to a halt. Survivors would report that she had been hit by at least 44 rounds.

At 1009 hours, Cappellini closed to 700 metres and fired a torpedo (450mm, A 200 type) from a bow tube. It hit under the forward mast and the vessel sank. Twenty-three were killed (eight crew members and fifteen passengers), sixty-three survivors were picked up by the trawlers HMT Bengali and HMT Spaniard who arrived at the scene at 1315 hours. Walrus P.5667 (Lt. V.B.G. Cheesman, RM) of 710 Squadron, which was searching for the U-boat (this was not the Walrus which later attacked Cappellini), alighted and helped out the survivors. At 2000 hours, the destroyers HMS Isis and HMS Encounter and the A/S trawler HMT Pict arrived and picked up more survivors. In all, 305 survivors were picked up.

It had been a gruelling fight. Cappellini had one officer killed and nine ratings wounded.
  14 Jan 19411122
0819 (e)

(e) 8° 53'N, 14° 56'W
At 1120 hours, Cappellini was about to dive when an aircraft was sighted. Two minutes later, it dropped four bombs and they hit the submarine at the bow extremity and amidship. The attack had been carried out by a Walrus of 710 Squadron (FAA) from the seaplane tender HMS Albatross based in Freetown. It had actually dropped three 100-lb A/S bombs.

The submarine was badly damaged and had to take refuge in Luz (Gran Canaria) for repairs.

4cTodaro, Salvatore24 Jan 19410038Luz (Gran Canaria)30 Jan 19411710Pauillac1905,2Passage Luz-Pauillac. HMS Tribune was sent to intercept her in 45°44'N, 02°32'W but failed to make contact.

4dTodaro, Salvatore1 Feb 19410900Pauillac1 Feb 19411030Bordeaux25Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.

Todaro, Salvatore12 Apr 19410700Bordeaux12 Apr 19411635La Pallice117Passage Bordeaux-La Pallice.

Todaro, Salvatore15 Apr 19410738La Pallice15 Apr 19411115La Pallice18Exercises.

5Todaro, Salvatore16 Apr 19410800La Pallice17 May 19411435Bordeaux5230Sailed for North Atlantic patrol (a) between 56° and 57°00'N and 21° and 26°00'W (b) between 58° and 59°00'N and 20° and 25°00'W. Todaro was awarded the Silver medal after this patrol.
  21 Apr 19410717
0847 (e)
53° 42'N, 17° 55'W
(e) 53° 31'N, 17° 36'W
At 0640 hours, two shadows of large ships, later believed to be 10,000-ton armed merchant cruisers apparently screened by three destroyers. Cappellini closed for a surface attack but the sea was very rough (Force 5) making the approach difficult. An enemy report could not be made as her wireless was not working.

At 0717 hours, one stern torpedo (533mm) was fired from a distance of 1,500 metres aimed at the first AMC, a vessel of the ACCRA class (9,370 GRT). It missed. At the same time two vessels had spotted the submarine and opened fire with guns and machine guns.

At 0723 hours, two stern torpedoes (533mm) were launched at a range of 600 metres and were aimed at the second AMC. The submarine dived upon firing and heard a loud explosion. At the same time, defects were plaguing Cappellini including serious flooding, especially in the radio room and the forward ammunition store. The submarine was forced to surface again very quickly. Only one armed merchant cruiser was still visible and C.C. Todaro assumed the other had sunk. The three destroyers were still distant and he took the opportunity to dive again, this time to 110 metres.

From 0830 to 1000 hours, 21 depth charges were counted, usually in groups of 3 or 4. They caused small leaks in a forward compartment and in the mid section.

At 1800 hours, no more propeller noises were heard and Cappellini was brought to periscope depth. The horizon was clear and she surfaced.

