Italian submarines of World War II

Last updated

The Italian submarine fleet of World War II was the largest in the world at the time, with 116 submarines. It saw action during the Second World War, serving mainly in the Mediterranean. During the conflict 88 submarines, some two-thirds of its total strength, were lost.

Contents

Construction history

The submarine fleet available to the Italian Royal Navy (the Regia Marina ) in World War II was the product of a long term build-up during the interwar years, despite the prevailing economic and political pressures of the period.

After World War I Italy had a fleet of 47 submarines in various classes; these were mostly obsolete and she was interested in replacing them. To this end the Regia Marina made plans for a fleet of vessels in three Types:

At the same time the major powers were negotiating an arms limitation treaty at the 1922 Washington Naval Conference. Whilst there was discussion of banning submarines altogether, and to outlaw their use (a course favoured by Britain) both Italy and France opposed this. However the conference did place restrictions on the number and size of warships of various types that nations could build. [1] The ocean-going submarine was restricted to a 1500-ton surface displacement, while the coastal submarine was limited to 600 tons, though there was no limit placed on the numbers of these vessels that could be built.

In the inter-war years : between 1925 and 1929 Italy built a series of ocean-going submarines in a number of small classes, in order to find the most suitable designs for expansion. Work was done principally by the design bureaux of Cavallini, resulting in the Mameli and Settembrini classes, and of Bernardis, building the Pisani, Bandiera, and Squalo classes. They also commissioned a design by Ansaldo, the Balilla class.

This was followed in the 1930s by the Archimede, Brin, and, just prior to war, Liuzzi classes from Cavallini, and the Glauco, Marcello, and later, Marconi classes from Bernardis. They also ordered the Calvi and Argo classes from Ansaldo. Just prior to war, in 1939, the Italians also commissioned the Cagni class, designed specifically as a commerce raider with a long range and armed with 14 Torpedo Tubes of 17.7in calibre (these being more suitable against merchant ships). These were built to a CRDA/Bernardis design.

For coastal and medium range operations, the Italian Navy ordered a series of submarine classes, known as the 600 series. This commenced in 1929 with the Argonauta class, followed by the Sirena, Perla, Adua, and Acciao classes, all to Bernardis designs.

For minelaying operations the Italians built the Bragadin class in 1927 (a Bernardis design), followed in 1930 by the Micca, and then the Foca class, from Cavallini.

Italy's interest in midget submarines resulted in the CA class, built in 1938, and followed during the war by CB, CC and CM classes. She also developed a manned torpedo, the SLC, an update of an Italian First World War design, for use by the Navy's special forces.

During World War II Italy also had designs for a wartime building programme. This was the Flutto class of submarines, an enlarged 600 series design for medium-range use, with mass production under wartime conditions in mind. 48 vessels, in three series (Types) were ordered, but only 12 were completed. Also during the war Italy came to require a submersible transport; designs for this led to the R, or Romolo class of boats. Again, though 12 were ordered, only two were completed.

Design features

Italian submarines of this period were of various types, depending on the design bureau responsible. Bernardis favoured a single hull design, for better submerged characteristics, but adding side blisters for stability on the surface. This design was preferred by the Navy. Cavallini used a double hull format, or a partial double hull with saddle tanks, to aid surface performance; this design was found to give better results. Ansaldo also used the double hull, to emphasize surface handling. These vessels compared unfavorably with their British and German counterparts, with comparatively slow diving times and poor handling underwater. One feature that caused problems was the large conning tower, making the boat more visible on the surface, and slowing the dive time. During the war many of these were reconstructed to remedy this fault. [2]

Service history

In 1939 the Regia Marina had 107 submarines; [3] this included 7 vessels of World War I vintage confined to training. Eight more were commissioned prior to joining hostilities, and a further 30 were commissioned during the war. The Italian submarine force was designed and intended to operate mainly in Mediterranean, in support of battle fleet or on scouting and patrolling missions, although its ocean-going vessels were also intended for the Atlantic. It also had a number of boats stationed overseas in Italy's colonial empire.

At the joining of hostilities in June 1940 Italy had 115 submarines, of which 84 were operational; [4] however 10 were lost in the first twenty days of action, due partly to flaws in quality, or poor training, and partly due to reckless bravado. [5] Thereafter the Italians never had more than 25 to 30 boats at sea at any one time. The commander of the Italian submarine fleet on 10 June 1940 was Admiral Mario Falangola, who was replaced by Admiral Antonio Legnani in December 1941.

Soon after June 1940 a submarine force was dispatched to the Atlantic, honouring a commitment to Germany to help in the Atlantic campaign. Code-named BETASOM, this force was stationed at Bordeaux in occupied France. 32 boats in total served in the Atlantic, equaling the German numbers at the time. Half of them later returned to the Mediterranean, or were converted to transports, for operations to Far East. The Italian submarines operating in the Atlantic overall sank 109 allied merchant ships totalling 593,864 tons. [6]

In the Mediterranean the submarine force suffered heavily in the face of intense anti submarine warfare, and in attacks on heavily guarded convoys and naval formations. Results were modest, with only 21 merchantmen and 13 enemy warships sunk (for a total around 100,000 tons); one reason for such a disappointing score was the lack of targets (with most of them being harder-to-hit warships, and the merchant ships being under heavy escort), and another was the outdated doctrine employed at the beginning of the war (with static patrols, and attacks being executed firing only one or two torpedoes), although this aspect was being corrected by 1942 (as proven during Operation Pedestal, when a more aggressive and dynamic conduct met with considerable success). [7] In 1943 at Italy's surrender the Regia Marina had 34 boats operational, having lost 92 vessels in action (over two-thirds of their number). During the conflict 88 submarines, some two-thirds of its total strength, were lost. 3,021 men of the Italian submarine service were lost at sea during the war. [8]

