Alpino Attilio Bagnolini (BI, I.12, UIT.22)
Bagnolini

Type	Ocean going
Class	Liuzzi (16)
Laid down	15 Dec 1938	Cantieri Navale Tosi di Taranto, Taranto
Launched	28 Oct 1939
Commissioned	22 Dec 1939
End service	9 Sep 1943
Stricken
Loss date	26 Jan 1944
Loss position	41° 28'S, 17° 40'E
History	Converted as a transport submarine, code name "AQUILA IX". Captured by the Germans at Bordeaux on 9th September 1943. Renamed UIT-22.
Fate	Sunk on 11 March 1944 south of the Cape of Good Hope, South-Africa in position 41°28'S, 17°40'E by two South African Catalina aircraft (262 Squadron). This was the result of an ULTRA intercept.

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
T.V. Franco Tosoni Pittoni	25 Apr 1940	30 Apr 1941
C.C. Giulio Chialamberto	25 May 1941	31 Aug 1941
S.T.V. Giovanni Manunta	1 Sep 1941	31 Oct 1941
T.V. Mario Tei	1 Nov 1941	7 Jul 1942
S.T.V. Aldo Turcio	8 Jul 1942	11 Aug 1942
C.C. Ferdinando Corsi	12 Aug 1942	20 Jan 1943
T.V. Angelo Amendolia	21 Jan 1943	31 May 1943
C.F. Ferdinando Corsi	22 May 1943	31 May 1943
T.V. Aldo Congedo	1 Jun 1943	11 Jun 1944

Ships hit

	Date	Commander	Ship hit	Type	GRT	Nat.	Loss type
1.	12 Jun 1940	T.V. Franco Tosoni Pittoni	HMS Calypso	Light cruiser	4,180		Sunk
2.	18 Sep 1940	C.C. Franco Tosoni Pittoni	Cabo Tortosa	Cargo ship	3,302		Sunk
3.	19 Dec 1940	C.C. Franco Tosoni Pittoni	Amicus	Cargo ship	3,660		Sunk

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
1	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	6 Jun 1940	0110	Taranto	21 Jun 1940	1830	Gallipoli	1502	Sailed with the submarine Tarantini to form, with Giuliani and Salpa, a barrage line 50 miles south of Gavdo, 20 miles apart. Bagnolini scored the first major success of the Italian submarine arm when she sank the light cruiser HMS Calypso on 12th June. On 16 June, T.V. Pittoni was promoted to Capitano di Corvetta.
		12 Jun 1940	0058 0202 (e)	34° 03'N, 24° 05'E	At 0050 hours, a dark shadow was observed. It was followed, shortly after, by another. T.V.. Franco Tosoni Pittoni believed these may have been escorting vessels and at 0056 hours, he was rewarded by the sighting of two small cruisers of the CALEDON class, proceeding at 20 knots. At 0058 hours, Alpino Attiglio Bagnolini fired a single torpedo (533mm) from a bow tube aimed at one of the cruisers at 1,500 metres. This was a surface attack. Tosoni Pittoni was about to order the firing of a second torpedo, when the first hit and he withheld his fire and took his submarine down to 60 meters expecting to be depth-charged. He missed the main body of the Mediterranean Fleet, which passed about 2 to 5 miles to the east. His victim was the light cruiser HMS Calypso proceeding with HMS Caledon. They were steering 310° and stationed about 6 miles on the port wing of HMS Warspite who was in company with HMS Malaya and HMS Eagle. The destroyers of the 2nd Flotilla and 14th Flotilla were screening the battle fleet ahead. They were HMS Nubian (D.14), HMS Mohawk, HMS Dainty, HMS Janus, HMS Juno, HMS Hyperion (D.2), HMS Havock, HMS Hero, HMS Hereward, HMS Hostile, HMS Hasty, HMS Ilex and HMS Imperial. HMS Calypso was hit on the starboard side and sank at 0335. One officer and thirty-six ratings were missing. Twenty-five officers and 394 ratings were picked up. Six officers and 133 ratings by HMS Caledon, and nineteen officers and 261 ratings by HMS Dainty. Initially, it was hard to believe the cruiser had been victim of a submarine attack since no torpedo track had been sighted and it was doubted that a submarine could have moved inside the screen undetected. The possibility of sabotage at Port Said was even entertained. The success of T.V. Franco Tosoni Pittoni's attack had one negative side. It seem to confirm that an economy of torpedoes could be justified and it was not necessary to fire salvoes of torpedoes. Subsequent experiences would not support this view.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	21 Jun 1940	1320	Gallipoli	21 Jun 1940	1610	Taranto	53	Passage Gallipoli-Taranto.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	5 Jul 1940	0730	Taranto	5 Jul 1940	1703	Taranto	47	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	9 Jul 1940	1335	Taranto	9 Jul 1940	1900	Taranto	6	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	10 Jul 1940	1115	Taranto	10 Jul 1940	1610	Taranto	28	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	11 Jul 1940	1125	Taranto	11 Jul 1940	1535	Taranto	24	Exercises.
2	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	12 Jul 1940	0800	Taranto	27 Jul 1940	1200	Taranto	1490	Patrolled off Derna on the meridian 24°00' E within 20 miles of 34°00' N, 24°00' E on a barrage line with the submarine Giuliani. On 20th July, she was shifted 60 miles to the east.