The target had been the Dutch steamer Berkel (2,130 Grt, built 1930) who opened fire with her 4" gun and machine guns and believed to have scored a direct hit abaft the conning tower. The submarine was hunted by the armed trawler HMS St. Wistan, the ocean boarding vessel HMS Corinthian and the sloop HMS Sandwich. They were part of the Gibraltar convoy OG. 59.
  22 Apr 1941Time?During the day, Cappellini received a signal from Torelli, reporting a convoy at 1300 hours on the 22nd, 150 miles (Italian Grid 6894/44) steering 025°, 8 knots. She altered course to intercept. Nothing was sighted. On 27th April, she was ordered by BETASOM to move her patrol between 21° and 26° W.
  1 May 1941202056° 45'N, 25° 04'WAn unidentified submarine was observed steering 060°. Cappellini dived upon sighting and came to periscope depth but could not find it anymore and assumed it had also dived.
  7 May 1941051558° 20'N, 22° 54'WAt 0515 hours, a small vessel was observed from a distance of 1,500 metres. It appeared to be a motorboat, similar to the MAS type, 15-20 metres in length and 50-100 tons. Cappellini dived upon sighting and heard that two more A/S vessels had joined this one but there were no depth-charge attack.
  8 May 1941225059° 00'N, 24° 22'WAt 2250 hours, a German U-boat was sighted and they exchanged recognition signals.
  9 May 19410138At 0138 hours, BETASOM signalled Cappellini that German sources had reported the presence of an enemy convoy at 1100 hours on 8th May in Italian Grid 7628/35 (300 miles away) steering 250°, 8 knots. The submarine altered course south to intercept.
  10 May 1941121553° 58'N, 23° 17'WAt 1215 hours, a German U-boat was sighted and they exchanged recognition signals.
  11 May 1941193051° 55'N, 20° 40'WAt 1930 hours, the submarine Luigi Torelli was encountered and exchanged recognition signals.
  14 May 1941124047° 42'N, 13° 50'WAt 1420 hours, the French sailing ship Notre Dame Du Châtelet (453 GRT, built 1921) was stopped. She was proceeding from St. Malo to fish the Newfoundland banks. Todaro, having ascertained her identity, let her proceed. The following day U-43 (KL Wolfgang Lüth) made no distinction and sank her by gunfire.

Todaro, Salvatore18 May 19411207Bordeaux18 May 19411250Bordeaux2Entered dock.

6Todaro, Salvatore27 Jun 19410800Bordeaux27 Jun 19411248Le Verdon65Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

6bTodaro, Salvatore28 Jun 19410800Bordeaux10 Jul 19412024Bordeaux2449Sailed for patrol west of Gibraltar to reach Grid 8511/66 (35°58'N, 14°00'W) by 3rd July, but aborted mission because of defects. Salvatore Todaro left her to join Decima Flotilla MAS and was killed by an airplane strafing as he was leading a raid on Bone on 14th December 1942.
  30 Jun 19411045+35° 21'N, 13° 50'WAt 1045 hours, BETASOM ordered the submarines to patrol within 15 miles of the following positions by 3rd July:

Torelli in 2533/36 (36°58'N, 12°30'W)
Morosini in 2511/33 (36°30'N, 13°20'W)
Cappellini in 8511/66 (35°58'N, 14°00'W)
Da Vinci in 8511/33 (35°30'N, 13°20'W)
Baracca in 8533/31 (35°10'N, 12°30'W)
Malaspina in 3972/51 (33°00'N, 11°45'W).

Cappellini proceeded toward her position.
  4 Jul 1941160035° 21'N, 13° 50'WAt 1600 hours, a 10,000-ton vessel was sighted,s teering 220°. She bore neutral markings and was left alone.
  5 Jul 1941122035° 55'N, 13° 46'WAt 1220 hours, the submarine Morosini was encountered and information was exchanged by megaphone.
  6 Jul 19411730
1637 (e)
35° 55'N, 13° 46'W
(e) 37° 34'N, 12° 22'W
At 1730 hours, an aircraft was observed diving on Cappellini from the sun. It was identified as a twin-engined seaplane of the Consolidated 28-5 type. It made two low-flying runs, strafing and each time dropping two depth charges which exploded at a depth of 20-30 metres, about 30 metres from the submarine.

This was Catalina ' G' (W8415) of 202 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer R.Y. Powell. The aircraft was instructed to shadow the submarine as long as its endurance permitted and had made several signals to home other aircraft or A/S vessels, but to no avail. It was kept at distance of 3-4,000 metres by the submarine's main artillery, firing 100mm rounds.

At 2245 hours, the Catalina left the scene. Upon returning, it ran out of petrol and had to alight 4 miles west of Trafalgar. It had to be towed by a sloop. It had been hit by a single machine gun round from the submarine, but was seriously damaged during the towing.
  8 Jul 1941193043° 05'N, 9° 35'WAt 1930 hours, two small yachts were observed. Ten minutes later, Cappellini developed defects, which forced the interruption of the patrol.

7Todaro, Salvatore14 Aug 19411145Bordeaux14 Aug 19411700Le Verdon63Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon, then delayed because of defects.

7bTodaro, Salvatore15 Aug 19412045Le Verdon22 Sep 19411315Bordeaux6850Sailed for patrol off Portugal in 36°30'N, 12°30'W, between Cape St. Vincent and Cape Finisterre.
  17 Aug 1941085044° 34'N, 5° 47'WAt 0850 hours, an aircraft, believed to be a Heinkel 115, was observed but it took no notice of the submarine.
  17 Aug 1941113044° 34'N, 6° 25'WAt 1130 hours, an aircraft was seen but took no notice of the submarine.
  19 Aug 1941161539° 56'N, 11° 55'WAt 2200 hours on 18th August, Cappellini was ordered to reach Italian Grid 9522/32 (38°15' N, 11°25' W) by 2000 hours on the 20th.

