Italian submarines in World War Two
Tritone (TN)
Tritone
Type | Sea going | |
Class | Tritone (type I) (26) | |
Laid down | 12 May 1941 | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone |
Launched | 3 Jan 1942 | |
Commissioned | 10 Oct 1942 | |
End service | ||
Stricken | ||
Loss date | 19 Jan 1943 | |
Loss position | 37° 06'N, 5° 22'E | |
History | ||
Fate | Scuttled on 19 January 1943 north of Bougie, Algeria in position 37°06'N, 05°22'E after being forced to surface by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Antelope and the Canadian corvette HMCS Port Arthur. |
Commands
Commander | Date from | Date to | Command notes |
---|---|---|---|
C.C. Paolo Monechi | 24 Jun 1942 | 19 Jan 1943 |
Ships hit
No ships hit by this submarine.Patrols and events
Commander | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 Jun 1942 | Monfalcone | 16 Jun 1942 | Monfalcone | Trials. | ||||||
19 Jun 1942 | 1200 | Monfalcone | 19 Jun 1942 | 1545 | Monfalcone | Exercises. | ||||
Monechi, Paolo | 30 Jun 1942 | 0930 | Monfalcone | 30 Jun 1942 | 1705 | Pola | Passage Monfalcone-Pola. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 2 Jul 1942 | 0930 | Pola | 2 Jul 1942 | 1745 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 3 Jul 1942 | 0810 | Pola | 3 Jul 1942 | 1905 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 4 Jul 1942 | 0830 | Pola | 4 Jul 1942 | 2120 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 6 Jul 1942 | 0825 | Pola | 6 Jul 1942 | 2005 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 7 Jul 1942 | 0825 | Pola | 7 Jul 1942 | 1135 | Pola | Trials, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 8 Jul 1942 | 0915 | Pola | 8 Jul 1942 | 1455 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 9 Jul 1942 | 0840 | Pola | 9 Jul 1942 | 1510 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 10 Jul 1942 | 0910 | Pola | 10 Jul 1942 | 1635 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 15 Jul 1942 | 0930 | Pola | 15 Jul 1942 | 1500 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 17 Jul 1942 | 0525 | Pola | 17 Jul 1942 | 1825 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 18 Jul 1942 | 0925 | Pola | 18 Jul 1942 | 1055 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 19 Jul 1942 | 0825 | Pola | 19 Jul 1942 | 0915 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 21 Jul 1942 | 1120 | Pola | 21 Jul 1942 | 1855 | Pola | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 22 Jul 1942 | 1010 | Pola | 22 Jul 1942 | 1445 | Monfalcone | Passage Pola-Monfalcone. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 29 Sep 1942 | Monfalcone | 29 Sep 1942 | Monfalcone | Trials. | |||||
Monechi, Paolo | 2 Oct 1942 | Monfalcone | 2 Oct 1942 | Monfalcone | Trials. | |||||
Monechi, Paolo | 5 Oct 1942 | Time? | Monfalcone | 5 Oct 1942 | 1645 | Monfalcone | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 6 Oct 1942 | 0845 | Monfalcone | 6 Oct 1942 | 1750 | Monfalcone | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 7 Oct 1942 | 0845 | Monfalcone | 7 Oct 1942 | 1600 | Monfalcone | Trials. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 8 Oct 1942 | 0910 | Pola | 8 Oct 1942 | 1630 | Pola | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 10 Oct 1942 | Monfalcone | 10 Oct 1942 | Monfalcone | Entered service. | |||||
Monechi, Paolo | 24 Oct 1942 | 0730 | Monfalcone | 24 Oct 1942 | 1220 | Venice | 62 | Passage Monfalcone-Venice. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 25 Oct 1942 | 0940 | Venice | 25 Oct 1942 | 1340 | Venice | 11,1 | Trials. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 26 Oct 1942 | 0925 | Venice | 26 Oct 1942 | 1232 | Venice | 11,5 | Trials. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 31 Oct 1942 | 0240 | Venice | 31 Oct 1942 | 0815 | Pola | 81,5 | Passage Venice-Pola. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 4 Nov 1942 | 1346 | Pola | 4 Nov 1942 | 1637 | Pola | 3,6 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 5 Nov 1942 | 0537 | Pola | 5 Nov 1942 | 1805 | Pola | 130 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 7 Nov 1942 | 0746 | Pola | 7 Nov 1942 | 1740 | Pola | 9,3 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 8 Nov 1942 | 0811 | Pola | 8 Nov 1942 | 1530 | Pola | 19 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 13 Nov 1942 | 0602 | Pola | 13 Nov 1942 | 1625 | Sussa | 79,8 | Passage Pola-Sussa. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 14 Nov 1942 | 0942 | Sussa | 14 Nov 1942 | 2055 | Pola | 82,5 | Passage Sussa-Pola. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 20 Nov 1942 | 1915 | Pola | 22 Nov 1942 | 1556 | Taranto | 622,5 | Passage Pola-Taranto. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 6 Dec 1942 | 0702 | Taranto | 6 Dec 1942 | 1535 | Taranto | 22,5 | Depth trials to 130 meters. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 9 Dec 1942 | 2020 | Taranto | 12 Dec 1942 | 0745 | Naples | 528 | Passage Taranto-Naples. Uneventful. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 14 Dec 1942 | 0805 | Naples | 14 Dec 1942 | 1645 | Castellammare di Stabia | 37 | Exercises and passage Naples-Castellammare di Stabia. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 15 Dec 1942 | 0810 | Castellammare di Stabia | 15 Dec 1942 | 1645 | Castellammare di Stabia | 26 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 16 Dec 1942 | 0810 | Castellammare di Stabia | 16 Dec 1942 | 1532 | Naples | 25 | Passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 24 Dec 1942 | 0821 | Naples | 24 Dec 1942 | 1520 | Naples | 40 | Trials. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 26 Dec 1942 | 0815 | Naples | 26 Dec 1942 | 1620 | Castellammare di Stabia | 33 | Exercises and passage Naples-Castellammare di Stabia. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 27 Dec 1942 | 0803 | Castellammare di Stabia | 27 Dec 1942 | 1610 | Castellammare di Stabia | 27 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 28 Dec 1942 | 0820 | Castellammare di Stabia | 28 Dec 1942 | 1600 | Castellammare di Stabia | 33 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 29 Dec 1942 | 0817 | Castellammare di Stabia | 29 Dec 1942 | 1640 | Castellammare di Stabia | 36 | Exercises. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 30 Dec 1942 | 0811 | Castellammare di Stabia | 30 Dec 1942 | 1615 | Naples | 33 | Exercises and passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples. | ||
Monechi, Paolo | 2 Jan 1943 | 1030 | Naples | 2 Jan 1943 | 1230 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 3 Jan 1943 | 0930 | Naples | 3 Jan 1943 | 1825 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 4 Jan 1943 | 1200 | Naples | 5 Jan 1943 | 1545 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 7 Jan 1943 | 1025 | Naples | 7 Jan 1943 | 1945 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 9 Jan 1943 | 0925 | Naples | 9 Jan 1943 | 1100 | Naples | Exercises. | |||
Monechi, Paolo | 13 Jan 1943 | 1853 | Naples | 14 Nov 1942 | 1945 | Cagliari | Passage Naples-Cagliari. | |||
1 | Monechi, Paolo | 17 Jan 1943 | 2355 | Cagliari | 19 Jan 1943 | 1530 | Sunk | Sailed on first patrol off Bougie, between 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, and between 05°20'E and 05°40'E. Sunk in 37°06'N, 05°22'E by HMS Antelope and HMCS Port Arthur(escort of convoy MKS.6, which was on course 250°, 7 knots). According to her survivors, she carried two reload torpedoes forward and one aft. | ||
18 Jan 1943 | 1100 1112 (e) | At 1100 hours, Tritone was attacked by an American bomber which dropped a bomb. The submarine replied with her antiaircraft machine guns and escaped by diving. This was actually Hudson ' R' of 500 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer J.R. Pugh. It was flying at a height of 3,000 feet when a surfaced submarine was sighted at 1112 hours. The position was about 40 miles NNW of the attack carried out by Hudson ' 'J' of the same squadron the previous night and it was presumed that the submarine might be the same one (it was actually Nichelio). The aircraft released a 250lb A/S bomb from 1,300 feet. The Hudson circled the sub which remained on the surface and fired a signal cartridge. A Junker 88 shortly arrived on the scene and as the Hudson was getting short on fuel, it departed the area. | ||||||||
19 Jan 1943 | 1413A (e) | (e) 37° 05'N, 5° 22'E | At 1413A hours, the corvette HMCS Port Arthur (Lieutenant E.T. Simmons, DSC, RCNVR) was zigzagging at 10 knots, screening the convoy MKS.6 from Philippeville to Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, when the ASDIC operator obtained an echo at 1,700 yards. At first, it was thought to be doubtful but a minute later it was confirmed to be a submarine. At 1418A hours, a pattern of ten depth charges was released and the explosion temporarily disable the ASDIC. Three minutes later two underwater explosions were heard. In the meantime, the destroyer HMS Antelope (Lieutenant Commander Sinclair, RN) joined the hunt. At 1423A hours, the submarine surfaced about 700 yards from the destroyer and appeared to be down by the stern. HMS Antelope opened fire with her 4.7" guns and smaller armament, scoring at least three 4.7" hits, two on the conning tower and one on the pressure hull. The destroyer closed to 30 yards and attempted to send a boarding party but the submarine sank in two minutes. This was Tritone. C.C. Paolo Monechi, three officers and twenty-two ratings were picked up by Antelope. Twenty-six men perished, including a civilian worker. |
54 entries. 53 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 2 events.