		27 Jul 1940	0215 0157 (e)	(0) Off Cape Santa Maria di Leuca.	At 0215 hours, the smoke from an unidentified submarine was seen. It was believed to be Giuliani, which seems likely, as she also sighted a submarine at that time.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	17 Aug 1940	0645	Taranto	17 Aug 1940	1230	Taranto	24	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	30 Aug 1940	0700	Taranto	30 Aug 1940	1120	Taranto	6	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	4 Sep 1940	0635	Taranto	4 Sep 1940	1300	Taranto	22	Exercises.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	7 Sep 1940	1120	Taranto	8 Sep 1940	1845	Trapani	415	Passage Taranto-Trapani.
3	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	9 Sep 1940	1850	Trapani	30 Sep 1940	1800	Bordeaux	2115	Passage to Bordeaux. Passed Gibraltar on 13th September 1940 and patrolled between 41°00'N and 42°00'N, and between 10°00'W and the Spanish coast. Met by Sperrbrecher V at her arrival off Le Verdon and Tosoni Pittoni was invited on board for breakfast before proceeding up the Gironde. On 18th September 1940, Signor Boggio from Biella had donated a sum of 10,000 Lire to be awarded to the best submarine of the fleet. MARICOSOM had judged that it would be given to Bagnolini.
		15 Sep 1940	1542 1230 ? (e)	(0) 276° - Cape St. Vincent - 85 miles.	At 1542 hours, a destroyer was sighted at a distance of 10,000-12,000 metres. This may have been the destroyer ORP Garland who reported carrying out two attacks on a submarine on that day (this was Finzi ), but Bagnolini does not mention being depth-charged.
		18 Sep 1940	1542		At 1410 hours, a steamer was sighted on the starboard beam. Bagnolini closed at full speed to position herself ahead and submerged at 1500 hours, at a distance of 4,000 metres. She was recognised as the Spanish Cabo Tortosa (3,302 GRT, built 1921). C.C. Tosoni Pittoni had considered stopping her to check her papers, but a smoke appeared on the horizon and he elected to sink her. At 1542 hours, a torpedo (533mm, S.I. type) was fired from a bow tube at a distance of 1,500 metres. It hit after 68 seconds and she sank in an hour and a half. The Spanish Monte Ayala (2,955 GRT, built 1929) rescued the whole crew. There were no casualties.
		24 Sep 1940	1555	41° 00'N, 9° 00'W (0) Very approximately.	At 1555 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was seen at 2,000 metres. Bagnolini opened fire with her machine guns, emptying four magazines and claimed to have hit it. The aircraft flew away.
4	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	24 Oct 1940	1100	Bordeaux	7 Nov 1940	1300	Bordeaux	2160	Patrolled between 56°00'N and 57°00'N, and between 15°00'W and 17°00'W [between Grids 9470 and 9402], early return due to defects. Did not sight any ship.
	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	5 Dec 1940	1135	Bordeaux	5 Dec 1940	1615	Pauillac	24	Passage Bordeaux-Pauillac (stopped because of defects).
5	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	8 Dec 1940	1345	Pauillac	5 Jan 1941	1915	St. Jean de Luz	3150	Sailed through 48°00'N, 17°00 W for an Atlantic patrol between 53°00'N and 54°00'N, and between 17°00'W and 20°00'W. She was depth-charged and seriously damaged when at a depth of 80 meters on 1st January 1941. Attacked by aircraft on 3rd January 1941. Went to St. Jean de Luz when the two minesweepers sent to escort her failed to show up. Actually M-10 and M-2 (from the 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla) had sailed from Royan at 1830 hours on 4th January to escort her back and were a few hours late.
		19 Dec 1940	2010 1914 (e)	53° 55'N, 16° 37'W	At 1750 hours, a steamer was sighted at a distance of 9,000 metres. Bagnolini closed submerged at full speed. At 1915 hours, the vessel could no longer be seen seen throught the periscope and the submarine surfaced. At 2010 hours, a torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube at a distance estimated at 1,400 metres. It hit after 80 seconds, giving a range of 1,650 metres, and the vessel sank after 20 minutes. Due to the delay, C.C. Tosoni Pittoni had assumed that it had missed and ordered the firing of a second torpedo (533mm) 70 seconds after the first one. It missed. The victim was the British Amicus (3,660 GRT, built 1925) detached from convoy S.C.13. She was also reported, in error, as the British Amiens (1,548 GRT, built 1918). HMS Westcott was sent to her assistance. There were no survivors of her crew of thirty-six.
		1 Jan 1941	1940 1812 (e)	54° 13'N, 13° 55'W	At 1920 hours, an aircraft was sighted at a close distance which dissuaded C.C. Tosoni Pittoni from diving. He elected to remain on the surface and fight it out with his machine guns. He made a recognition signal and the aircraft circled from a distance of 3,000 metres without attacking. At 1940 hours, Bagnolini opened fire to keep the aircraft at bay. This was Whitley 'L' bomber of 502 Squadron (Flight Lieutenant Foster) on escort duty for convoy S.L. 59. Foster reported that the submarine made the correct recognition signal (three star red cartridges) and refrained from attacking. The aircraft dropped a parachute flare and a flame float. This brought the armed trawler Northern Pride.