At 1615 hours on the 19th, she observed an Italian submarine steering 180°, 12 knots. It was believed to be Mocenigo.

At 2210 hours on 20th, the submarine was ordered to Italian Grid 5142/32 (39°15' N, 15°25" W).
  21 Aug 1941003038° 12'N, 11° 30'WAt 0030 hours, an illuminated Portuguese ship was observed steering toward the Azores.

At 2200 hours on the 21st, Cappellini was ordered to 40°25' N, 17°15' W,

At 0000 hours on the 23rd, she was ordered to Italian Grid 5991/16 (40°25' N, 17°15' W).
  24 Aug 19411700-173037° 24'N, 13° 40'WAt 0002 hours, Cappellini was ordered to 37°55' N, 13°05' W.

At 1035 hours, the order was changed to 32°30' N, 13°30' W (Italian Grid 8391 and 8942).

At 1700 hours, a large German submarine was observed. It submerged immediately but surfaced shortly after. It was a modern large U-boat with two guns. The submarines exchanged voice greetings and then the German boat sailed on a 220° course.

At 2120 hours on the 26th, Cappellini found a floating gasoline drum with the inscription "SOS MALVERNIAN lat. 47°30' N/ ...W" [Malvernian had been sunk by the Luftwaffe].

During the night of 30th August Cappellini sighted five neutral ships off the Portuguese coast.

At 1005 hours on 1st September, Cappellini was ordered to Grid 3302 (36°30' N, 12°30' W).
  30 Aug 1941Night
(0) West of Cape Espichel.
During the night, three illuminated steamers were observed on southerly course and two more on northerly course.
  4 Sep 1941055536° 06'N, 12° 39'WAt 0555 hours, the Portuguese destroyer Dao was observed steering 235°, 16 knots.
  4 Sep 1941190036° 00'N, 12° 10'WAt 1900 hours, an American destroyer of the MAURY class (GRIDLEY class) was sighted at 1,000 metres, which suddenly made straight for the submarine. Cappellini dived to 100 meters but no depth-charges followed.

At 2200 hours, Cappellini was ordered to Italian Grid 9542.
  5 Sep 1941021036° 26'N, 12° 08'WAt 0210 hours, a small Portuguese ship (estimated at less than 1000 GRT) was sighted. She was probably going from the Azores to Portugal.

At 2300 hours, Cappellini was ordered to proceed to Italian Grid 5110/13 (39°25' N, 16°05' W) then to Grid 5121/22 (38°15' N, 18°15' W).

At 2240 hours on 6th September, she was ordered to Grid 5143/24 (39°35' N, 19°25' W) then to Grid 5119/22 (39°15' N, 21°15' W).
  9 Sep 1941061039° 45'N, 24° 10'WAt 1200 hours on 8th September, Cappellini was ordered to operate in Italian Grids 3995 and 3901 (between 40° N and 41° N and 30° W and 32° W).

At 0610 hours on the 9th, the submarine Baracca was encountered. No action was taken taken, not even recognition signals as they were close to the Azores coast and did not wish to reveal their presence.
  20 Sep 1941193545° 24'N, 8° 55'WAt 1935 hours, the French motor fishing vessel Petite Hélène (D 2583) was sighted. She was left undisturbed.
  21 Sep 1941081045° 30'N, 4° 47'WAt 0810 hours, an aircraft, believed to be German, was sighted but it apparently failed to notice the submarine.

Lenzi, Aldo12 Nov 19411200Bordeaux12 Nov 19411700Le Verdon60Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

Lenzi, Aldo13 Nov 19410800Le Verdon13 Nov 19411700La Pallice60Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

Lenzi, Aldo14 Nov 1941La Pallice14 Nov 1941La Pallice24Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

8Lenzi, Aldo17 Nov 19411700La Pallice21 Dec 19411100Le Verdon5700Patrolled south and southeast of Azores.
  20 Nov 1941123044° 24'N, 11° 40'WAt 1230 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  21 Nov 1941121043° 29'N, 12° 52'WAt 1210 hours, an aircraft of the Consolidated 28 PBY type was seen and the submarine dived.
  25 Nov 1941031540° 50'N, 16° 45'WAt 0315 hours, the Portuguese steamer Santa Princeza (1,179 GRT, built 1930) was sighted. She was apparently proceeding to Oporto.
  30 Nov 1941062039° 10'N, 29° 00'WAt 0620 hours, a destroyer of the AMBUSCADE class was sighted. Cappellini had been sent by Betsasom to intercept a convoy. The submarine closed on the surface to attempt a torpedo attack. She then sighted a second smaller vessel, but lost contact at 0740 hours.
  30 Nov 1941091739° 30'N, 29° 00'WAt 0620 hours, a dark shape was sighted. The submarine closed to investigate and recognised it as a destroyer of the AMBUSCADE class proceeding slowly.

