Italian submarines in World War Two


Tricheco (TR)
Tricheco

TypeOcean going 
ClassSqualo (6) 
Laid down 10 Nov 1928 Cantiere Navale Triestino, Monfalcone
Launched11 Sep 1930
Commissioned25 Jun 1931
End service
Stricken
Loss date18 Mar 1942
Loss position40° 42'N, 17° 57'E
History
Fate Torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic, north of Brindisi, in position 40°42'N, 17°57'E by the British submarine HMS Upholder.

Commands


CommanderDate fromDate toCommand notes
C.C. Alberto Avogadro di Cerrione5 Jan 194014 Nov 1940
C.C. Giuseppe Aicardi14 Nov 194028 Dec 1940
S.T.V. Francesco Agostini31 Dec 194021 Mar 1941
T.V. Carlo Gandolfo21 Mar 194115 Nov 1941
T.V. Alberto Campanella16 Nov 194131 Dec 1941
S.T.V. Ermanno Tonti1 Jan 194214 Jan 1942
C.C. Alberto Avogadro di Cerrione15 Jan 194225 Jan 1942
S.T.V. Ermanno Tonti26 Jan 194231 Jan 1942
C.C. Giovanni Cunsolo1 Feb 194218 Mar 1942

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

 CommanderDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
1Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto9 Jun 19401130Leros14 Jun 19400815Leros421Patrolled within 10 miles from 075° - Punta Castello (Scarpanto) - 18 miles. Uneventful.

2Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto18 Jun 19401435Leros24 Jun 19401415Leros464,5Patrolled off north coast of Crete in 35°40'N, 24°50'E.

3Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto3 Jul 19401950Leros16 Jul 19400630Leros1224Patrolled on Alexandria-Crete route in 32°54'N, 28°28'E on a line with Beilul and Velella.

4Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto5 Aug 19402055Leros17 Aug 19400520Leros853Patrolled in Doro Channel. Sighted only neutral vessels.

5Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto30 Sep 19401600Leros8 Oct 19401530Leros959Patrolled south of Kaso Straits for Operation C.V. (reinforcements for the Dodecanese).
  7 Oct 19401800
(0) Kaso Straits
During dinner, there was a fight between two ratings and one was severely injured. C.C. Alberto Avogrado di Cerrione Trotti Bentivoglio decided to abort patrol and return to base.
  8 Oct 1940012135° 30'N, 27° 18'EAn unknown submarine was sighted and Tricheco fired two torpedoes from her bow tubes in quick succession at a distance of just 600 metres. The first missed but the second was a direct hit. Unfortunately the target was the submarine Gemma who was returning from patrol and C.C. Avogrado Di Cerione was unaware of her presence. Of her crew, none survived, five officer and forty ratings perished.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto22 Oct 19400805Leros22 Oct 19401202Leros27Exercises.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto26 Oct 19400955Leros26 Oct 19401210Leros6Exercises.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto27 Oct 19400740Leros27 Oct 19400930Leros4,5Exercises.

6Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto27 Oct 19401145Leros7 Nov 19400748Leros1176Patrolled between 32°20'N and 33°00'N, and between 27°00'E and 28°00'E. Uneventful, heard only distant explosions.

Aicardi, Giuseppe16 Nov 19400928Leros16 Nov 19401118Leros8Exercises.

Aicardi, Giuseppe18 Nov 19402200Leros20 Nov 19402200Leros143Sailed for Taranto, returned because of defects.

Aicardi, Giuseppe22 Nov 19401614Leros22 Nov 19401730Leros6Exercises.

7Aicardi, Giuseppe28 Nov 19400923Leros3 Dec 19400830Naples885Passage Leros-Naples for repairs. Uneventful. British Intelligence had been informed that an Italian submarine was to leave the Aegean on 27th November 1940 for Italy via 36°00'N, 21°08'E and another would follow. Then refit in Naples.

Agostini, Francesco31 Dec 1940Naples21 Mar 1941NaplesRefit in Naples. Change in command.