		1 Jan 1941	2135 2045 (e)		At 2050 hours, Bagnolini had detected noises with her hydrophones. The sound was picked up again at 2050 hours. It was believed to be an auxiliary cruiser. At 2135, the ASDIC (described as "Hasting") pings were heard and C.C. Tosoni Pittoni ordered his submarine to go deep to 90 metres. The submarine had reached a depth of 85 meters when she was badly shaken by four depth-charges causing some damage. She escaped by going down to 130 meters. Water was seeping through the conning tower hatch and through the forward torpedo loading hatch. The Calzoni pump had broken down. The main gyrocompass had broken down. The manometer was unreliable and it was difficult to assess the correct depth. When the electric motors were started, flames came out from the starboard motor. Communications by phone to the different compartments was difficult. The end appeared near. Ballasts were blown and Bagnolini managed to come back to the surface after several efforts. Two warships were sighted only 200 meters away using searchlights,. Stern tube no. 8 had been readied to fire but the order had to be done vocally and the delay to execute meant that the attack failed. The submarine was illuminated by searchlights and the two enemy vessels opened fire on the submarine but the shells flew over without hitting anything. Star shells now illuminating the scene. Bagnolini was trying desperately to get away and hide behind a rain squall. One of the enemy vessels was briefly observed to be a small auxiliary cruiser and a torpedo was fired from a stern tube, followed shortly after by another one. The first torpedo appeared to hit and a small fire was observed. After this attack, the submarine managed to loose his pursuers. The following day, a careful examination was made of the submarine for all defects that had followed the depth charging. C.C. Tosoni Pittoni took stock of the situation. He requested permission from BETASOM to abort his patrol and return to Bordeaux. The vessel was the armed trawler HMT Northern Pride. She had been escorting the convoy SL. 59 with the destroyer HMS Scimitar, the corvette HMS Mallow, and the trawlers HMT Northern Dawn, HMT Man o' War and HMT St. Elstan. A flare had been sighted which must have been the one dropped by the aircraft earlier and Mallow had ordered her to investigate. She had picked up a contact and after two runs over it, dropped six depth charges on the third run. At 2037 hours, the U-boat was sighted trying to escape on the surface and the trawler opened fire with her 4" gun and oerlikons. She was joined in the chase by the destroyers HMS Scimitar and HMS Skate. The torpedo wakes were not observed and it is not clear which warship had been the target of Bagnolini. At the time she was wrongly attributed the sinking of the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Derbyshire. However Derbyshire was not damaged or sunk, nor was she escorting this convoy.She survived the war.
		3 Jan 1941	1900-1950 1745 (e)	45° 45'N, 7° 58'W	At 1900 hours, a camouflaged aircraft , identified as a Blenheim bomber was observed coming from the southwest. At a distance of 2,000 metres, Bagnolini opened fire with her machine guns, followed by the deck gun when the opportunity arose. The aircraft circled and, at 1915 hours, carried out an attack dropping three bombs which fell about 150 metres from the submarine. At 1950 hours, the aircraft flew away. C.C. Tosoni Pittoni mused that, in this action, he could have used light machine guns ("Fucili mitragliatore") but he had not been supplied with them at Bordeaux. The attack had actually been carried out by Beaufort 'G' of 217 Squadron, piloted by Flight Lieutenant A.V. Hunter. It had dropped four 250-lb A/S bombs and claimed they missed the submarine by 20 to 100 yards. The bomber had also strafed the submarine, expending 1,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition. Hunter reported that the submarine fired back eight rounds with its 4.7" gun but the aim was very inaccurate. The RAF later reported that a submarine had arrived at St. Jean de Luz and assumed it had been damaged. In fact, Bagnolini had come out unscathed from this engagement and resumed her trip home.
5b	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	6 Jan 1941	0645	St. Jean de Luz	6 Jan 1941	1915	Le Verdon	140	Passage St. Jean de Luz-Le Verdon escorted by German minesweepers M-2 and M-10 , At 1540 hours, they were reinforced by UJ D, UJ E and UJ 128 and later met by Sperrbrecher III. Uneventful.
5c	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	7 Jan 1941	1200	Le Verdon	7 Jan 1941	1630	Pauillac	22	Passage Le Verdon-Pauillac.
5d	Tosoni Pittoni, Franco	8 Jan 1941	1230	Pauillac	8 Jan 1941	1630	Bordeaux	25	Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.
	Chialamberto, Giulio	13 Jun 1941	0925	Bordeaux	13 Jun 1941	2000	Le Verdon	75	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Chialamberto, Giulio	14 Jun 1941	0700	Le Verdon	14 Jun 1941	1900	La Pallice	76	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice with the Dandolo, escorted by Sperrbrecher 16.
	Chialamberto, Giulio	16 Jun 1941	0815	La Pallice	16 Jun 1941	1630	La Pallice	39	Exercises in prevision of sailing to Gotenhafen. This trip was later cancelled because of the invasion of Russia.
6	Chialamberto, Giulio	10 Jul 1941	1900	La Pallice	12 Aug 1941	1200	Bordeaux	6564	Sailed for patrol west of Gibraltar in 33°00'N, 11°30'W.
		15 Jul 1941	0758	38° 20'N, 13° 01'W (0) Approximately.	At 0758 hours, a steamer was sighted steering 085°, 10 knots. She proved to be from the American Export Line and was left undisturbed.