At 0650 hours, as the range had closed to 3,000 metres, a smaller warship appeared moving fast at about the same distance. Cappellini dived, but the destroyer now appeared to increase speed.

At 0745 hours, the two units disappeared in the distance.

At 0917 hours, a corvette appeared at about 400-500 metres, proceeding at about 8 knots. As the range dropped to 300 metres, Cappellini was about to fire torpedoes when the enemy warship suddenly changed course. The opportunity was lost and the submarine lost contact at 0949 hours.
  2 Dec 19410716
0616 GMT (e)
35° 34'N, 29° 52'W
(e) 35° 24'N, 29° 58'W
At 0030 hours, a dark vessel was observed in 36°11' N, 30°22' W. She was on a zigzag course, steering 140°. The submarine trailed her at a distance of 4-5,000 metres.

At 0712 hours, as the moon was low, Cappellini raced to take a position about 3,000 metres ahead of the enemy ship.

At 0716 hours, two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at 500 metres. Although, they ran true, no explosions occurred. The freighter changed course and so did the submarine.

At 0720 hours, two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the stern tubes from about 1,000-1,200 metres. After 61 seconds, a muffled explosion was heard, followed by two quick explosions and then three more.

This was the British Miguel De Larrinaga (5,231 GRT, built 1924), a straggler of convoy O.S.12. She had been hit by a torpedo and made an SOS but she was still moving although at a slower pace. The submarine opened fire from a range of 1,500-2,000 metres, claiming several hits, and then fired another torpedo from a stern tube. It missed. Cappellini dived and prepared to give her a coup de grace by loading a forward and an aft tube with a 450mm torpedo.

At 0756 hours, two shadows appeared at 3,500-4,000 metres, approaching fast. They were believed to be destroyers. The submarine fired a stern shot (450mm) from 1,800-2,000 metres. It missed. Cappellini escaped at full speed.

Following the freighter's SOS, the Portuguese destroyer Vouga sailed from Ponto Delgada to search for survivors but found nothing. Despite her damages, Miguel De Larrinaga reached Freetown on 14th December.
  3 Dec 1941193535° 35'N, 27° 41'WAt 1935 hours, the Spanish tanker Gobeo (3346 GRT, built 1921) was sighted steering 085°. She was probably proceeding to Cadiz.
  17 Dec 1941135039° 30'N, 18° 40'WA small white yacht was sighted and the submarine attempted to close, but the vessel escaped at high speed over the horizon.

8bLenzi, Aldo21 Dec 19411500Le Verdon21 Dec 19412010Bordeaux60Passage Le Verdon-Bordeaux.

Lenzi, Aldo22 Dec 19410945Bordeaux22 Dec 19411045Bordeaux0,7Entered dock for refit until April 1942.

Bresina, Sergio28 Jan 1942Bordeaux10 Apr 1942BordeauxRefit in Bordeaux. Change in command.

Revedin, Marco21 Apr 19420957Bordeaux21 Apr 19421425Le Verdon62Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

Revedin, Marco22 Apr 19420753Le Verdon22 Apr 19421836La Pallice72Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice.

Revedin, Marco23 Apr 19421747La Pallice23 Apr 19421434La Pallice19,5Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

Revedin, Marco25 Apr 19421000La Pallice25 Apr 19421336La Pallice16,5Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

9Revedin, Marco27 Apr 19421500La Pallice19 Jun 19421300Bordeaux8735Sailed for patrol off Natal (Brazil) between 36°00'W meridian, Punta Tres Irmaos Light, Pititinga Light, Rocas Island and 02°35'S, 36°00'W.
  29 Apr 1942231844° 59'N, 8° 35'WAn illuminated fishing vessel was sighted and the submarine turned away to avoid being seen.
  2 May 19421932
2025 (e)
39° 05'N, 15° 44'W
(e) 38° 58'N, 16° 01'W
The submarine Bagnolini was encountered and exchanged recognition signals.
  11 May 1942172519° 33'N, 26° 48'WAt 1705 hours, a convoy of nine ships was detected. The submarine closed, but at 1908 hours, a corvette was sighted turning toward the submarine at a distance of 9,000 meters. The submarine dived and moved at full speed underwater to a point 3,500 meters from the point where it had submerged This was the sloop HMS Hastings. Cappellini was depth-charged and escaped by diving to a depth of 125 meters. She tried to surface at 2315 hours, but was depth-charged again as she was coming up at 70 meters. She dived again with her stern, reaching 145 meters, finally surfacing at 0305 hours on the 12th, during a heavy rain squall.
  19 May 19420041
2230GMT (e)
3° 28'N, 32° 15'W
(e) 3° 38'N, 32° 11'W
At 1537 hours, on 18th May, a large motorship was sighted at 12,000 metres in 05°29' N, 32°19' W. Cappellini maneuvered to trail her at the limit of visibility (22,000 metres) with the intention of closing to attack after dark. At 2309 hours, the vessel changed course and contact was temporarily lost. It was regained 20 minutes later.

