Italian submarines in World War Two
Alabastro (AB)
Alabastro
Type | Coastal / Sea going | |
Class | Platino 1 (24) | |
Laid down | 12 Mar 1941 | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone |
Launched | 18 Dec 1941 | |
Commissioned | 9 May 1942 | |
End service | ||
Stricken | ||
Loss date | 14 Sep 1942 | |
Loss position | 37° 28'N, 4° 34'E | |
History | ||
Fate | Sunk on 14th September 1942 north-west of Bougie, Algeria, in position 37°28'N, 04°34'E by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (RAF 202 Sq./R). |
Commands
Commander | Date from | Date to | Command notes |
---|---|---|---|
C.C. Paolo Monechi | 29 Jun 1942 | 14 Jul 1942 | |
T.V. Giuseppe Bonadies | 15 Jul 1942 | 14 Sep 1942 |
Ships hit
No ships hit by this submarine.Patrols and events
Commander | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 Apr 1942 | 0915 | Monfalcone | 2 Apr 1942 | 1700 | Monfalcone | Trials (gun and machine-guns). | ||||
6 Apr 1942 | 1100 | Monfalcone | 6 Apr 1942 | 1850 | Pola | Trials and passage Monfalcone-Pola. | ||||
8 Apr 1942 | 0900 | Pola | 8 Apr 1942 | 1740 | Pola | Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3. | ||||
10 Apr 1942 | 0930 | Pola | 10 Apr 1942 | 1630 | Pola | Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3. | ||||
11 Apr 1942 | 0730 | Pola | 11 Apr 1942 | 2030 | Pola | Diving trials to 80 metres, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3. | ||||
13 Apr 1942 | 0915 | Pola | 13 Apr 1942 | 1035 | Pola | Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3. | ||||
16 Apr 1942 | 0835 | Pola | 16 Apr 1942 | 1830 | Monfalcone | Trials and passage Pola-Monfalcone, escorted part of the way by torpedo boat T.3. | ||||
9 May 1942 | Monfalcone | 9 May 1942 | Monfalcone | Delivered to Regia Marina. | ||||||
5 Jun 1942 | 0900 | Monfalcone | 5 Jun 1942 | 1200 | Monfalcone | 35 | Trials and/or exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 30 Jun 1942 | 0730 | Monfalcone | 30 Jun 1942 | 1210 | Venice | 60 | Passage Monfalcone-Venice. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 1 Jul 1942 | 1145 | Venice | 1 Jul 1942 | 1355 | Venice | 6 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 6 Jul 1942 | 1405 | Venice | 6 Jul 1942 | 1630 | Venice | 6 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 8 Jul 1942 | 0800 | Venice | 8 Jul 1942 | 1500 | Pola | 72 | Passage Venice-Pola. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 11 Jul 1942 | 1440 | Pola | 11 Jul 1942 | 1700 | Pola | 8 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 12 Jul 1942 | 0750 | Pola | 12 Jul 1942 | 1950 | Pola | 8 | Gyrocompass tests. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 14 Jul 1942 | 0415 | Pola | 14 Jul 1942 | 1925 | Pola | 168 | Diving trials with the torpedo boat Pilo in 44°45.2'N, 14°34.8'E and 44°50.8'N, 14°34.2'E. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 15 Jul 1942 | 0855 | Pola | 15 Jul 1942 | 1104 | Pola | 10 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 20 Jul 1942 | 0525 | Pola | 20 Jul 1942 | 1850 | Pola | 159 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 21 Jul 1942 | 0905 | Pola | 21 Jul 1942 | 1400 | Pola | 40 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 22 Jul 1942 | 1320 | Pola | 22 Jul 1942 | 1950 | Pola | 46 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 24 Jul 1942 | 1330 | Pola | 24 Jul 1942 | 1930 | Pola | 28 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 25 Jul 1942 | 1340 | Pola | 25 Jul 1942 | 1940 | Pola | 31 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 30 Jul 1942 | 1330 | Pola | 30 Jul 1942 | 1925 | Pola | 60 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 3 Aug 1942 | 1600 | Pola | 6 Aug 1942 | 1712 | Naples | 903 | Passage Pola-Naples at 14 knots, via (1) Point E: 40°40'N, 18°50'E (2) Point Q: 39°00'N, 18°50'E (3) Point N: 37°00'N, 16°20'E (4) Point S: Messina (5) Point M2 (6) Point B1. Uneventful. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 8 Aug 1942 | 0815 | Naples | 8 Aug 1942 | 1947 | Naples | 50 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 9 Aug 1942 | 0805 | Naples | 9 Aug 1942 | 1555 | Naples | 35 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 10 Aug 1942 | 0805 | Naples | 10 Aug 1942 | 1607 | Naples | 35 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 12 Aug 1942 | 1405 | Naples | 13 Aug 1942 | 0027 | Naples | 60 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 13 Aug 1942 | 0915 | Naples | 13 Aug 1942 | 1620 | Naples | 36 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 14 Aug 1942 | 0805 | Naples | 14 Aug 1942 | 1634 | Naples | 38 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 17 Aug 1942 | 0805 | Naples | 17 Aug 1942 | 1603 | Naples | 39 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 18 Aug 1942 | 0532 | Naples | 18 Aug 1942 | 1530 | Naples | 87 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 19 Aug 1942 | 0804 | Naples | 19 Aug 1942 | 1635 | Naples | 48 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 21 Aug 1942 | 0803 | Naples | 21 Aug 1942 | 1607 | Naples | 47 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 22 Aug 1942 | 0810 | Naples | 22 Aug 1942 | 1622 | Naples | 40 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 24 Aug 1942 | 1410 | Naples | 24 Aug 1942 | 2333 | Naples | 52 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 25 Aug 1942 | 1423 | Naples | 25 Aug 1942 | 1931 | Naples | 29 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 26 Aug 1942 | 0825 | Naples | 26 Aug 1942 | 1819 | Naples | 52 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 28 Aug 1942 | 1015 | Naples | 28 Aug 1942 | 2300 | Naples | 63 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 29 Aug 1942 | 0746 | Naples | 29 Aug 1942 | 0849 | Naples | 3 | Entered dock. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 30 Aug 1942 | 0933 | Naples | 30 Aug 1942 | 1112 | Naples | 6 | Tests. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 31 Aug 1942 | 0910 | Naples | 31 Aug 1942 | 1030 | Naples | 3 | Trials. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 31 Aug 1942 | 1615 | Naples | 31 Aug 1942 | 2309 | Naples | 44 | Exercises. | ||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 1 Sep 1942 | 0840 | Naples | 1 Sep 1942 | 1730 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 2 Sep 1942 | 1435 | Naples | 2 Sep 1942 | 2330 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 4 Sep 1942 | 0830 | Naples | 4 Sep 1942 | 1600 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 5 Sep 1942 | 0840 | Naples | 5 Sep 1942 | 1900 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 7 Sep 1942 | 1407 | Naples | 7 Sep 1942 | 2245 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Bonadies, Giuseppe | 10 Sep 1942 | 1030 | Naples | 11 Sep 1942 | 0900 | Cagliari | 268,9 | Passage Naples-Cagliari. | ||
1 | Bonadies, Giuseppe | 13 Sep 1942 | 1700 | Cagliari | 14 Sep 1942 | 1620 | Sunk with all hands | Sailed with Argo for a patrol off Algiers, via (1) Point C (2) 37°08'N, 04°10'E (3) 37°08'N, 02°40'E to an area between 37°30'N and 38°00'N and 02°00'E and 02°20'E. Sunk by British aircraft (Sunderland "R") of 202 Squadron in 37°28'N, 04°34'E (northeast of Cape Bengut). She had been sighted earlier by the submarine HMS Talisman (her last signal) and Hudson and Sunderland aircraft were sent to hunt her. On 26th September, she was ordered back but failed to show up. | ||
14 Sep 1942 | 1510 (e) | (0) 50 miles NW of Bougie, | At 1340 hours, the submarine HMS Talisman, on passage from Gibraltar to Malta, reported a submarine in 37°19'N, 02°23'E, steering 250°, 16 knots. Sunderland 'R' of 202 Squadron (RAF) piloted by Pilot Officer E.P. Walshe, was sent from Gibraltar to investigate. At 1510 hours, the aircraft sighted an object at a distance of 5 miles. When the range had closed to 2 miles it could be identified as a submarine steering 250°, 18 knots and the aircraft dived to perform a stern attack. The submarine's machine-guns put up antiaircraft fire, but stopped when the aircraft opened fire with its front gun. A stick of five Torpex depth charges, set at a depth of 25 feet, was released from a height of 50 feet, but one hung up. The other four straddled the submarine, two near the port bow and the other two on the starboard side of the conning tower. For 35 minutes the submarine circled, apparently out of control, firing at the aircraft with her machine-guns and perhaps with her deck gun. The crew began to abandon ship and about forty could be seen in the water as the submarine sank bow first. There is little doubt that this was Alabastro. Why she failed to send an SOS is a mystery, which remains unsolved. T.V. Giuseppe Bonadies, four officers and thirty-nine ratings perished. HMS Talisman did not survive her long. She never reached Malta and disappeared with all hands, probably mined off the Sicilian coast. |
50 entries. 50 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 1 events.