		18 Jul 1941	1310		At 1310 hours, Bagnolini was ordered by BETASOM to 34°05'N, 10°35'W and proceeded.
		19 Jul 1941	2155	35° 45'N, 12° 35'W (0) Italian Grid 8533/54	At 1610 hours on 18th July, Bagnolini was informed by BETASOM of a Gibraltar convoy (this was H.G. 68). Four submarines were ordered to intercept: Torelli in 35°55' N, 12°35' E Bagnolini in 35°25' N, 10°35' E Morosini in 37°15' N, 12°45' W Malaspina in 33°05' N, 11°35' W At 2215 hours, BETASOM issued a new order: Morosini in 37°05' N, 13°45' W Torelli in 35°55' N, 30°45' E (sic ?) /Barbarigo in 37°25' N, 19°25' W (added to the group) As new information were collected, at 1520 hours on 19th July, BETASOM ordered new dispositions: Malaspina in 36°25' N, 11°25' W Bagnolini in 34°45' N, 13°45' W At 2155 hours on 19th July, Bagnolini made contact with the convoy steering 045°, 9 knots. She trailed it but lost contact when a destroyer turned toward her and she was forced to submerge.
		20 Jul 1941	0740	36° 05'N, 12° 30'W (0) Italian Grid 2533/54.	At 0740 hours, the Vichy French steamer Île D'Ouessant (6,187 GRT, built 1919) was observed with neutral markings.
		21 Jul 1941	1020	35° 08'N, 15° 02'W (0) Approximately.	At 1020 hours, Bagnolini observed a submarine which submerged.
		21 Jul 1941	1900	35° 40'N, 14° 13'W (0) Italian Grid 9626/16	At 1612 hours, a tanker was observed zigzagging in an eastward direction. Bagnolini began stalking her with the intention of attacking her at dusk. However, a steamer appeared steering 040°. It did not display any flag or markings and was crossing the submarine's route, so C.C. Chialamberto decided to switch target. At 1900 hours, two torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes at a range of 500 metres, they missed. The steamer was now identified as the Brazilian Cuyaba (6,437 GRT, built 1906) and she apparently opened fire on the submarine. Chialamberto considered her action suspect and radioed BETASOM for instructions. He was ordered to break off the action.
		23 Jul 1941	1138	34° 05'N, 14° 36'W (0) Approximately.	At 1138 hours, a steamer was sighted. A submerged attack was prepared, but then she was recognised as neutral.
		24 Jul 1941	0230	35° 41'N, 14° 00'W (0) Italian Grid 8511/5.	At 2018 hours on 23 July, Bagnolini renewed contact with the Gibraltar convoy (H.G. 68). It appeared to consist of about twenty merchant ships escorted by an armed merchant cruiser and at least four destroyers. It was steering 120° at 7-8 knots. At 0230 hours on 24th July, the submarine maneuvered to elude the AMC and a destroyer. She passed astern a medium sized merchant vessel and took aim at a large tanker, forming a continuous target with two other merchant ships. Two pairs of torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes in quick succession, but only three were actually launched as the fourth misfired. They were aimed at vessels in the third column in the convoy, the first pair at an 8,500-ton tanker and the third torpedo at a large freighter. All three were claimed to have hit, the first two were heard exploding after two minutes and the third after another minute. In fact none of them did. The submarine then turned away to carry out a stern attack, but sighted a destroyer closing and dived as a precaution.
		24 Jul 1941	0542	35° 41'N, 14° 00'W (0) Italian Grid 8511/33.	At 0542 hours, a vessel was sighted. It was apparently a rescue ship with another vessel covered with smoke and low on the water. C.C. Chialamberto desisted from attacking and eventually lost contact with the convoy.
		29 Jul 1941	2135	38° 28'N, 12° 57'W (0) Italian Grid 7533/54.	At 2135 hours, a convoy was sighted steering 180° 7-8 knots. This was convoy O.G. 69 (UK to Gibraltar). Due to darkness and heavy seas, contact was lost at 2330 hours.
		30 Jul 1941	0030	38° 23'N, 12° 59'W (0) Approximately.	At 0030 hours, a destroyer was sighted and Bagnolini turned away and withdrew at high speed.
		6 Aug 1941	1510 1411 (e)	36° 00'N, 12° 12'W	At 1510 hours, an aircraft was sighted on the starboard bow. It turned and carried out an attack from the stern. Bagnolini opened fire with her machine guns and with her deck gun. A first bomb was dropped and missed the submarine by 100 meters, the aircraft also strafed Bagnolini, who replied with her MGs. One of her antiaircraft gunners was slightly wounded. On a second run, the aircraft dropped a depth-charge which fell 50 meters away without causing damage. The submarine took a course of 270° to put as much distance from Gibraltar as possible. On a third run, another depth-charge fell near the bow causing an acid spill from the batteries, a fuel leak and other damages. One gunner was slightly wounded. At 2345 hours, the submarine finally dived and escaped. The aircraft was Catalina 'B' (No.8424) of 202 Squadron, piloted by Pilot Officer I.F. Edgar. It had sighted the surfaced U-boat steering 275° at 10 knots. Edgar decided to drop two 250-lb A/S bombs, but one hung up. The second bomb dropped from a height of 500 feet was seen to miss by 40-50 yards (as usual, pilots slightly overestimated their aim). Bagnolini put up considerable antiaircraft fire and the aircraft was hit on the port float. A second A/S bomb was dropped from 300 feet and missed by 30 yards. The submarine was heavily raked by the Catalina machine guns. She was seen to be diving and a depth charge was dropped from a height of 75 feet, hitting the water 5 yards ahead and exploding below the U-boat stern. An oil streak half a mile long was observed. The aircraft had been in contact with the submarine for 8 hours.
