Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Olinto Di Serio
| Birth details unknown |
| Ranks
Decorations
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Career information
ASCIANGHI (T.V. C.O.): From 28.06.1941 to 14.03.1942?MALACHITE (T.V. C.O.): From 24.03.1942 to 20.05.1942. Promoted to C.C. in April 1942.
From 18.01.1943, served at MARINA NAPOLI per C. GRUPPO TORP. SCORTA.
Commands listed for Olinto Di Serio
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascianghi (AS) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 28 Jun 1941 | 14 Mar 1942 |
| Malachite (MH) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 24 Mar 1942 | 20 May 1942 |
Ships hit by Olinto Di Serio
| Date | Submarine | Ship hit | Type | GRT | Nat. | Loss type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 Sep 1941 | Ascianghi | Antar | Tanker | 385 |  | Sunk |
War patrols listed for Olinto Di Serio
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascianghi (AS) | 10 Jul 1941 | 0700 | Portolago (Leros) | 10 Jul 1941 | 1235 | Portolago (Leros) | 34 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 17 Jul 1941 | 0710 | Portolago (Leros) | 17 Jul 1941 | 1710 | Portolago (Leros) | 59 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 18 Jul 1941 | 0705 | Portolago (Leros) | 18 Jul 1941 | 1648 | Portolago (Leros) | 41 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 19 Jul 1941 | 0726 | Portolago (Leros) | 19 Jul 1941 | 1725 | Portolago (Leros) | 43 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 22 Jul 1941 | 0945 | Portolago (Leros) | 22 Jul 1941 | 1150 | Portolago (Leros) | 7,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 23 Jul 1941 | 0710 | Portolago (Leros) | 23 Jul 1941 | 0752 | Portolago (Leros) | 4,8 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 24 Jul 1941 | 0715 | Portolago (Leros) | 24 Jul 1941 | 1735 | Portolago (Leros) | 61 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 25 Jul 1941 | 0715 | Portolago (Leros) | 25 Jul 1941 | 1747 | Portolago (Leros) | 53 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 1 Aug 1941 | 0715 | Portolago (Leros) | 1 Aug 1941 | 1715 | Portolago (Leros) | 41,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 2 Aug 1941 | 0700 | Portolago (Leros) | 2 Aug 1941 | 1722 | Portolago (Leros) | 46 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 6 Aug 1941 | 0650 | Portolago (Leros) | 6 Aug 1941 | 1718 | Portolago (Leros) | 42 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 9 Aug 1941 | 1350 | Portolago (Leros) | 9 Aug 1941 | 1804 | Portolago (Leros) | 26 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 16 Aug 1941 | 0640 | Portolago (Leros) | 16 Aug 1941 | 1242 | Portolago (Leros) | 29,3 | Exercises. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 20 Aug 1941 | 0640 | Portolago (Leros) | 20 Aug 1941 | 1125 | Portolago (Leros) | 25,5 | Exercises. | ||
| 1. | Ascianghi (AS) | 24 Aug 1941 | 2000 | Leros | 31 Aug 1941 | 0815 | Leros | 555 | Patrolled in the Cyclades, off Kalogeri, Cape Koraka, Karlovassi and Panormos Point. Uneventful. | |
| 2. | Ascianghi (AS) | 17 Sep 1941 | 0720 | Leros | 25 Sep 1941 | 0613 | Rhodes | 938 | Patrolled between 33°40'N and 34°40'N, and between 34°40'E and the Syrian coast (off Beirut) and reconnaissance of the bay of Famagusta. | |
| 21 Sep 1941 | 2146 2300 (e) | 33° 57'N, 35° 04'E (0) 332° - Ras Beirut - 7.8 miles. | At 2142 hours, a vessel believed to be a 12,000-ton tanker, was sighted at a distance slightly over 1,000 metres, travelling at 8 knots. At 2146 hours, a single torpedo was fired from a bow tube at a range of 700 metres. It missed narrowly ahead. Shortly after, a second torpedo was fired but the target must have seen it and altered course. It also missed. This was the Palestinian tanker Antar (385 GRT, built 1890) on passage from Beirut to Haifa. At 2152 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes. T.V. Olinto Di Serio claimed both torpedoes hit, one forward and one aft. It is surprising if they did, as surely such a small vessel would have been destroyed by them. The vessel was observed to fire three rockets, two red and one green. The crew abandoned ship in lifeboats. At 2159 hours, the submarine opened fire to finish her off. Some hits registered but, after the fifth round the gun jammed. At 2218 hours, the gun had not yet been repaired, so two torpedoes were fired from the stern tubes at a range of 400 metres. They both had erratic courses and missed the target. At 2224 hours, gunfire was resumed with 21 rounds from close range. Most of them hit and the tanker was set afire and sank at 2229 hours. At least, this was as reported by T.V. Olinto Di Serio. Despite the punishment, Antar was still afloat. There were no casualties. The fifteen survivors were reported picked up by a Lebanese fishing vessel. Later the armed trawler HMSAS Southern Isles took the hull in tow and was bombed in the process but was undamaged. However, Antar finally sank on 23 September. | |||||||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 26 Sep 1941 | 1950 | Rhodes | 27 Sep 1941 | 0830 | Portolago (Leros) | 110 | Passage Rhodes-Leros. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 10 Oct 1941 | 0800 | Portolago (Leros) | 10 Oct 1941 | 1215 | Portolago (Leros) | 23 | Trials. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 17 Oct 1941 | 0750 | Portolago (Leros) | 17 Oct 1941 | 1035 | Portolago (Leros) | 23 | Trials. | ||
