Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Alberto Dominici
| Born | 11 Apr 1902 | La Maddalena | |
| Died | 1 Feb 1972 | (69) | La. Spezia |
| Ranks
Decorations
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Career information
GIUSEPPE FINZI (C.C. C.O.): from 17.11.1939 to 20.04.1941.Commands listed for Alberto Dominici
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | Ocean going | C.C. | 17 Nov 1939 | 20 Apr 1941 |
Ships hit by Alberto Dominici
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Alberto Dominici
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 3 Jun 1940 | 2320 | La Spezia | 5 Jun 1940 | 0205 | Cagliari | Passage La Spezia-Calgari with the submarines Glauco, Tazzoli and Cappellini escorted by the torpedo boat Curtatone. | |||
| 1. | Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 5 Jun 1940 | 1115 | Cagliari | 10 Jul 1940 | 1115 | Cagliari | 4976,42 | Patrolled off Canary Islands. On 10th June, all the officers and eighteen ratings suffered an intoxication due to Methylene Chloride. The problem was quickly identified, the submarine surfaced to ventilate and all the bottles of Methylene Chloride disposed of. | |
| 10 Jun 1940 | (0) East of Gibraltar. | All the officers and eighteen ratings suffered from intoxication due to Methylene Chloride. The problem was quickly identified, the submarine surfaced to ventilate and all the bottles of Methylene Chloride disposed of. Most of the men recovered after four or five days, except for two men who took ten days. | ||||||||
| 12 Jun 1940 | 0253 0412 (e) | (e) 35° 48'N, 5° 10'W (0) 160° - Point Almina - 6 miles. | From a distance of 1,200-1,500 metres, Giuseppe Finzi sighted the shape of a destroyer coming straight at her and dived immediately. The first depth charges exploded as the submarine was a a depth of 30 before settling on the bottom at 108 metres. This was the destroyer HMS Watchman, which claimed the submarine sunk or badly damaged, but Finzi suffered only minor damages. Later in the day, the armed trawler HMT Stella Sirius also reported a contact off Almina Point. | |||||||
| 23 Jun 1940 | 1610 | (0) North of Teneriffe (Canary Islands). | A French sloop of the BOUGAINVILLE class was sighted but the submarine could not gain an attack position. | |||||||
| 9 Jul 1940 | 1650 | (0) West of Sardinia. | The submarine was suddenly attacked by an aircraft, believed to be British, which dropped a single bomb. It exploded very near the hull, but caused no damage. The aircraft may have been Italian as no RAF bomber reported such an attack. | |||||||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 12 Jul 1940 | 0900 | Cagliari | 13 Jul 1940 | 1535 | La Spezia | 377 | Passage Cagliari-La Spezia. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 26 Aug 1940 | 0815 | La Spezia | 26 Aug 1940 | 1628 | La Spezia | 32 | Exercises. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 27 Aug 1940 | 0716 | La Spezia | 27 Aug 1940 | 1730 | La Spezia | 45 | Exercises. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 30 Aug 1940 | 0843 | La Spezia | 30 Aug 1940 | 1054 | La Spezia | 8,5 | Exercises. | ||
| 2. | Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 7 Sep 1940 | 0630 | La Spezia | 29 Sep 1940 | 1750 | Bordeaux | 2889 | Passage La Spezia to Bordeaux. Passed Gibraltar on 12th September 1940. Patrolled between 42°00 and 43°00'N, and between 10°00 W and Spanish coast. Sighted several vessels, mostly Spanish or Portuguese. Escorted in by the German minesweepers M-2 and M-9. Visited by Admiral Doenitz on 30th September 1940. | |
| 14 Sep 1940 | 0740 | 36° 08'N, 9° 25'W | An aircraft was sighted at long range and the submarine dived. | |||||||
| 15 Sep 1940 | 1202-1211 1230 (e) | 37° 23'N, 10° 01'W (e) 37° 08'N, 10° 42'W (0) 276° - Cape St. Vincent - 85 miles | At 1125 hours, the submarine sighted an escort vessel and dived. The vessel dropped seven depth-charges between 1202 and 1211 hours. This was the destroyer ORP Garland who reported attacking a contact without visible result. The submarine escaped unscathed. | |||||||
