The Adua-class submarines were essentially repeats of the preceding Perla class. They displaced680 long tons (690t) surfaced and 844 long tons (858t) submerged. The submarines were 60.18 meters (197ft 5in) long, had a beam of 6.45 meters (21ft 2in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15ft 5in).[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 600-brake-horsepower (447kW)diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400-horsepower (298kW)electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26km/h; 16mph) on the surface and 7.5 knots (13.9km/h; 8.6mph) underwater. On the surface, the Adua class had a range of 3,180 nautical miles (5,890km; 3,660mi) at 10.5 knots (19.4km/h; 12.1mph), submerged, they had a range of 74nmi (137km; 85mi) at 4 knots (7.4km/h; 4.6mph).[2]
The boats were armed with six internal 53.3cm (21.0in)torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern. They were also armed with one 100mm (4in)deck gun for combat on the surface. The light anti-aircraft armament consisted of one or two pairs of 13.2mm (0.52in) machine guns.[1]
Construction and career
Durbo was launched on 6 March 1938 in OTO's shipyard in La Spezia and commissioned on 1 July that year.[1] In August 1938 she was assigned to Leros. Durbo spent about a year engaged in exercises between Rhodes and Leros before returning to Italy.
Durbo, under command of captain Armando Acanfora, with her sisters Beilul and Tembien formed 35th Squadron (III Submarine Group) based in Messina. On 9 June 1940 she left the base for an offensive mission in the Gulf of Hammamet.
On 16 June 1940, at 6:10, at the point 34°06′N11°33′E / 34.100°N 11.550°E / 34.100; 11.550 (in the Gulf of Hammamet about 44 miles southwest of Pantelleria), while proceeding to her patrol area, Durbo launched a couple of torpedoes at a small unit (perhaps a corvette, or a French destroyer), hearing a violent detonation after two minutes, but the rough seas made it impossible to verify whether the ship had been hit. There is no information about any ships being damaged or sunk in this area on this date.
For the next several months Durbo went on several more patrols around Malta and Pantelleria but without any success.
On 9 October 1940 Durbo, still under command of captain Acanfora, sailed from Messina to her newly assigned area of operations, about seventy miles East of Gibraltar. On 12 October 1940 she reached her assigned area near the island of Alboran south of Málaga and commenced patrolling in anticipation of a British convoy that she was supposed to report on. Durbo patrolled the area until 18 October, and sighted several ships, including a British destroyer on 17 October, but didn't attack any of the sighted targets.[3]
In the early morning of 18 October, while on the surface, captain Acanfora learned that the submarine had developed an oil leak, and ordered the crew to fix the problem as quickly as possible. A few hours later, with the sun out, and the crew sure that the leak had been repaired, Durbo submerged to about 100 feet (30m).[3] At 17:25 a Saro London flying boat of 202 Squadron RAF, piloted by Captain Percy R. Hatfield, sighted air bubbles and a small patch of oil while flying off the island of Alboran, 65 miles East of the Strait of Gibraltar. Durbo just detected a ship, and rose up to periscope depth to observe her potential target. Around 17:50 together with a second 202 Squadron London, piloted by Captain Norman F. Eagleton, Hatfield dropped bombs at the location of the bubbles and the oil. The bombs dropped by the aircraft exploded but had not damaged Durbo, but forced the submarine to dive down to 100 feet (30m) to avoid further attacks by the aircraft. The ship detected by Durbo was one of the British destroyers, HMSFiredrake or HMSWrestler, patrolling nearby. After a lookout on HMSFiredrake had observed the reconnaissance planes dive and release bombs, both ships rushed in to close in on the area of attack, and soon established a contact on ASDIC. Durbo dove down to about 200 feet (61m) trying to break off the attackers, and then submerged even deeper, to 400 feet (120m). The pressure strained the steel plates which increased oil leak, making the submarine's position even more visible to destroyers. The depth charges set at 350 feet (110m) were dropped, resulting in a large air bubble rising to the surface, possibly damaging the submarine's air supply system. After another attack, the submarine rose rapidly to the surface and was fired upon by HMSWrestler. The submarine dove down, and another depth charge attack followed. After about 50 depth charges were dropped by both destroyers, at around 19:30, the submarine surfaced again, and was immediately fired upon by both destroyers. One shell hit the conning tower, forcing the crew to start abandoning the boat.[4][5][6]
Before Durbo went under, a British boarding party made up of men from HMSFiredrake and HMSWrestler went on board. They got down into control room, and managed to grab codes and operational orders which were not destroyed. The capture of secret documents had a fatal short-term outcome: they shown the location of other Italian submarines, and just two days later, on 20 October 1940, a group of British destroyers would set a trap to Lafolè whose location was revealed by the captured documents. Lafolè was sunk after a hard chase, leaving only nine survivors.[7]
