History
The plan to centralise control of naval operations began in November 1934. [1] The Supermarina headquarters at Lungotevere Flaminio in Rome, was completed in 1938 and was inaugurated by Benito Mussolini on 14 October. [1] When the capital was declared an open city, in 1943, Supermarina moved to Santa Rosa on the Via Cassia, about 20 km (12 mi) from Rome. The Santa Rosa headquarters remains the seat of Commander in Chief Naval Fleet (CINCNAV).
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility for managing all business activities. In the United Kingdom, the term head office is most commonly used for the Headquarters of large corporations. The term is also used regarding military organizations.
Lungotevere is an alley or boulevard running along the river Tiber within the city of Rome. The building of the Lungoteveres required the demolition of the former edifices along the river banks and the construction of retaining walls called muraglioni.
Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy. Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio region. With 2,872,800 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comune. It is the fourth most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. It is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. The Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.
From 10 June 1940 to 8 September 1943, Supermarina supervised all Italian naval operations in the Battle of the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the oceans. The head of Supermarina should have been the chief of staff of the Navy, the de facto commander was the deputy chief of staff. At the start of the war, the Chief of Staff of the Navy State was Admiral Domenico Cavagnari and the head of Supermarina was Admiral Odoardo Somigli. On 10 December 1940, Cavagnari was replaced by Admiral Arturo Riccardi and Admiral Inigo Campioni became Deputy Chief of Staff. In July 1941, Admiral Luigi Sansonetti became Deputy Chief of Staff. Supermarina was divided into several sections responsible for functions like decryption, strategic moves and communications.
The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940 to 2 May 1945.
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez. The Red Sea is a Global 200 ecoregion. The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
Translated from the corresponding article in the Italian Wikipedia
Orders issued by Supermarina to the units and commands were taken in accordance with Comando Supremo. The commander of an Italian battle squadron had little discretion to depart from orders received from Supermarina and when circumstances changed he had to wait for new instructions from Supermarina. [1] [2] This centralisation caused serious problems, when to situations evolved quicker than Supermarina could react. Later in 1940, Supermarina granted commanders more discretion over tactics but maintained strict orders not to engage superior enemy forces, which restrained the initiative of the commanders, to avoid losses that could not be replaced. [1]
After 8 September 1943, Supermarina issued orders for the execution of the clauses of the Armistice of Cassibile, the transfer of all seaworthy ships into Allied-controlled ports and the scuttling or sabotage of ships unable to sail, to avoid their capture by the Germans and then ceased operations on 12 September 1943, following the German capture of Rome.
The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 by Walter Bedell Smith and Giuseppe Castellano, and made public on 8 September, between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed at a conference of generals from both sides in an Allied military camp at Cassibile in Sicily, which had recently been occupied by the Allies. The armistice was approved by both King Victor Emmanuel III and Italian Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio. The armistice stipulated the surrender of Italy to the Allies.
The Allies of World War II, called the United Nations from the 1 January 1942 declaration, were the countries that together opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War (1939–1945). The Allies promoted the alliance as a means to control German, Japanese and Italian aggression.
Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull. This can be achieved in several ways—seacocks or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being captured by an enemy force ; as a blockship to restrict navigation through a channel or within a harbor; to provide an artificial reef for divers and marine life; or to alter the flow of rivers.
The Italian Navy is the Navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
Arturo Riccardi was an Italian admiral during the Second World War, serving as the Ministry of Marine director general of personnel from 1935 to 1940 and Under Secretary of State of the Navy from 1941 until 1943. A specialist of aerial warfare, Riccardi frequently worked with senior German naval officers on the defense of the Italian peninsula.
Inigo Campioni was an Italian naval officer during most of the first half of the 20th century. He served in four wars, and is best known as an admiral in the Italian Royal Navy during World War II. He was later executed by the Italian Social Republic for refusing to collaborate.
Carlo Bergamini (24 October 1888 – 9 September 1943) was an Italian admiral.
Giuseppe Fioravanzo was an Italian admiral.
Operation Achse, originally called Operation Alaric, was the codename for the German plan supported by Italian fascists to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces after the armistice with the Allies in 1943. Several German divisions had entered Italy after the fall of Benito Mussolini in July 1943, while Italy was officially still an ally of Germany, despite the protests of the new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio.
Gino Birindelli was an Italian admiral and the chief of the fleet of the Italian Navy. He received the Gold medal of military valor. Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (1972-1976).
Vice Admiral Filippo Maria Foffi is an Italian Navy officer, who served as Head of Fleet Command of the Italian Navy.
Angelo Parona was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Luigi Sansonetti was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Antonio Legnani was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Ferdinando Casardi was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Gino Pavesi was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Marcantonio Bragadin was an Italian admiral of the Royal Italian Navy and the Italian Navy. He was also an essayist and the screenwriter of a number of war films. He was a direct descendant of the 16th-century Venetian commander Marco Antonio Bragadin.
Raffaele de Courten was an Italian admiral. He was the last Chief of Staff of the Regia Marina.
Romeo Oliva was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Giovanni Galati was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Bruto Brivonesi was an Italian admiral during World War II.
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