At 0041 hours on 19th May, in a surface attack, a single torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube. It hit under the bridge.

This was the Swedish Tisnaren (5747 GRT, built 1918), a straggler from convoy OS.27 bound from Liverpool for Rio de Janeiro.

Simultaneously, from 0041 hours, the vessel was finished off by gunfire, the submarine making use of her two deck guns (100mm/47) and machine-guns and the ship was abandoned, fire being suspended while to allow them to take to the boat and then resumed at 0057 and the ship sank. There were no casualties, forty-two survivors were rescued by the steamer Green Mountain and brought to Trinidad.
  20 May 194220150° 01'S, 33° 07'WAt 2015 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  22 May 194221163° 35'S, 35° 13'WAt 2116 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  23 May 194216403° 17'S, 35° 35'WAt 1640 hours, an aircraft was sighted at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  23 May 194219303° 15'S, 35° 37'WAt 1930 hours, an aircraft was seen at 15-16,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  24 May 194209073° 54'S, 35° 09'WAt 1458 hours, the Argentine steamer Rio De La Plata (former Italian Principessa Maria, 8,329 GRT, built 1923) was observed steering 330°, 12 knots.
  24 May 194210203° 59'S, 35° 01'WAt 1020 hours, an American cruiser of the CONCORD class, escorted by destroyers, was sighted at 15.000 metres, steering 330°, 15 knots. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen. She surfaced at 1347 hours and made an enemy report at 1415 hours.
  24 May 194216304° 19'S, 34° 50'WAt 1630 hours, a 10,000-ton tanker was sighted steering 300°, 10 knots. The submarine closed until her Argentine nationality was recognised and the attack aborted.
  26 May 19420628
0445Z (e)
2° 19'S, 34° 36'W
(e) 2° 58'S, 34° 12'W
At 0628 hours, an aircraft of the Consolidate type was sighted while Cappellini was chasing a vessel reported by Archimede.

At 0631 hours, the submarine dived and two minutes later a bomb was heard.

This was a Catalina (PBY-5A) of USN squadron VP-83, which dropped a single MK 17 depth charge. It was piloted by Lt.(jg) H.G. Cooper.
  26 May 194214201° 36'S, 35° 14'WAt 1420 hours, a biplane aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  28 May 194214502° 47'S, 32° 41'WAt 1450 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  31 May 194202330° 45'S, 29° 40'WAt 1130 hours on 30th May, a vessel was observed coming out of the mist in 00°11' N, 31°56' W. It was recognised as a large tanker steering 140° at 13 knots. Cappellini trailed her, but the task was difficult due the rough seas (Force 4) and the frequent rain squalls, reducing visibility to 5-6,000 metres. The sun had set at 2319 hours (reminder: this was Rome Time).

At 0233 hours, a pair of torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at a distance of 3,500 metres, The wakes must have been spotted, as the tanker altered course and they missed ahead.

This was the British tanker RFA Dinsdale (8,214 GRT, built 1942). She was bound from Trinidad for Port Elisabeth and Durban.

At 0318 hours, Cappellini closed to 450 metres, launching a second pair of torpedoes from the bow tubes at a 10-second interval. At the same time, the tanker opened fire on the submarine at an accelerated rate. After 23 seconds, a torpedo was observed to hit between the forward mast and the bridge. Shortly after, the second torpedo hit between the bridge and the mast aft. The submarine could not use her guns due to the rough seas and had to dive to avoid the gunfire from the tanker.

At 0330 hours, a loud explosion was heard and the hydrophones picked up the propeller noises of the tanker and it appeared she was moving slowly away.

At 0547 hours, a stern shot (450mm) was made from 2,000 metres and was observed to hit the engine room.

At 0604 hours, another stern shot (450mm) was made from 2,500 metres and was seen to hit at the same spot as the preceding one. The tanker sank at 0612 hours. Of her crew, five were killed and forty-four survivors (including Master) were rescued by the Spanish Monte Orduna (5529 GRT, built 1922) and landed at Las Palmas.
  11 Jun 1942110830° 24'N, 22° 45'WAt 1108 hours, a drifter was seen steering 120°. The submarine turned away to avoid being seen.
  14 Jun 1942104840° 25'N, 16° 36'WAt 1048 hours, an aircraft was seen at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  14 Jun 1942121540° 32'N, 16° 30'WAt 1215 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  15 Jun 1942135644° 00'N, 14° 08'WAt 1356 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  17 Jun 1942220744° 26'N, 7° 04'WAt 2207 hours, three smokes were briefly sighted on the horizon before they disappeared.
  18 Jun 1942231144° 43'N, 3° 38'WAt 2311 hours, the shadow of. small vessel was seen and the submarine turned away.