Gandolfo, Carlo23 Mar 19410935Naples23 Mar 19411745Naples29Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo26 Mar 19411352Naples26 Mar 19411747Naples32Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo29 Mar 19410910Naples29 Mar 19411945Naples70Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo5 Apr 19410846Naples5 Apr 19411545Naples69Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo7 Apr 19410855Naples7 Apr 19411700Naples41Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo10 Apr 19410720Naples10 Apr 19411800Naples62,5Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo12 Apr 19410810Naples12 Apr 19411610Naples44Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo14 Apr 19410825Naples14 Apr 19411500Naples31,5Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo19 Apr 19410820Naples19 Apr 19411550Naples46,5Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo21 Apr 19411045Naples21 Apr 19411720Naples40Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo23 Apr 19411213Naples23 Apr 19411848Naples45Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo26 Apr 19410816Naples26 Apr 19411240Naples35Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo28 Apr 19411215Naples30 Apr 19410848Taranto488Passage Naples-Taranto.

Gandolfo, Carlo6 May 19410735Taranto6 May 19411715Taranto75Exercises.

8Gandolfo, Carlo7 May 19412110Taranto8 May 19411000Taranto93Defensive patrol (hydrophone watch) in Gulf of Taranto. Uneventful.

Gandolfo, Carlo9 May 19411032Taranto10 May 19411450Augusta317,5Passage Augusta-Taranto.

9Gandolfo, Carlo13 May 19412130Augusta29 May 19410816Messina1576Patrolled north of Sollum between 31°50'N and 32°20'N, and between 25°20'E and 26°00'E. Uneventful except for H.E.

Gandolfo, Carlo22 Jun 19410820Messina22 Jun 19411210Messina26Trials escorted by MAS 524 and Castiglia.

Gandolfo, Carlo28 Jun 19410820Messina28 Jun 19411540Messina40,5Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo9 Jul 19410800Messina9 Jul 19410900Messina6Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo11 Jul 19411240Messina11 Jul 19411750Messina38Exercises

Gandolfo, Carlo15 Jul 19410805Messina15 Jul 19411600Messina158,5Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo28 Jul 19410845Messina28 Jul 19411235Messina18Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo6 Aug 19411050Messina6 Aug 19411723Messina43Exercises escorted by the auxiliary Castiglia.

Gandolfo, Carlo7 Aug 19410843Messina7 Aug 19411840Messina61Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Castiglia.

Gandolfo, Carlo8 Aug 19410910Messina8 Aug 19411638Messina44,5Exercises.

10Gandolfo, Carlo13 Aug 19411218Messina15 Aug 19411248Messina353,1Patrolled east of Malta, within 10 miles from 35°46'N, 16°04'E on the meridian. Uneventful.

Gandolfo, Carlo19 Aug 19410830Messina19 Aug 19411805Messina59Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo20 Aug 19410705Messina20 Aug 19411720Messina60Exercises.

11Gandolfo, Carlo23 Aug 19410748Messina27 Aug 19411834Messina628,9Patrolled between Pantelleria and Malta, within 10 miles from 36°46'N, 12°52'E on a SE-NW axis. Uneventful.

Gandolfo, Carlo2 Sep 19410900Messina2 Sep 19411100Messina18Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo19 Sep 19410809Messina19 Sep 19411545Messina55Exercises escorted by the auxiliary Marzano.

12Gandolfo, Carlo22 Sep 19412215Messina7 Oct 19411900Augusta1713Patrolled 60 miles north of Ras Amer. No ship sighted during this patrol.
  7 Oct 19410855
0700 (e)
36° 45'N, 15° 34'EAn aircraft identified as a Blenheim bomber (it was actually Maryland B.S.762 of 69 Squadron piloted by Sergeant G.W. Bates) was observed arriving from the northwest. Tricheco put up an accurate antiaircraft fire at a range of 1,500 metres and the aircraft attempted to strafe her without success. At 0936 hours, before an attack could be renewed, the submarine dived.

Gandolfo, Carlo22 Oct 19410745Augusta22 Oct 19411106Augusta17,3Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo28 Oct 19410822Augusta28 Oct 19411210Augusta24,2Exercises escorted by the auxiliary minesweeper 204.

