Italian submarines in World War Two


CB 2
CB 2


CB 2 (USMM)

TypeMidget 
ClassCB (42) 
Laid down Caproni-Taliedo, Milan
Launched
Commissioned27 Jan 1941
End service
Stricken
Loss date
Loss position
History Transferred to the Black Sea. Transferred to Romania after the armestice. Scuttled by the Romanians in August 1944. Raised by the Soviets and commissioned as TM-5. Scrapped in 1945.
Fate

Commands


CommanderDate fromDate toCommand notes
S.T.V. Serafino Corio10 May 194115 Sep 1941
S.T.V. Attilio Mario Russo16 Sep 1941Nov 1942
S.T.V. Arrigo BarbiJun 1943Oct 1943

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

 CommanderDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Corio, Serafino10 May 1941La Spezia10 May 1941La SpeziaEntered service.

Corio, Serafino16 May 19410800La Spezia16 May 19411600La Spezia40Exercises.

Corio, Serafino22 May 19410900La Spezia22 May 19411230La Spezia11Exercises with another unidentified CB boat and the submarine Zaffiro.

Corio, Serafino23 May 19410800La Spezia23 May 19411300La Spezia21Exercises.

Corio, Serafino24 May 19410800La Spezia24 May 19411230La Spezia13Exercises with the submarine Zaffiro.

Corio, Serafino25 May 19411330La Spezia25 May 19411830La Spezia21Exercises.

Corio, Serafino29 May 19411330La Spezia29 May 19411900La Spezia24Exercises.

Corio, Serafino30 May 19411400La Spezia30 May 19411900La Spezia23Exercises.

Corio, Serafino2 Jun 19410930La Spezia2 Jun 19411200La Spezia4Exercises.

Corio, Serafino11 Jun 19411500La Spezia11 Jun 19411745La Spezia9Exercises.

Corio, Serafino14 Jun 19412050La Spezia15 Jun 19410950La Spezia65Exercises with CB 3.

Corio, Serafino18 Jun 19411500La Spezia18 Jun 19411730La Spezia6Exercises.

Corio, Serafino20 Jun 19411500La Spezia20 Jun 19411700La Spezia6Exercises.

Corio, Serafino21 Jun 19410900La Spezia21 Jun 19411200La Spezia8Exercises.

Corio, Serafino27 Jun 19411445La Spezia27 Jun 19411615La SpeziaExercises.

Corio, Serafino30 Jun 19411500La Spezia30 Jun 19411730La Spezia14Exercises.

Corio, Serafino8 Jul 19410830La Spezia8 Jul 19411200La Spezia11Exercises.

1Corio, Serafino8 Jul 19411630La Spezia9 Jul 19410930La Spezia45,3Antisubmarine patrol with CB 3. Uneventful.

Corio, Serafino1 Aug 19410845La Spezia1 Aug 19411815La Spezia12,4Exercises.

Corio, Serafino2 Aug 19411440La Spezia2 Aug 19411810La Spezia6Exercises.

Corio, Serafino3 Aug 19410800La Spezia3 Aug 19411235La Spezia6Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat La Masa.

2Corio, Serafino3 Aug 19411730La Spezia4 Aug 19411135La Spezia64Surface patrol with CB 3.

Corio, Serafino15 Aug 19411100La Spezia16 Aug 19410450La Spezia26Exercises.

Corio, Serafino16 Aug 19410825La Spezia16 Aug 19411400La Spezia21Exercises.

Corio, Serafino25 Aug 19411710Naples25 Aug 19411725La Naples0,1Changed anchorage?

Corio, Serafino26 Aug 19410550Naples26 Aug 19411310Salerno45Passage Naples-Salerno [CB 2 and CB 6 had arrived at Naples by train].

3Corio, Serafino15 Sep 19411600Salerno16 Sep 19411730Salerno104,6Antisubmarine patrol off Salerno in zone 2/sub-zone 9.
  15 Sep 19412320
(0) Off Salerno.
At 2320 hours, a vessel was sighted at a distance of 1,000 metres, steering 170°, 7-8 knots.

CB 2 closed to 700 meters for an attack, but recognized it as a medium-sized steamer and let her go. S.T.V. Russo had been informed of the passage of an Italian convoy, but not ships travelling alone.

Russo, Attilio Mario22 Sep 19411022Salerno22 Sep 19411120Salerno4,5Exercises?

4Russo, Attilio Mario26 Sep 19411745Salerno27 Sep 19411145Salerno79Antisubmarine surface patrol. Uneventful.

5Russo, Attilio Mario5 Oct 19411600Salerno7 Oct 19411247Salerno163,5Antisubmarine patrol. Uneventful.

Russo, Attilio Mario3 Nov 19411000Salerno3 Nov 19411215Salerno10Exercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario19 Nov 19410830Salerno19 Nov 19411510Salerno40Exercises.

6Russo, Attilio Mario21 Nov 19411900Salerno22 Nov 19410940Salerno72,1Antisubmarine patrol. Uneventful.

Russo, Attilio Mario24 Nov 19410925Salerno24 Nov 19411210SalernoExercises with motorboats AB.65 and AB.83.