	Manunta, Giovanni	1 Sep 1941		Bordeaux	31 Oct 1941		Bordeaux		Refit and change in command.
	Tei, Mario	16 Dec 1941	1520	Bordeaux	16 Dec 1941	1520+	Bordeaux		Sailed for patrol, but her port propeller got caught in a cable and the departure was delayed.
	Tei, Mario	17 Dec 1941	0840	Bordeaux	17 Dec 1941	1212	Le Verdon	82	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon including trials.
	Tei, Mario	17 Dec 1941	1400	Le Verdon	17 Dec 1941	1830	Le Verdon		Trials.
	Tei, Mario	18 Dec 1941	0850	Le Verdon	18 Dec 1941	1720	La Pallice	74	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice escorted by a Sperrbrecher and trials on the way at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Tei, Mario	19 Dec 1941	0840	La Pallice	19 Dec 1941	1415	La Pallice (anchorage)	18	Trials.
	Tei, Mario	19 Dec 1941	1603	La Pallice (anchorage)	19 Dec 1941	1641	La Pallice (moored)		Moved from anchorage to Quai Carnot.
	Tei, Mario	23 Dec 1941	0850	La Pallice	23 Dec 1941	1825	La Pallice	30	Trials.
	Tei, Mario	29 Dec 1941	1040	La Pallice	29 Dec 1941	1800	La Pallice	15	Sailed for trials, but turned back due to the escort not showing up.
	Tei, Mario	8 Jan 1942	0800	La Pallice	8 Jan 1942	1800	La Pallice		Trials.
7	Tei, Mario	14 Jan 1942	1545	La Pallice	20 Feb 1942	1422	Le Verdon	6456	Patrolled west of Azores. Uneventful.
		15 Jan 1942	0829	45° 25'N, 4° 27'W	At 0829 hours, a submarine was observed at 1,200 metres. Bagnoligni had two torpedo tubes ready to fire and her MGs manned. The submarine turned away and submerged. It was later believed it was a German U-boat of 500 tons and was probably U-373 returning to La Pallice.
		14 Feb 1942	1001	(0) Point 3.	At 1001 hours, an aircraft was seen at 12,000 metres and the submarine dived.
	Tei, Mario	21 Feb 1942	0800	Le Verdon	21 Feb 1942	1202	Bordeaux		Passage Le Verdon-Bordeaux.
	Tei, Mario	22 Apr 1942	1048	Bordeaux	22 Apr 1942	1905	Le Verdon		Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Tei, Mario	24 Apr 1942	0850	Le Verdon	24 Apr 1942	1452	Le Pertuis d'Antioche		Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Tei, Mario	25 Apr 1942	0700	Le Pertuis d'Antioche	25 Apr 1942	0813	La Pallice		Passage Le Pertuis d'Antioche-La Pallice.
8	Tei, Mario	26 Apr 1942	1500	La Pallice	28 Jun 1942	0725	Le Verdon	10333,6	Patrolled off Brazil, between Rocas Island and Pititinga Light and along the coast as far as Cape Negro and the parallel 05°45'S and the meridian 33°50'W.
		2 May 1942	2025 1935 (e)	38° 58'N, 16° 01'W	At 2025 hours, the submarine Cappellini was encountered and recognition signals were exchanged.
		3 May 1942	1050	37° 28'N, 16° 44'W	At 1050 hours, a Portuguese steamer was sighted steering 260°, 10-11 knots.
		12 May 1942	1540	14° 40'N, 28° 03'W	At 1540 hours, at a distance of 20-22 miles, a steamer was observed zigzagging at 13 knots (later corrected to 16 knots). As the vessel was closing on Bagnolini, she dived for a submerged attack. It appeared to be a large three-funneled vessel, similar to Statendam (29,511 GRT, a Dutch ship sunk in Rotterdam in May 1940). The submarine closed the range to 6,500 metres and was preparing to launch torpedoes, but these were set for a maximum range of 4,000 metres and Bagnolini could not close to less than 5,000 metres. The attack was aborted.
		20 May 1942	1126	4° 00'S, 34° 01'W	At 1126 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		20 May 1942	1350	4° 01'S, 33° 56'W	At 1350 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		21 May 1942	1115	5° 44'S, 34° 06'W	At 1115 hours, a destroyer was sighted. Shortly after, an aircraft was also observed to fly above the warship. Bagnolini dived and turned away.
		21 May 1942	2105	5° 30'S, 34° 09'W	At 2105 hours, a steamer was sighted at 10,000 metres steering 320-330°, 10 knots. Bagnolini closed on the surface, but was forced to submerge at 2203 hours, when a Catalina was sighted. The submarine surfaced at 2240 hours, but could not regain contact.
		22 May 1942	1045	3° 09'S, 35° 35'W	At 1045 hours, a steamer escorted by a destroyer was observed at a distance of 22-24 miles. Bagnolini closed to attack, but the destroyer turned toward her. She dived and lost contact.
		22 May 1942	1717	3° 09'S, 35° 35'W	At 1717 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		22 May 1942	1839	2° 55'S, 35° 43'W	At 1839 hours on 27th May, a smoke was sighted on the horizon. It was a steamer steering 000°, 8 knots, heading straight for Bagnolini, so she dived for a submerged attack. Her course had been miscalculated and Bagnolini had to surface to be able to close the range and she submerged again at 2143 hours. At 2230 hours, she surfaced and closed full speed, but had lost contact at 2300 hours. At 0140 hours on 23rd May, Bagnolini dived to try to regain contact with her hydrophones but to no avail.