Gandolfo, Carlo7 Nov 19410818Augusta7 Nov 19411210Augusta19,2Exercises.

Gandolfo, Carlo18 Nov 19410830Augusta18 Nov 19411115Augusta10,1Exercises.

13Campanella, Alberto21 Nov 19411455Augusta5 Dec 19411115Augusta1287,6Patrolled southeast of Malta between 34°20'N and 34°40'N, and between 16°00'E and 16°40'E (or and between 15°40'E and 16°00'E?). On a patrol line with Delfino and Settembrini.
  30 Nov 1941114734° 23'N, 15° 46'EAn enemy squadron was first detected by hydrophones at 1045 hours. They came into view and the submarine fired thee torpedoes (533mm) from her bow tubes at a range of 1,500 metres at a target described as a cruiser of the FROBISHER class, one of four cruisers and two destroyers steering 085° at 18 knots. These were actually Force B (the light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMS Neptune of the 7th C.S. with the destroyers HMS Kimberley and HMS Kingston) and Force K (the light cruiser HMS Aurora and HMS Penelope with destroyer HMS Lively). One hit was heard after 75 seconds, but this was not confirmed and the attack does not appear to have been observed. The British squadron only reported a CANT float plane sighted to the SW in position 34°24' N, 15°37' E at 1123 hours.

Campanella, Alberto28 Dec 19410855Augusta28 Dec 19411220Augusta26,3Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary minesweeper Tea.

Tonti, Ermanno1 Jan 1942Date?Augusta14 Jan 1942Date?AugustaChange in command during refit at Augusta.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto17 Jan 19420930Augusta17 Jan 19421200AugustaExercises, escorted by the auxiliary Trau.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto18 Jan 19420910Augusta18 Jan 19421045AugustaExercises.

Avogadro di Cerrione, Alberto23 Jan 19420945Augusta23 Jan 19421630MessinaPassage Augusta-Messina.

Tonti, Ermanno26 Jan 1942Date?Augusta31 Jan 1942Date?AugustaChange in command during refit at Augusta.

Cunsolo, Giovanni6 Feb 19421440Messina6 Feb 19421800MessinaExercises, escorted by the auxiliary Marras.

Cunsolo, Giovanni7 Feb 19420820Messina7 Feb 19421440MessinaExercises, escorted by the auxiliary Marras.

14Cunsolo, Giovanni9 Feb 19421700Messina25 Feb 19421400Augusta?Patrolled north of Cyrenaica, within 8 miles from 34°20'N, 19°50'E on the meridian, with Topazio, Malachite and Perla. On the evening of 13th February, patrol was shifted 20 miles south and then returned to original position. On 15th February, she was ordered to shift her area to 098° - 148 miles.
  23 Feb 1942003035° 33'N, 18° 55'EA sudden wave shook the submarine, which nearly capsized to port with a roll of 60-70 degrees. The diesel engines were stopped and for a short while the submarine proceeded on her electric motors, but acid from the batteries had spilled over forcing the personnel to don gas masks.
  23 Feb 1942062035° 33'N, 18° 55'EAs the submarine was in difficulty and heavy forward, the four forward tubes were discharged for safety reasons. At 0720 hours on the 24th, Dandolo joined her for assistance and they proceeded in company to Augusta.

Cunsolo, Giovanni16 Mar 19421910Augusta18 Mar 19421745SunkOn passage Augusta-Brindisi. Sunk by HMS Upholder.
  18 Mar 19421745
1726+ (e)
40° 41'N, 17° 59'E
(e) 40° 41'N, 17° 57'E
(0) 2 miles off entrance of Brindisi Harbour.
As the submarine was about to enter Brindisi, she was struck by two torpedoes from a salvo of four, fired by the submarine HMS Upholder and sank rapidly. One officer and thirty-seven ratings were killed, four officers (including Cunsolo.) and seven ratings survived and were picked up by the freighter Nazario Sauro and the sailing vessel S. Spiridione.

64 entries. 62 total patrol entries (14 marked as war patrols) and 7 events.

All Italian submarines