Italian submarines in World War Two


Alabastro (AB)
Alabastro

TypeCoastal / Sea going 
ClassPlatino 1 (24) 
Laid down 12 Mar 1941 Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched18 Dec 1941
Commissioned9 May 1942
End service
Stricken
Loss date14 Sep 1942
Loss position37° 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


CommanderDate fromDate toCommand notes
C.C. Paolo Monechi29 Jun 194214 Jul 1942
T.V. Giuseppe Bonadies15 Jul 194214 Sep 1942

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

 CommanderDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
2 Apr 19420915Monfalcone2 Apr 19421700MonfalconeTrials (gun and machine-guns).

6 Apr 19421100Monfalcone6 Apr 19421850PolaTrials and passage Monfalcone-Pola.

8 Apr 19420900Pola8 Apr 19421740PolaExercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.

10 Apr 19420930Pola10 Apr 19421630PolaExercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.

11 Apr 19420730Pola11 Apr 19422030PolaDiving trials to 80 metres, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.

13 Apr 19420915Pola13 Apr 19421035PolaExercises, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.

16 Apr 19420835Pola16 Apr 19421830MonfalconeTrials and passage Pola-Monfalcone, escorted part of the way by torpedo boat T.3.

9 May 1942Monfalcone9 May 1942MonfalconeDelivered to Regia Marina.

5 Jun 19420900Monfalcone5 Jun 19421200Monfalcone35Trials and/or exercises.

Monechi, Paolo30 Jun 19420730Monfalcone30 Jun 19421210Venice60Passage Monfalcone-Venice.

Monechi, Paolo1 Jul 19421145Venice1 Jul 19421355Venice6Exercises.

Monechi, Paolo6 Jul 19421405Venice6 Jul 19421630Venice6Exercises.

Monechi, Paolo8 Jul 19420800Venice8 Jul 19421500Pola72Passage Venice-Pola.

Monechi, Paolo11 Jul 19421440Pola11 Jul 19421700Pola8Exercises.

Monechi, Paolo12 Jul 19420750Pola12 Jul 19421950Pola8Gyrocompass tests.

Monechi, Paolo14 Jul 19420415Pola14 Jul 19421925Pola168Diving 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, Paolo15 Jul 19420855Pola15 Jul 19421104Pola10Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe20 Jul 19420525Pola20 Jul 19421850Pola159Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe21 Jul 19420905Pola21 Jul 19421400Pola40Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe22 Jul 19421320Pola22 Jul 19421950Pola46Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe24 Jul 19421330Pola24 Jul 19421930Pola28Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe25 Jul 19421340Pola25 Jul 19421940Pola31Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe30 Jul 19421330Pola30 Jul 19421925Pola60Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe3 Aug 19421600Pola6 Aug 19421712Naples903Passage 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, Giuseppe8 Aug 19420815Naples8 Aug 19421947Naples50Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe9 Aug 19420805Naples9 Aug 19421555Naples35Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe10 Aug 19420805Naples10 Aug 19421607Naples35Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe12 Aug 19421405Naples13 Aug 19420027Naples60Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe13 Aug 19420915Naples13 Aug 19421620Naples36Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe14 Aug 19420805Naples14 Aug 19421634Naples38Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe17 Aug 19420805Naples17 Aug 19421603Naples39Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe18 Aug 19420532Naples18 Aug 19421530Naples87Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe19 Aug 19420804Naples19 Aug 19421635Naples48Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe21 Aug 19420803Naples21 Aug 19421607Naples47Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe22 Aug 19420810Naples22 Aug 19421622Naples40Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe24 Aug 19421410Naples24 Aug 19422333Naples52Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe25 Aug 19421423Naples25 Aug 19421931Naples29Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe26 Aug 19420825Naples26 Aug 19421819Naples52Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe28 Aug 19421015Naples28 Aug 19422300Naples63Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe29 Aug 19420746Naples29 Aug 19420849Naples3Entered dock.

Bonadies, Giuseppe30 Aug 19420933Naples30 Aug 19421112Naples6Tests.

Bonadies, Giuseppe31 Aug 19420910Naples31 Aug 19421030Naples3Trials.

Bonadies, Giuseppe31 Aug 19421615Naples31 Aug 19422309Naples44Exercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe1 Sep 19420840Naples1 Sep 19421730NaplesExercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe2 Sep 19421435Naples2 Sep 19422330NaplesExercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe4 Sep 19420830Naples4 Sep 19421600NaplesExercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe5 Sep 19420840Naples5 Sep 19421900NaplesExercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe7 Sep 19421407Naples7 Sep 19422245NaplesExercises.

Bonadies, Giuseppe10 Sep 19421030Naples11 Sep 19420900Cagliari268,9Passage Naples-Cagliari.

1Bonadies, Giuseppe13 Sep 19421700Cagliari14 Sep 19421620Sunk with all handsSailed 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.

All Italian submarines