		23 May 1942	0230	2° 32'S, 35° 52'W	At 0230 hours, two lights were sighted. It appeared to be two vessels signaling with blue lights. Bagnolini had dived. She surfaced at 0505 hours and sighted them, this time at 800-900 meters, and dived again. Two depth-charges were heard about 400 or 500 meters away.
		28 May 1942	0029	5° 27'S, 31° 50'W	At 1934 hours on 27th May, in 06°30' S, 31°42' W, a tanker was sighted at 10,000 metres, steering 030°, 10 knots. At 0029 hours on 28th May, the range was closed to 1,800 metres and a pair of torpedoes (533mm, S.I. 270 type) was fired from the bow tubes at a distance of 1,800 metres at a 5-second interval. Depth was set at 4 metres, with a maximum range 4,000 metres at 45 knots. The tanker appeared to be of the CANDOLITE class. One of the torpedoes was observed to break surface after a run of about 500-600 metres. They both missed. Five or six minutes later, two explosions were heard. The submarine took some distance before returning for a second attack. At 0316 hours, another pair of torpedoes (533mm, S.I. 270 type) was fired from the bow tubes at 1,500-1,600 metres, at a 10-second interval. An explosion was heard after 91 seconds but nothing was seen, except that the vessel had reduced her speed but was still pulling away. Bagnolini having only stern torpedoes ready, C.C. Tei decided not to attempt another attack. The success was not confirmed.
		7 Jun 1942	2119	5° 27'N, 18° 33'W	2119 hours, a steamer was sighted at 14-15,000 metres, steering 100°, 10 knots. Bagnolini attempted to intercept it and closed to 2,000 meters. She lost contact in rain squalls. After fruitless attempts to regain contact, she gave up the chase at 0100 hours on 8th June.
		23 Jun 1942	1209	43° 17'N, 12° 55'W	At 1209 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
8b	Tei, Mario	28 Jun 1942	1247	Le Verdon	28 Jun 1942	1709	Bacalan		Passage Le Verdon-Bacalan.
8c	Tei, Mario	28 Jun 1942	1812	Bacalan	28 Jun 1942	1900	Bordeaux		Passage Bacalan-Bordeaux.
	Turcio, Aldo	8 Jul 1942		Bordeaux	11 Aug 1942		Bordeaux		Refit and change in command.
	Corsi, Ferdinando	2 Sep 1942	1120	Bordeaux	2 Sep 1942	1900	Le Verdon	55	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Corsi, Ferdinando	3 Sep 1942	0756	Le Verdon	3 Sep 1942	1925	La Pallice	71	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Corsi, Ferdinando	5 Sep 1942	1105	La Pallice	5 Sep 1942	1542	La Pallice	33,5	Trials.
	Corsi, Ferdinando	8 Sep 1942	1215	La Pallice	8 Sep 1942	1625	La Pallice	32	Trials.
9	Corsi, Ferdinando	15 Sep 1942	1650	La Pallice	17 Nov 1942	1109	Le Verdon	9447,1	Sailed with the submarine Archimede [a U-boat equipped with Metox for the Biscay passage was to accompany them, but the it had to turn back because of defects] and patrolled in Gulf of Guinea and off Freetown, between 01°00'N and 03°00'S, and between 07°00'E and the coast of French Equatorial Africa. On her return, met Archimede with the German escort to Bordeaux. Bagnolini reported that during the Biscay passage, she had not encountered particularly heavy air searches.
		16 Sep 1942	1458	44° 29'N, 4° 16'W	At 1458 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		16 Sep 1942	1640	44° 21'N, 4° 32'W	At 1640 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		17 Sep 1942	0950	44° 08'N, 6° 05'W	At 0950 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		18 Sep 1942	1041	43° 57'N, 8° 58'W	At 1041 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		21 Sep 1942	1304	37° 54'N, 16° 48'W	At 1304 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		28 Sep 1942	2330 2204Z (e)	19° 33'N, 20° 06'W	At 2330 hours, Bagnolini was steering 180° when the light of a steamer was observed on a parallel course astern and slowly closing. At 2355 hours, the port side lookout spotted a destroyer approaching at 10-12 knots at 2,200 metres. C.C. Corsi ordered stern tube no.5 to be fired but the torpedo did not leave, as too little time had been given. The destroyer was now steering for the submarine and at 2359 hours, Bagnolini dived. At 0007 hours on 29th September, six depth charges were heard astern at about 500 metres, followed by two more a little farther. At 0110 hours, the submarine surfaced and sighted the destroyer at 800 metres on the port beam and a little beyond, the steamer now fully illuminated (a neutral?). There was now a full moon which would make the approach difficult and Corsi gave up the chase.
		15 Oct 1942	1030	5° 01'N, 18° 45'W	At 1030 hours, masts were seen on the horizon. At 1043 hours it could be identified as a destroyer. Bagnolini dived, but hydrophone contact was lost at 1254 hours.
		18 Oct 1942	1554	6° 11'N, 17° 05'W	At 1554 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		18 Oct 1942	1715	6° 07'N, 18° 02'W	At 1715 hours, four aircraft were seen. They were apparently flying from Brazil to Freetown and the submarine dived.
