Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Mario Violante
| Born | 25 Apr 1911 | Trino Vercellese (Vercelli) | |
| Died | 1986 | (74) | Recco |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
ARCHIMEDE (S.T.V. then T.V. First Officer): from 10.02.1940 to July 1942+.Promoted to T.V. on ?
ARCHIMEDE (T.V. resp.): from 19.11.1941 to 20.04.1942 (refit at Bordeaux).
OTARIA (T.V. C.O.): from 22.11.1942 to 24.02.1943.
DELFINO (T.V. C.O.): from 01.03.1943 to 23.03.1943. (sunk, Violante survived).
Commands listed for Mario Violante
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archimede (AH, I.31) | Ocean going | T.V. | 19 Nov 1941 | 20 Apr 1942 |
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | Ocean going | T.V. | 22 Nov 1942 | 24 Feb 1943 |
| Delfino (DL) | Ocean going | T.V. | 1 Mar 1943 | 23 Mar 1943 |
Ships hit by Mario Violante
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Mario Violante
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archimede (AH, I.31) | 19 Nov 1941 | Bordeaux | 19 Apr 1942 | Bordeaux | Long refit. | |||||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 29 Nov 1942 | 0721 | Taranto | 29 Nov 1942 | 1530 | Taranto | 36,5 | Trials. | ||
| 1. | Otaria (OA, I.25) | 1 Dec 1942 | 1105 | Taranto | 3 Dec 1942 | 0805 | Taranto | 263 | Supply mission to Tripoli with 25 tons of German ammunition, but turned back because of defects. | |
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 21 Dec 1942 | 1132 | Taranto | 21 Dec 1942 | 1945 | Taranto | 43 | Exercises. | ||
| 2. | Otaria (OA, I.25) | 23 Dec 1942 | 1240 | Taranto | 27 Dec 1942 | 1215 | Tripoli | 727,1 | Supply mission to Tripoli (23.3 tons of Italian ammunition and 63 tons of lubricating oil). | |
| 26 Dec 1942 | 1110 | 33° 31'N, 16° 28'E | An unknown aircraft was sighted from periscope depth at a distance of 3,000 metres. The submarine was taken down to a depth of 40 metres. | |||||||
| 27 Dec 1942 | 1044 | 32° 56'N, 13° 21'E | A German aircraft came into view and exchanged recognition signals. | |||||||
| 3. | Otaria (OA, I.25) | 27 Dec 1942 | 1820 | Tripoli | 30 Dec 1942 | 1550 | Taranto | 635 | Return trip from supply mission to Tripoli with ten PoWs [three officers and seven other ranks], one Italian officer and two carabinieri. | |
| 27 Dec 1942 | 1044 | 32° 56'N, 13° 21'E | A German aircraft came into view and exchanged recognition signals. | |||||||
| 28 Dec 1942 | 1420 | 34° 17'N, 16° 16'E | Five aircraft was sighted at a distance of 8,000 metres, They could not be identified and the submarine dived. | |||||||
| 28 Dec 1942 | 1713 | 34° 50'N, 16° 10'E | A derelict mine was sighted and the submarine just reported it. | |||||||
| 28 Dec 1942 | 1720 | 34° 30'N, 16° 58'E | An aircraft, which could not be identified, was sighted and the submarine dived. The position recorded appears to be an error [see 1713/28 entry]. | |||||||
| 4. | Otaria (OA, I.25) | 12 Jan 1943 | 1143 | Taranto | 16 Jan 1943 | 1134 | Tripoli | 727,7 | Supply mission to Tripoli (22 tons of Italian ammunition). | |
| 16 Jan 1943 | 1920 | (0) Near Tripoli. | Shortly after departing harbour, the submarine observed flares during a bombing raid on Tripoli and dived. | |||||||
| 16 Jan 1943 | 2130 | (0) Near Tripoli. | The submarine had just surfaced when two more flares were sighted and she dived again. | |||||||
| 5. | Otaria (OA, I.25) | 16 Jan 1943 | 1634 | Tripoli | 19 Jan 1943 | 1540 | Taranto | 621,3 | Return trip from supply mission to Tripoli. Brought back eight PoWs and four guards. | |
| 16 Jan 1943 | 1920 | (0) Near Tripoli. | Shortly after departing harbour, the submarine observed flares during a bombing raid on Tripoli and dived. | |||||||
| 16 Jan 1943 | 2130 | (0) Near Tripoli. | The submarine had just surfaced when two more flares were sighted and she dived again. | |||||||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 2 Feb 1943 | 0839 | Taranto | 2 Feb 1943 | 1756 | Taranto | 40,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 9 Feb 1943 | 1612 | Taranto | 11 Feb 1943 | 2100 | Pola | 601,3 | Passage Taranto-Pola. Uneventful. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 14 Feb 1943 | 0710 | Pola | 14 Feb 1943 | 1200 | Pola | 21 | Exercises. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 17 Feb 1943 | 2332 | Pola | 18 Feb 1943 | 0614 | Fiume | 61 | Passage Pola-Fiume with the submarine Sirena and the torpedo boat Insidioso. | ||
| Delfino (DL) | 15 Mar 1943 | 0920 | Taranto | 15 Mar 1943 | 1740 | Taranto | Exercises. | |||
| Delfino (DL) | 18 Mar 1943 | 0655 | Taranto | 18 Mar 1943 | 1930 | Taranto | Exercises. | |||
| Delfino (DL) | 20 Mar 1943 | 1420 | Taranto | 20 Mar 1943 | 1900 | Taranto | Exercises. | |||
| Delfino (DL) | 23 Mar 1943 | 1045 | Taranto | 23 Mar 1943 | 1315 | Sunk | 10 | While being transferred from Taranto to Augusta, collided accidentally with the pilot vessel Limbara 6.5 miles from San Vito Light, and sank rapidly. Twenty-eight of her crew were lost (her captain and twenty-two men survived). | ||
| 23 Mar 1943 | 1321 | (0) 206° - S. Vito Semaphore - 7 miles (entrance of Mare Grande, Taranto). | The pilot vessel Limbara (402 GRT, built 1910) collided with the submarine. Delfino sank quickly taking down twenty-eight of her crew. Twenty-three survivors, including T.V. Violante, were picked up by Limbara. | |||||||
22 entries. 16 total patrol entries (5 marked as war patrols) and 11 events.