Revedin, Marco13 Aug 19420842Bordeaux13 Aug 19421250Le Verdon62Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

Revedin, Marco15 Aug 19420800Le Verdon15 Aug 19421722La Pallice77,3Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

Revedin, Marco17 Aug 19420804La Pallice17 Aug 19421202La Pallice10,2Exercises.

10Revedin, Marco21 Aug 19421430La Pallice17 Oct 19421457Bordeaux8245Sailed for patrol off Freetown, between 04°00'N and 10°00'N, and between 18°00'W and 21°00'W. Participated in the rescue of the Laconia survivors. Most were transferred to Vichy ships, but the submarine kept six Italian prisoners and two British PoWs.
  21 Aug 19420220
(0) La Pallice harbour.
At 0220 hours, during an air raid on La Pallice, bombs fell near the dock but Cappellini was not damaged.
  28 Aug 1942135539° 14'N, 16° 23'WAt 1355 hours, the conning tower of a submarine was briefly seen. Cappellini turned away.
  28 Aug 1942142239° 14'N, 16° 23'W
(0) Approximately.
At 1422 hours, a destroyer was seen at 15,000 metres. The submarine dived and two more ships were detected by hydrophones.
  29 Aug 1942000738° 39'N, 17° 08'WAt 0007 hours, an illuminated Portuguese 7-8,000-ton ship was seen steering 090°, 10 knots. The submarine turned away.
  30 Aug 1942141135° 36'N, 19° 30'WAt 1411 hours, A biplane aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  2 Sep 1942100828° 48'N, 20° 02'WAt 1008 hours, a periscope was observed and Cappellini moved away.
  16 Sep 194208284° 08'S, 11° 58'WAt 0730 hours on 13th September, Cappellini deciphered a signal from BETASOM (00615/13) indicating that a British ship (Laconia sunk by U-156, KL Werner Hartenstein) carrying 1,500 Italian PoWs had been sunk. The submarine was to proceed to rescue the survivors, but to maintain radio silence. At 1010 hours, she altered course to conform to the order.

At 0052 hours on the 14th, she was instructed by BETASOM to rendezvous with U-506 (KL Erich Würdemann) in Italian Grid 8971/53, as survivors were being divided between a number of submarines.

At 0828 hours on the 16th, a first lifeboat was encountered. It had 50 British survivors who appeared to be well equipped, so Cappellini moved on.
  16 Sep 194210324° 20'S, 11° 57'WAt 1032 hours, a second lifeboat sighted. It had eighty-four British survivors from Laconia (twenty-five children, eighteen women and forty-one men). At first, they appeared terrorised by the submarine. T.V. Revedin quickly reassured them and proposed to take the women and the children, but they were reluctant to do so as their boat was well stocked with food and water. He provided them with more provisions and they cheered the Italian submarine as it moved away.
  16 Sep 194216534° 47'S, 12° 05'WAt 1653 hours, four lifeboats were sighted, two of them semi-submerged with survivors from Laconia. The submarine took all the forty-nine Italian survivors except one who gave signs of dementia and refused to be picked up. Nineteen British and Polish survivors who were in the water were also picked up. The submarine remained with the lifeboats in the area, expecting the arrival of Vichy French vessels. The British and Polish survivors were transferred back to the lifeboats the next afternoon and the submarine left in search of the Vichy vessels.

At 0710 hours on the 17th, one of the Italian survivors passed away. He was only known from the other survivors as Vincenzo or Ruggero "the medic". He was buried at sea. At 1210 hours, another Italian survivor succumbed. He was Giovanni Volch and was also buried at sea.
  20 Sep 194209482° 09'S, 13° 09'WAt 0948 hours, the French sloop Dumont d'Urville was met. She had been dispatched from Dakar. The submarine transferred her forty-one Italian survivors to the French warship. She kept six Italians and two British officers.
  21 Sep 194212232° 08'S, 13° 08'WAt 1223 hours, an unknown warship was sighted. Cappellini dived. It appeared to be a small warship, probably one of the French vessels announced.
  21 Sep 194215012° 04'S, 13° 21'WAt 1501 hours, Cappellini had just surfaced when a warship was suddenly sighted [probably searching for the Laconia survivors]. The submarine dived again.
  23 Sep 194210103° 48'N, 17° 26'WAt 1010 hours, a Sunderland was sighted at 12,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  23 Sep 194211353° 51'N, 17° 31'WAt 1135 hours, a smoke was seen on the horizon. It was a ship zigzagging and steering on a 045° mean course.

At 1200 hours, Cappellini dived for a submerged attack but could not detect the vessel with the hydrophones. She came to periscope depth but the foggy lenses (due to the extreme heat) made observation difficult.

At 1246 hours, the submarine surfaced and sighted the freighter 7,000 metres away. T.V. Revedin took his submarine down again but by 1400 hours, the distance had only closed to 5-6,000 metres.