		26 Oct 1942	1433	9° 57'N, 20° 40'W	At 1433 hours, three aircraft were seen and the submarine dived.
		29 Oct 1942	0010	16° 06'N, 20° 24'W	At 0010 hours, an illuminated ship was observed, steering 220°, 12-13 knots . Bagnolini could not close to less than 3,000 metres. The submarine intercepted a signal identifying the vessel as the Portuguese Cujaba. This was probably the Brazilian Cuyaba, (6,489 GRT, built 1906). C.F. Corsi decided to give up the chase.
		2 Nov 1942	1530	26° 18'N, 15° 49'W	At 1530 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted steering 210°. This turned out to be a Spanish 4,000-ton vessel, typically of the NERVION company. Bagnolini aborted the attack.
		4 Nov 1942	0944	28° 44'N, 13° 07'W	At 0944 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted steering 220°. This turned out to be a Spanish 4,000-ton vessel. Bagnolini aborted the attack.
		5 Nov 1942	0520	28° 10'N, 13° 32'W	At 0520 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted steering 070°. This turned out to be a Spanish 800-ton vessel. Bagnolini aborted the attack.
		7 Nov 1942	0235	32° 46'N, 12° 50'W	At 0235 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted steering 030° (toward the Spanish coast) at 12 knots. This turned out to be a Spanish vessel. Bagnolini aborted the attack.
		7 Nov 1942	1144	34° 10'N, 13° 00'W	At 1144 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted steering toward the Spanish coast. This turned out to be a 5,000-ton Spanish vessel. Bagnolini aborted the attack.
		8 Nov 1942	1638	37° 07'N, 13° 00'W	At 1638 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		9 Nov 1942	0535	38° 11'N, 13° 00'W	At 0535 hours, a ship was sighted, which turned out to be Spanish.
		9 Nov 1942	1426		At 1426 hours, the conning tower of a submarine was sighted. Bagnolini turned away.
9b	Corsi, Ferdinando	17 Nov 1942	1140	Le Verdon	17 Nov 1942	1537	Bordeaux		Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice, after a brief stop to pick up the pilot.
	Amendolia, Angelo	30 Jan 1943	1225	Bordeaux	30 Jan 1943	1617	Le Verdon		Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Amendolia, Angelo	31 Jan 1943	0815	Le Verdon	31 Jan 1943	2151	La Pallice	132	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials near Le Verdon (one rating injured in bad weather) then docking for repairs from 2 to 7th February 1943.
		31 Jan 1943	1206		At 1206 hours, Sergente Segnalatore (Sergeant signalman) Aldo Marchesoni was injured when attempting to secure the port machine guns in bad weather. Bagnolini had to proceed briefly on electric motors as water kept entering through the conning tower.
	Amendolia, Angelo	11 Feb 1943	0814	La Pallice	11 Feb 1943	1134	La Pallice	4,6	Exercises.
	Amendolia, Angelo	13 Feb 1943	0902	La Pallice	13 Feb 1943	1225	La Pallice	4,7	Exercises.
10	Amendolia, Angelo	14 Feb 1943	1542	La Pallice	13 Apr 1943	1448	Bordeaux	8059,6	Patrolled between 13°00'S and 16°00'S, and between 33°00'W and 36°00'W. She was to have sailed across the Bay of Biscay with two German U-boats, but did not meet them. Equipped with Metox.
		19 Feb 1943	0405	43° 41'N, 10° 48'W	At 0405 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived.
		23 Feb 1943	0600	32° 45'N, 20° 07'W	At 0600 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived. At 0655 hours, five patterns of six depth-charges each were heard.
		24 Feb 1943	1425	32° 23'N, 20° 32'W	At 1425 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived.
		26 Feb 1943	1745 1559.25 (e)	27° 10'N, 22° 10'W	At 1745 hours, an aircraft was sighted over the horizon and Bagnolini dived. She had reached a depth of 50 metres when two bombs exploded directly above, causing minor damages. The submarine escaped by going down to 110 meters. The aircraft was Avenger 4-T-7 of VT-4 Squadron piloted by Ensign G.W. Bolt, USN, from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). Bolt had sighted the submarine at a distance of 5 miles. Thirty seconds after Bagnolini disappeared, two 325-lb depth charges were released from a height 200 feet, some 375-400 feet ahead of the swirl. The explosions slightly damaged the underside of the aircraft. The Avenger could only stay in the area for a few minutes before she was forced to return to the aircraft carrier for lack of fuel.
		27 Feb 1943	1053	25° 20'N, 24° 06'W	At 1053 hours, a periscope was sighted at 2,000 metres. Bagnolini turned away.
		2 Mar 1943	1140	17° 30'N, 27° 15'W	At 1140 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		12 Mar 1943	1900	1° 22'S, 36° 44'W	At 1900 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		15 Mar 1943	1022 1110Z (e)	5° 05'S, 33° 39'W	At 1022 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived. It was a Pan American Airways Clipper which sighted Bagnolini and passed a signal.
		15 Mar 1943	1430 1335Z (e)	4° 52'S, 33° 22'W	At 1430 hours, an aircraft was seen and Bagnolini dived. This was Catalina P-12 which sighted the submarine, but could not carry out an attack in time.