| 3. | Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 24 Oct 1940 | 1130 | Bordeaux | 4 Dec 1940 | 1140 | Bordeaux | 6409,6 | Patrolled west of British Isles, between 57°20 and 59°20'N and 17°00' and 20°00'W [between Italian Grids 0670 and 0602]. The submarine was escorted on her way back by Sperrbrecher 3 and minesweeper M-10 (2.MSFL).of the 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla. | |
| 30 Oct 1940 | 1345 | 56° 30'N, 18° 09'W | A 6-8,000-ton steamer armed with two guns was observed. The submarine fired one torpedo (533mm) from a bow tube at a distance 1,500-2,000 metres, but missed. | |||||||
| 30 Oct 1940 | 1410-1540 | 56° 30'N, 18° 09'W (0) Approximately. | The submarine heard H.E. of what must have been an approaching escort vessel, which dropped seven depth-charges at 1430 hours. She dived to 80 meters. Another depth-charge followed at 1523 hours and a final one at 1540 hours, but the submarine was undamaged. | |||||||
| 6 Nov 1940 | 1452 | 59° 08'N, 23° 02'W | An unknown steamer was sighted at a distance of 10-12,000 metres and Giuseppe Finzi moved to intercept. At 1533 hours, the submarine dived but could not close the range at less than 6,000 meters and lost contact. The executive officer T.V. Girola was highly critical of his commanding officer for the extreme caution the latter exhibited during this action. | |||||||
| 16 Nov 1940 | 1705 | 58° 00'N, 19° 00'W | At 1705 hours, Giuseppe Finzi received a signal reporting an escorted convoy of 10-20 steamers at 1415 in 55°35' N, 11°05' W steering 250°, 9 knots. At 1810 hours the submarine turned on a 210° course at 13.5 knots to intercept. In heavy seas and taking water from the stern, the submarine was forced to change course to 330° at 0645 hours on the 17th, and to reduce speed to 4 knots. | |||||||
| 18 Nov 1940 | 2110 | 58° 10'N, 19° 00'W (0) Approximately. | At 2110 hours, Giuseppe Finzi received a signal reporting a convoy at 0345 hours on the 18th, in 56°35' N, 13°55' W steering 250°, 14 knots. At 2145 hours, the submarine turned on a 180° course at 8 knots to intercept. The submarine gave up the chase at 1500 hours as it was believed that it had no chance to intercept. | |||||||
| 22 Nov 1940 | 1205 | 57° 35'N, 18° 52'W | Giuseppe Finzi sighted a lone steamer at 6-7,000 metres and dived to 60 meters to attempt to close submerged using her hydrophones. At 1515 hours, three depth-charges were heard, followed at 1530 hours by another four which detonated closer. Finally, at 1540 hours, the submarine detected the convoy with hydrophones. It was estimated at 10 or 20 steamers, escorted by auxiliary cruisers steering 100° course at a speed of 8 knots. Another fourteen depth-charges were heard between 1610-1615 hours and contact was lost at 1900 hours. At 1950 hours, the submarine surfaced in very poor visibility and made an enemy report. | |||||||
| 24 Nov 1940 | 0000-0130 | 58° 19'N, 20° 17'W | Giuseppe Finzi heard hydrophone effects believed to be from a convoy on a 080° course. The submarine surfaced at 1135 hours and made an enemy report. | |||||||
| 27 Nov 1940 | 1320 | 57° 40'N, 18° 30'W | A vessel was sighted at a distance of 15,000 metres. The submarine dived immediately and took an intercepting course to attack, but soon gave up the chase as the target was travelling at 15 knots and she could not close the range. | |||||||
| 27 Nov 1940 | 1815 | 57° 16'N, 17° 37'W | A three-funnelled destroyer was sighted at a distance of 10,000 metres. The submarine submerged to attack but could not stay at periscope depth because of the heavy seas and lost contact. | |||||||
| 28 Nov 1940 | 0515 | 55° 20'N, 17° 36'W | An unknown vessel was sighted and closed 700-800 metres. It turned out to be a submarine and Finzi turned away. | |||||||