Italian submarine Axum was an Adua-class submarine built in the 1930s, serving in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after an ancient city of Axum in Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Alagi was an Adua-class submarine built in the 1930s serving in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Amba Alagi mountain in Ethiopia, which was at the time part of Italian East Africa
HMS Safari was a third batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Commissioned in 1942, she was assigned to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. During the course of the war, Safari sank twenty-five ships, most of which were Italian.
HMS Splendid was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She was laid down on 7 March 1941 and launched on 19 January 1942. After an initial patrol through the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar, Splendid conducted two patrols in the Mediterranean Sea; one was abandoned after technical problems and on the other she sank two Italian ships. On her next patrol, the submarine attacked two Italian convoys, sinking an Italian destroyer in the second attack. Based in Algiers, the boat operated north of Sicily, sinking six Italian ships, including two tankers and two heavy merchant ships. Splendid was detected by a German destroyer on 21 April 1943 while patrolling off Naples, Italy; the submarine was attacked with depth charges by the destroyer and forced to surface, after which she was scuttled and her surviving crew members taken prisoner. She was the most successful British submarine by tonnage sunk between November 1942 and May 1943.
HMS Firedrake was an F-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the early 1930s. Although assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion, the ship was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935–36 during the Abyssinia Crisis. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39, she spent much time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict.
Italian submarine Uebi Scebeli was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after Shebelle River in Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Lafolè was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a "massacre at Lafolè", an ambush set up by Somalis on November 25, 1896, against a travelling Italian party near a village of Lafolè.
Italian submarine Ascianghi was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after Lake Ashenge in Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Uarsciek was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a village in Somalia which housed a coast guard station during the period of Italian colonial control.
Italian submarine Tembien was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a Tembien region of Ethiopia, where Italian troops fought two battles against more numerous Ethiopian troops during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
Italian submarine Neghelli was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a town of Negele in Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Beilul was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a town of Beilul in Eritrea.
Italian submarine Aradam was an Adua-class submarine built in the 1930s, serving in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Amba Aradam mountain in Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Adua was an Adua-class submarine built in the 1930s, serving in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after Adwa, a town in northern Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Dagabur was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after the town of Dagabur in eastern Ethiopia. The submarine played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, supporting the Spanish Nationalists. On August 11, 1942, during World War II, Dagabur was rammed by destroyer HMS Wolverine and sank with all hands.
Italian submarine Gondar was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after a city of Gondar in northern Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Dessiè was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. It was named after the town of Dessie in north-central Ethiopia.
Italian submarine Corallo was a Perla-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. She was named after a gemstone Coral.
Italian submarine Diaspro was a Perla-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. She was named after a gemstone Jasper.
Italian submarine Malachite was a Perla-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. She was named after a gemstone Malachite.
References
Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-962-6.
Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-146-7.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Reviseded.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-59114-119-2.
Giorgerini, Giorgio (2002). Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini ad oggi (Seconded.). Mondadori. ISBN8804505370.
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