		15 Mar 1943	2305 2203 (e)	4° 31'S, 33° 21'W	At 2305 hours, an aircraft was sighted and T.V. Amendola initially opted to face it on the surface. However, he calculated he had an opportunity to dive and ordered his submarine down. Amendola was the last one down and as he was closing the hatch, he noticed that the aircraft was using a light (Leigh Light?) to illuminate the scene. Bagnolini had barely reached a depth of 10-15 metres when she was shaken by two explosions which disabled the hyydrophones. The aircraft was Catalina P-4 (#2471) of USN squadron VP-83 piloted by Lieutenant Commander B.J. Prueher, USN. A stick of four depth charges was released on the diving submarine, but no result could be observed. Prueher would lose his life on 11th August 1943 when, flying a Liberator of VB-107 Squadron, his aircraft attacked a rendezvous between U-172, U-185 and U-604 and was shot down with the loss of the entire crew.
		16 Mar 1943	0410	4° 31'S, 32° 43'W	At 0410 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		16 Mar 1943	0410	4° 31'S, 32° 43'W (0) Approximately.	At 0410 hours, Bagnolini sighted a reflecting light on the horizon, then saw an aircraft flying toward it and dived. At 0501 hours, Bagnolini surfaced as her hydrophones were not in working order, At 0510 hours, she was illuminated by a searchlight from the starboard beam and crash dived. At 0600 hours, Bagnolini surfaced again but, a minute later, she noticed several searchlights pointed in her direction. She crash dived again, but the megaphone got stuck in the conning tower hatch, which could not be closed properly. Twenty tons of water entered the submarine, which had to surface again. The searchlights were still scanning the area. The gun crews were all brought to readiness. The submarine steered 150° and escaped at high speed.
		17 Mar 1943	2245	5° 47'S, 28° 30'W	At 2245 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		18 Mar 1943	1654	2° 30'S, 28° 36'W	At 0654 hours, a periscope was sighted. Bagnolini turned away.
		20 Mar 1943	2045	3° 04'N, 21° 45'W	At 2045 hours, A smoke was seen at 16,000 metres but this was in the area where attacks were prohibited. The submarine tried to investigate but could not determine the course of the ship and lost contact at 2237 hours. On 22nd March, Bagnolini was informed by BETASOM that she could not be refuelled and would have to return to base.
		22 Mar 1943	1340	7° 31'N, 27° 56'W	At 1340 hours, a smoke was seen on the horizon at a distance of 11,000 metres. It was closing rapidly and Bagnolini submerged to attack. The hydrophones were not working and the heavy seas (Force 5-6) made periscope observation difficult. The vessel was finally sighted at a range of 4,000 meters it was recognised as British destroyer of the 'W' class, steering 180°, 18 knots. Bagnolini dived to 70 meters. Even at this depth, the submarine was rolling. When she returned to periscope depth, the warship was seen moving away.
		31 Mar 1943	1400	25° 41'N, 26° 00'W	At 1400 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		6 Apr 1943	1337	40° 42'N, 13° 54'W	At 1337 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		6 Apr 1943	1541	40° 42'N, 13° 54'W (0) Position at 1337 hours.	At 1541 hours , a periscope was sighted and Bagnolini turned away.
		6 Apr 1943	1703	40° 55'N, 13° 40'W	At 1703 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		7 Apr 1943	0515	42° 14'N, 12° 42'W	At 0515 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived.
		10 Apr 1943	1630		At 1430 hours, Bagnolini had come to periscope depth to obtain radio communications. At 1630 hours, four explosions were heard on the port side and shortly after another four explosions less than 100 metres on the starboard side. The submarine heard noises from of a vessel and more depth charges followed for the next hours until 2223 hours.
		10 Apr 1943	2227	44° 36'N, 6° 26'W	At 2227 hours, Bagnolini had surfaced four minutes prior, when an aircraft was seen. The submarine dived.
		11 Apr 1943	0501	44° 39'N, 5° 51'W	At 0501 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		11 Apr 1943	1025	44° 44'N, 4° 38'W	At 1025 hours, a periscope was sighted and Bagnolini turned away.
		12 Apr 1943	0010		At 0010 hours, Bagnolini was submerged when bombs were heard 100 metres away. A vessel passed above the submarine, without detecting her. T.V. Amendolia believed that A/S vessels were masquerading as the fishing vessels that were sighted earlier.
		13 Apr 1943	0357	45° 10'N, 2° 07'W	At 0357 hours, a vessel was sighted but failed to answer Bagnolini's recognition signals. The submarine moved away.
		13 Apr 1943	0455	45° 16'N, 2° 00'W	At 0455 hours, a vessel was sighted but failed to answer Bagnolini's recognition signals. The submarine moved away.
	Corsi, Ferdinando	22 May 1943		Bordeaux	31 May 1943		Bordeaux		In Bordeaux.
	Congedo, Aldo	29 Jul 1943	1630	Bordeaux	29 Jul 1943	2130	Le Verdon	48	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Congedo, Aldo	30 Jul 1943	0830	Le Verdon	30 Jul 1943	0940	Le Verdon	9	Trials.
	Congedo, Aldo	31 Jul 1943	0800	Le Verdon	31 Jul 1943	125	Le Verdon	30	Exercises.
	Congedo, Aldo	10 Sep 1943		Bordeaux	10 Sep 1943		Bordeaux		Seized by the Germans and became UIT-22. Sunk on 11th March 1944, south of the Cape of Good Hope, in position 41°28'S, 17°40'E, by a South African aircraft while at rendezvous with U-178. Forty-three killed (all hands lost).
		14 Oct 1943		Bordeaux	14 Oct 1943		Bordeaux		Entered service as UI-22 (later UIT 22) in the 12th U-Flotilla.

133 entries. 58 total patrol entries (10 marked as war patrols) and 85 events.

All Italian submarines

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