This was British steamer Bruyère (5,335 GRT, built 1919), bound from Rio de Janeiro for Freetown.

At 1402 hours, in 03°53' N, 17°33' W, Cappellini was still at periscope depth and chasing the steamer, when a Sunderland aircraft was sighted. Revedin was forced to take his submarine down to 40 meters. The submarine surfaced at 1442 hours and the steamer was still in sight.

At 1627 hours, in 04°10' N, 17°32' W, Cappellini was still chasing the British steamer Bruyère and dived immediately. The submarine surfaced at 1704 hours and sighted the steamer again at 1758 hours and maneuvered to attack.

At 2304 hours,in 04°50' N, 17°18' W, Cappellini was making her final run on her target when another shadow was suddenly sighted. At 2336 hours, Bruyère was suddenly rocked by two explosions. She had just been torpedoed by U-125 (KL Ulrich Folkers).
  4 Oct 1942033526° 18'N, 20° 10'WAt 0215 hours, an illuminated vessel was sighted, shortly after followed by another. The first was a 5,000-ton Swiss ship steering 210°, 12 knots, the other was a 1,500-ton Portuguese ship steering 015°, 8 knots. The submarine turned away.
  13 Oct 1942084244° 10'N, 7° 22'WAt 0842 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was sighted at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  13 Oct 1942092944° 09'N, 7° 19'WAt 0929 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived. Later, distant explosions were heard.
  14 Oct 1942101244° 18'N, 5° 04'WAt 1012 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was sighted at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  14 Oct 1942163244° 15'N, 4° 19'WAt 1632 hours, a biplane aircraft was seen at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  16 Oct 1942081244° 08'N, 2° 16'WAt 0812 hours, a large seaplane was seen at 8,000 metres, apparently taking off. The submarine dived.
  16 Oct 1942102244° 23'N, 2° 22'WAt 1022 hours, an aircraft was seen at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  16 Oct 1942151244° 57'N, 2° 33'WAt 1512 hours, an aircraft, possibly a Junker 88, was seen at 10,000 metres. Cappellini dived as her recognition signals were out of date.

Revedin, Marco17 Dec 19421500Bordeaux17 Dec 19421730Pauillac35Passage Bordeaux-Pauillac. Delayed at Pauillac because of the presence of magnetic mines in the river.

Revedin, Marco20 Dec 19421330Pauillac20 Dec 19421630Le Verdon27Passage Pauillac-Le Verdon and trials off Le Verdon.

Revedin, Marco21 Dec 19420930Le Verdon21 Dec 19421900La Pallice77,3Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials.

Revedin, Marco23 Dec 19420815La Pallice23 Dec 19421400La Pallice15Trials.

Revedin, Marco24 Dec 19421430La Pallice24 Dec 19421635La Pallice10Trials.

11Revedin, Marco26 Dec 19421500La Pallice4 Mar 19431605Bordeaux9419Patrolled northwest of Cape Verde Islands, North of Brazil and on meridian 500 miles east of Trinidad (she was equipped with Metox). Patrol was marred by various defects. The submarine was armed with four S.I.C. (magnetic pistols) torpedoes, but three experienced battery problems and had to be replaced with regular torpedoes.
  28 Dec 19420500-053044° 20'N, 5° 36'WAt 0500 hours, an unidentified submarine was observed and it turned toward Cappellini. The Italian submarine dived.
  29 Dec 1942200044° 19'N, 9° 00'WAt 2000 hours, an aircraft was seen at 8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  30 Dec 1942003044° 02'N, 9° 30'WAt 0030 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. Apparently this was the first time Metox was used by an Italian submarine. It proved very useful, especially in the Bay of Biscay. Cappellini dived.
  30 Dec 1942202043° 20'N, 10° 24'WAt 2020 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived.
  2 Jan 1943183038° 59'N, 17° 58'WAt 1830 hours, an aircraft was seen at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  26 Jan 194315301° 00'S, 39° 20'WAt 1830 hours, an aircraft was seen at 12,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  26 Jan 194317251° 03'S, 39° 21'WAt 1725 hours, a seaplane was seen at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  27 Jan 194321430° 10'N, 40° 25'WAt 2143 hours, an aircraft was seen at 9,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  12 Feb 19431216At 1216 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted at 8,000 metres steering 175°. The submarine attempted to investigate but could not close and, at 2319 hours, resumed her original course.
  19 Feb 19432040At 2040 hours, a ship was sighted at 10,000 metres. The submarine attempted to intercept but lost contact.
  24 Feb 19431413
1411 (e)
38° 00'N, 17° 05'W
(e) 38° 50'N, 16° 37'W
At 1413 hours, a twin-engine seaplane was sighted. Cappellini dived. This was Catalina 'D' of 202 Squadron, piloted by Flight Lieutenant C.J. Le Couteur. It had sighted the Italian submarine and employed baiting tactics, hoping the submarine would surface again in a short time.
  24 Feb 19431557
1545A (e)
38° 05'N, 17° 01'W
(e) 38° 58'N, 16° 34'W
At 1557 hours, Cappellini had surfaced again when, at 9,000 metres, a large aircraft of the Consolidated type (Catalina) was sighted. T.V. Revedin had ordered the machine guns to be manned, but the order was misinterpreted to be for diving. Cappellini was rocked by five explosions as she was submerging as well as strafed by machine guns. The aircraft was again Catalina 'D' of 202 Squadron whose patience had been rewarded when the Italian submarine was sighted at 16 miles. She had maneuvered to get the sun immediately astern and swooped down to the attack. Her six Mark XI Torpex depth charges had straddled the submarine.