Classes

Type 1 ocean-going submarines

Type 2 coastal/sea-going submarines (Series 600)

Type 3 minelayer submarines

Sea-going submarines (wartime construction)

Commerce raider submarines

Transport submarines

Midget submarines

Ex-World War I submarines

Notes

  1. ↑ Bagnasco p132
  2. ↑ Bagnasco p130
  3. ↑ Miller p12
  4. ↑ Miller p126
  5. ↑ Blair p165
  6. ↑ Piekałkiewicz, Janusz. Sea War: 1939–1945. Blandford Press, London – New York, 1987, pg. 106, ISBN   0-7137-1665-7
  7. ↑ Giorgio Giorgerini, ibidem
  8. ↑ Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, p. 1

Related Research Articles

<i>Regia Marina</i> 1861–1946 branch of Italian military; predecessor of the Marina Militare

The Regia Marina or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic, the Regia Marina changed its name to Marina Militare.

<i>Spica</i>-class torpedo boat

The Spica class were a class of torpedo boats of the Regia Marina during World War II. These ships were built as a result of a clause in the Washington Naval Treaty, which stated that ships with a tonnage of less than 600 could be built in unlimited numbers. Thirty-two ships were built between 1934 and 1937, thirty of which entered service with Italy and two of which were sold to the Swedish Navy in 1940. The two units in Swedish service were classified as destroyers until 1953, then re-classified as corvettes. Although commonly referred to as torpedo boats due to their smaller displacement, the Spica class armaments were similar in design to destroyers and were intended for anti-submarine duties, although they often had to fight aircraft and surface forces as well. Twenty-three vessels were lost during World War II.

Enrico Toti was one of four Balilla-class submarines built for the Regia Marina during the late 1920s. The boat played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists. She was the only Italian submarine to have sunk a Royal Navy submarine during the Second World War.

Italian submarine <i>Galileo Galilei</i> Italian submarine

Galileo Galilei was one of four Archimede-class submarines built for the Regia Marina during the early 1930s. She was named after Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer and engineer.

<i>Balilla</i>-class submarine Submarine class of the Italian navy

The Balilla class were the first submarines to be built for the Italian navy following the end of World War I. They were large ocean-going cruiser submarines designed to operate in the Indian Ocean based in Italy's East African colonies. The design was double-hulled and based on the German Type UE 2 U-boats, one of which, U-120 was supplied to the Italians as a war reparation. A 425 horsepower (317 kW) auxiliary diesel engine was installed as an extra generator.

Italian submarine <i>Ettore Fieramosca</i> Italian submarine

Ettore Fieramosca was an Italian submarine which served with the Regia Marina in World War II. She was named after Ettore Fieramosca, an Italian condottiero of the 16th century.

<i>Perla</i>-class submarine Submarine class of the Royal Italian Navy

The Perla-class submarines were the third sub-class of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s and named after gemstones. Of the ten boats built of this class, only three survived World War II.

<i>Gabbiano</i>-class corvette

The Gabbiano-class corvettes were a group of 59 vessels built for the Regia Marina of Italy for service during the Second World War. They were built to a war-time design and intended for anti-submarine and escort duties.

Italian submarine <i>Leonardo da Vinci</i> (1939) Italian submarine

Leonardo da Vinci was a Marconi-class submarine of the Italian navy during World War II. It operated in the Atlantic from September 1940 until its loss in May 1943, and became the top scoring non-German submarine of the entire war.

The Italian 600 Series submarines were a series of submarine classes built for the Italian Royal Navy during the Inter war years.

The French submarine fleet of World War II was one of the largest in the world at that time. It saw action during the war but had a chequered service history due to France's position at that time. During the conflict, 59 submarines, more than three-quarters of the fleet, were lost.

Italian submarine Luigi Torelli was a Marconi-class submarine of the Italian navy during World War II. The vessel operated in the Atlantic from September 1940 until mid-1943, then was sent to the Far East. After Italy's surrender in 1943, the Luigi Torelli was taken over by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, then, in the waning months of the war, the Japanese Imperial Navy. It was one of only two ships to serve in all three major Axis navies, the other being the Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini.

<i>Acciaio</i>-class submarine Italian submarine class

The Acciaio-class submarine was the fifth subclass of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built by the Regia Marina. They were completed during the early 1940s and saw service in World War II.

<i>Flutto</i>-class submarine Italian submarine class

The Flutto class were a large class of submarines built for the Italian Royal Navy during the Second World War.

<i>Squalo</i>-class submarine Italian submarine class

The Squalo-class submarines were a group of four submarines built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. They were built at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA) shipyard at Monfalcone, and designed by Curio Bernardis.

Italian submarine <i>Adua</i> Italian submarine

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 <i>Gondar</i> Italian submarine

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 Turchese was a Perla-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s. She was named after a gemstone Turquoise.

Guglielmotti was a Brin-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s.

Vedetta anti sommergibile, commonly abbreviated as VAS and also known in Italy as VAS Baglietto, was a class of motor torpedo boats that served as coastal anti-submarine patrol boats in the Regia Marina during World War II. Several boats that survived the war later served in the post-war Italian Navy.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.