| 3. | Ascianghi (AS) | 17 Oct 1941 | 1805 | Leros | 24 Oct 1941 | 0235 | Leros | 580 | Patrolled in Scarpanto Channel from 36°40'N, 26°40'E to 35°20'N, 27°34'E. Uneventful. | |
| Ascianghi (AS) | 10 Nov 1941 | 1030 | Leros | 10 Nov 1941 | 1218 | Leros | 2,5 | Trials. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 11 Nov 1941 | 0910 | Leros | 11 Nov 1941 | 1120 | Leros | 1,5 | Trials. | ||
| 4. | Ascianghi (AS) | 11 Nov 1941 | 1705 | Leros | 26 Nov 1941 | 0825 | Leros | 1464 | Patrolled in 33°20'N, 33°00'E then, after a week, in area north of 33°40'N and Bay of Morphon, mostly off Beirut and Haifa. This patrol was marred by numerous defects. | |
| 13 Nov 1941 | 0307 | 32° 28'N, 32° 50'E | At 0307 hours, a small fishing vessel or a patrol boat was sighted. Ascianghi turned away. | |||||||
| 5. | Ascianghi (AS) | 10 Dec 1941 | 0310 | Leros | 22 Dec 1941 | 1525 | Brindisi | 1418,5 | Patrolled south of Crete, between 32°50'N and 35°20'N, and between 22°50'E and 24°25'E (Grids 4456 and 9856). Returned via 36°36'N, 20°35'E and Point A from Santa Maria di Leuca. | |
| 14 Dec 1941 | 1408 | (0) About 100 miles north of Sidi Barrani. | At 1408 hours, information was received from MARICOSOM (1009/14) that an enemy naval force of three battleships and nine destroyers had been sighted at 96 miles NNW of Ras Haleima (Sidi Barrani), steering 315°, 22 knots. T.V. Olinto Di Serio altered course to an intercept position six miles away, which he expected the enemy would cross at 1630 hours. At 1714 hours, Ascianghi received a new signal reporting a change of course, which would put the enemy much farther south. The submarine surfaced at 1730 hours and proceed at full speed on a 225° course in the hope that the enemy might slow down. At 2200 hours she had sighted nothing. | |||||||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 26 Dec 1941 | Brindisi | 26 Dec 1941 | Brindisi | While changing moorings, the cable towing the M.R. Zara snapped and the vessel collided with Ascianghi causing slight damage to the submarine. | |||||
| 26 Dec 1941 | 0925+ | (0) At La Spezia. | At 0925 hours, the auxiliary Zara (1,976 GRT, built 1931) had arrived at Brindisi from convoy escort duty. While being towed by tugs to her moorings, a cable snapped and she collided with the stern of Ascianghi. Only minor damages were inflicted to a hydroplane and torpedo tube no. 6. They did not affect the seaworthiness of the submarine. | |||||||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 30 Dec 1941 | 1535 | Brindisi | 1 Jan 1942 | 0900 | Pola | 365 | Passage Brindisi-Pola. | ||
| Ascianghi (AS) | 3 Jan 1942 | 0812 | Pola | 3 Jan 1942 | 1510 | Monfalcone | 74 | Passage Pola-Monfalcone. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 25 Mar 1942 | 1330 | Messina | 25 Mar 1942 | 1730 | Messina | 13 | Trials and exercises escorted by the auxiliary Marras. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 27 Mar 1942 | 0800 | Messina | 27 Mar 1942 | 1145 | Messina | 16 | Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Marzano. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 29 Mar 1942 | 0812 | Messina | 29 Mar 1942 | 1130 | Messina | 17 | Exercises, escorted by the auxiliaries Marzano (A.S.67) and Marras (A.S.51). | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 4 Apr 1942 | 0800 | Messina | 4 Apr 1942 | 1130 | Messina | 20 | Trials. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 6 Apr 1942 | 0630 | Messina | 6 Apr 1942 | 1335 | Messina | 62 | Trials, escorted by MAS 562. | ||
| 6. | Malachite (MH) | 6 Apr 1942 | 2010 | Messina | 24 Apr 1942 | 0648 | Messina | 1876 | Patrolled north of Cyrenaica, between 33°40'N and 34°20'N, and between 22°00'E and 22°20'E on a patrol line with Uarsciek. | |
| 8 Apr 1942 | 1150 1240 (e) | At 1150 hours, a Blenheim bomber was sighted at a distance of 5,000 metres. It circled twice the submarine, making strafing runs. At 1200 hours, Malachite took an opportune moment to dive. This was a Maryland (291) of 203 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Curtiss who sighted a surfaced submarine, course 130°, 8 knots and took photographs. This was the third U-boat sighted on this patrol. | ||||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 12 May 1942 | 1410 | Messina | 12 May 1942 | 1715 | Messina | 18 | Trials. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 15 May 1942 | 2100 | Messina | 17 May 1942 | 1135 | Cagliari | 364 | Passage Messina-Cagliari. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 19 May 1942 | 1350 | Cagliari | 19 May 1942 | 1945 | Cagliari | 33 | Trials. | ||
36 entries. 36 total patrol entries (6 marked as war patrols) and 5 events.