| 30 Nov 1940 | 0515 | 49° 57'N, 17° 56'W | Giuseppe Finzi sighted an unknown vessel at a distance of 10,000 metres and turned to attack. It was then identified as a submarine and the Italian submarine turned away. | |||||||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 24 Feb 1941 | 0835 | Bordeaux | 24 Feb 1941 | 1440 | Le Verdon | 65 | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 25 Feb 1941 | 0835 | Le Verdon | 25 Feb 1941 | 1540 | La Pallice | 65 | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice escorted by the German submarine chaser UJ-E and Sperrbrecher 34. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 27 Feb 1941 | 0845 | La Pallice | 27 Feb 1941 | 1628 | La Pallice | 17 | Exercises. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 28 Feb 1941 | 0838 | La Pallice | 28 Feb 1941 | 1946 | Pauillac | 95 | Passage La Pallice-Pauillac. | ||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 1 Mar 1941 | 0800 | Pauillac | 1 Mar 1941 | 1020 | Bordeaux | 20 | Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux. | ||
| 1 Mar 1941 | 1240 | (0) At La Pallice. | The submarine ran aground as she was returning from exercises and had to be freed with the help of tugs. | |||||||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 1 Mar 1941 | 1020 | Bordeaux | 1 Mar 1941 | 1415 | Bassens | 3 | Passage Bordeaux-Bassens. Ran aground and was freed with the help of a tug. | ||
| 1 Mar 1941 | 1240 | (0) At La Pallice. | The submarine ran aground as she was returning from exercises and had to be freed with the help of tugs. | |||||||
| Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 1 Mar 1941 | 1915 | Bassens | 1 Mar 1941 | 1930 | Bordeaux | 3 | Passage Bassens-Bordeaux. | ||
| 1 Mar 1941 | 1240 | (0) At La Pallice. | The submarine ran aground as she was returning from exercises and had to be freed with the help of tugs. | |||||||
| 4. | Giuseppe Finzi (FZ, I.2) | 9 Mar 1941 | 1545 | Bordeaux | 17 Apr 1941 | 1300 | Bordeaux | 6752 | Sailed escorted by the German minesweeper M-12 and Sperrbrecher 16 and patrolled (1) between 40°00'N and 42°00'N, and between 17°00'W and 21°00'W (2) between 13°00'N and 18°00'N, and between 19°00'W and 21°00'W (3) between 27°00'N and 30°00'N, and between 18°00'W and 21°00'W (4) between 36°00'N and 38°00'N, and between 13°00'W and 16°00'W (the BETASOM report gives 36°00'N and 39°00 N, and between 13°00'W and 15°00'W), west of the Canary Islands and east of Cape Verde Island. | |
| 17 Mar 1941 | 0205 | A destroyer was sighted at a distance of 2,000 metres and she turned toward the submarine who dived to a depth of 60 metres. | ||||||||
| 17 Mar 1941 | 0430-2000 | 40° 00'N, 22° 40'W | At 0235 hours, the hydrophones detected noise of vessels steering 135°, 8 knots. At 0430 hours, the submarine surfaced and proceeded at 13.5 knots to search for a convoy from Gibraltar. | |||||||
| 17 Mar 1941 | 2000 | The submarine having failed to locate the first convoy from Gibraltar turned toward a second convoy. The search went on until 2130 hours on the 18th and again nothing was sighted. | ||||||||
| 24 Mar 1941 | 1540 | An unknown vessel was sighted, which turned out to be Spanish. The submarine aborted the attack. | ||||||||
| 2 Apr 1941 | 1750 1800 (e) | 26° 20'N, 18° 50'W | At 1750 hours, a smoke was observed on the horizon and the submarine closed. It was a convoy of ten to fifteen ships escorted by destroyers. This was convoy S.L.69 bound from Freetown for Liverpool. The submarine dived when one of the destroyers, followed by a second, turned toward her. Two depth charges exploded at 1941 hours and a third at 1950 hours, but Giuseppe Finzi escaped damage. The submarine then tried to renew contact with the convoy but at 0900 hours on the 4th, she abandoned the chase. This was the Free French sloop Commandant Dominé (C.C. Jaquelin de la Porte de Vaux), which dropped three depth-charges after being guided by the seaplane from HMS Mauritius. | |||||||
34 entries. 16 total patrol entries (4 marked as war patrols) and 25 events.