The submarine was damaged, but temporary repairs were made.
  24 Feb 1943230638° 00'N, 17° 05'W
(0) Approximately.
At 2306 hours, an aircraft was detected by Metox and Cappellini dived. At a depth of 30 metres, a leak developed preventing the submarine from going deeper.
  25 Feb 1943012938° 00'N, 17° 05'W
(0) Approximately.
At 0129 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived to 30 metres but the Metox broke down.
  28 Feb 1943011543° 44'N, 9° 55'WAt 0129 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived but again the Metox broke down.
  2 Mar 1943194544° 05'N, 6° 18'WAt 1945 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  4 Mar 19430420At 0420 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived.
  4 Mar 19430521At 0521 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived.
  4 Mar 19430750-0822At 0722 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. Cappellini, already late on schedule, remained on the surface with gun crews at the ready but was not attacked.

Auconi, Walter4 May 1943Bordeaux5 May 1943PMLa PallicePassage Bordeaux-La Pallice.

12Auconi, Walter11 May 1943Bordeaux9 Jul 19431515Sabang12122Storing trip to the Far East (95 tons). She sailed escorted by M 344, Sperrbrecher 5 and Sperrbrecher 9 via point P1 to Point Pilz (BF 6848 or 45°57' N, 02°15' W) which was reached at 1238. They waited there for the inbound U 600 and U 706 which arrived at 1300. Then all boats including Cappellini returned in the direction of P1. When reaching the 70-metre depth line, Cappellini carried out test dive and then proceeded on her voyage. Thanks to Dr Axel Niestlé for these details.
  14 May 19430750-082245° 02'N, 9° 21'WAt 0750 hours, two A/S motorboats were observed.
  18 May 1943?37° 50'N, 17° 25'WDuring the night, an illuminated steamer was sighted steering east by northeast.
  27 May 1943?10° 10'N, 24° 20'WDuring the night, an illuminated steamer was seen on a southwest course.
  24 Jun 1943?During the night, an illuminated steamer on a southwest course. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen.
  25 Jun 1943?22° 20'S, 60° 10'EDuring the day, a 7,000-ton steamer was observed. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen.

12bAuconi, Walter10 Jul 19431935Sabang14 Jul 19431029Singapore (Syonan)Passage Sabang-Singapore, escorted by sloop Eritrea.

12cAuconi, Walter21 Aug 1943Singapore (Syonan)24 Aug 1943SabangSailed for Bordeaux escorted by Eritrea, but ordered back to Singapore by Tokyo, to sail with Giuliani instead. Since Torelli was due to arrive in Singapore where only two Italian submarines could be accommodated, it was decided to go to Sabang instead.

Auconi, Walter13 Sep 1943Sabang15 Sep 1943Singapore (Syonan)Passage Sabang-Singapore. Taken over by the Japanese, then by the Germans on 10 September 1943. Renamed UIT-24. Under Oberleutnant Heinrich Pals, with a mixed crew of Italian and German sailors, she carried out six patrols. Auconi and his crew were interned by the Japanese. On 29th October 1943, they were put on the German blockade-runner Burgenland which sailed for Bordeaux, but on 5th January 1944, she was located by a Martin PBM-3S "Mariner" of VP-203 (Lt. Stanley V. Brown) and was then damaged by gunfire from the light cruiser USS Omaha and the destroyer USS Jouett (DD-396). Later scuttled in 08°06'S, 26°45'W. On 7 January, twenty-one survivors were picked up by the destroyer USS Davis (DD-395) and on 8 January, thirty-five survivors were picked up by the destroyer USS USS Winslow (DD-359). Auconi and thirty-one survivors were picked up by a Brazilian ship.

6 May 1945Kobe6 May 1945KobeOn 10th May 1945, was taken over by the Imperial Japanese Navy and renamed I-503. She survived the war and was sunk off Kobe, by the United States Navy, on 16th April 1946.

152 entries. 54 total patrol entries (12 marked as war patrols) and 110 events.

All Italian submarines