7Russo, Attilio Mario24 Nov 19411800Salerno25 Nov 19410900Salerno62,1Antisubmarine patrol. Uneventful. Heard only H.E.

8Russo, Attilio Mario28 Nov 19410900Salerno30 Nov 19411620Salerno220,25Antisubmarine patrol with CB 5. Uneventful.

Russo, Attilio Mario5 Dec 19410500Salerno5 Dec 19411515Ischia58,05Passage Salerno-Ischia.

9Russo, Attilio Mario11 Dec 19411600Ischia12 Dec 19411000Ischia76Hydrophone watch. Uneventful.

10Russo, Attilio Mario14 Dec 19412220Ischia15 Dec 19410630Ischia76Antisubmarine watch. Uneventful.

11Russo, Attilio Mario15 Dec 19411600Ischia16 Dec 19411000Ischia69,2Antisubmarine watch. Uneventful.

Russo, Attilio Mario19 Dec 19410800Ischia19 Dec 19411110Naples25Passage Ischia-Naples.

Russo, Attilio Mario21 Dec 19410825Naples21 Dec 19411420Salerno40Passage Naples-Salerno.

Russo, Attilio Mario23 Dec 19411035Salerno23 Dec 19411215Salerno10Exercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario13 Jan 19420920Salerno13 Jan 19421510Naples40Passage Salerno-Naples. Then to La Spezia by train.

Russo, Attilio Mario16 Mar 19421000La Spezia16 Mar 19421420La SpeziaExercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario26 Mar 19421155La Spezia26 Mar 19421220La SpeziaExercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario28 Mar 19421100La Spezia28 Mar 19421450La Spezia40Exercises, escorted back by the torpedo boat Climene [mileage from 16th March].

Russo, Attilio Mario11 Apr 1942Date?La Spezia5 May 19421450GalatzPassage La Spezia-Galatz by train.

Russo, Attilio Mario5 May 1942Date?Galatz7 May 19421945CostanzaPassage Galatz-Costanza.

Russo, Attilio Mario22 May 1942Costanza22 May 1942CostanzaExercises?

Russo, Attilio Mario25 May 19420730Costanza25 May 19421200Costanza20Exercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario29 May 19420730Costanza29 May 19421200CostanzaExercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario2 Jun 19422345Costanza5 Jun 19421100Yalta280Passage Costanza-Yalta with CB 1 and CB 3.
  3 Jun 19420458At 0458 hours, a German aircraft was sighted and exchanged recognition signals.

12Russo, Attilio Mario7 Jun 19421920Yalta9 Jun 19420930Yalta126Patrolled south of Sevastopol between 44°10'N and 43°50'N, and between 33°10'E and 33°24'E.
  8 Jun 1942072644° 10'N, 33° 15'EAt 0726 hours, noises from two turbines were heard. CB 2 was at a depth of 18 meters when two depth charges exploded close by. The submarine escaped by going down to 45-50 meters.

13Gallinaro, Francesco12 Jun 19421425Yalta14 Jun 19420930Yalta144Patrolled south of Sevastopol, on the meridian of Cape Sarych, 30 miles from the cape, then at dawn of the 13th 182° - Cape Chersonese - 22 miles. Uneventful.

14Russo, Attilio Mario16 Jun 19421755Yalta18 Jun 19421200Yalta130Patrolled south of Sevastopol. According to sailing orders, was to have patrolled in 44°17'N, 33°39'E and 44°17'N, 33°13'E (probably patrolled only latter position as she sailed one day later than ordered).
  17 Jun 1942104544° 17'N, 33° 13'E
(0) Approximately.
At 1045 hours, CB 1 was sighted and the two midgets proceeded in company.
  17 Jun 1942144844° 17'N, 33° 13'E
(0) Approximately.
At 1448 hours, a large submarine was sighted at a distance of 5,000 metres. Since CB 1 was closer to the enemy submarine, CB 2 disengaged.
  17 Jun 19421835At 1835 hours, two Soviet aircraft were sighted at a distance of 6,000 metres, flying toward the submarine. CB 2 dived.
  17 Jun 19422340At 2340 hours, a Soviet vessel was sighted at a distance of 200 metres. It made a recognition signal and CB 2 dived.
  18 Jun 19420230At 0230 hours, a Soviet aircraft of the MBR2 type was sighted flying at an altitude of 150 meters toward the midget submarine. CB 2 immediately dived.
  18 Jun 19420335At 0335 hours, an aircraft was seen at a distance of 8-9,000 metres and the submarine dived.
  18 Jun 19420502
0606 (e)
44° 17'N, 33° 13'EAt 0500 hours, a Soviet submarine was sighted dead ahead at distance of 1,800 metres. It appeared to be of the CHUKA ([SHCHUKA] class and about to submerge.

At 0502 hours, two torpedoes (450mm) were fired with an interval of 8 seconds. The first was a surface runner. The enemy submarine was now diving and CB 2 did the same. One explosion was heard after 100 seconds and it was believed to have been sunk.

The target was the small Soviet submarine A-4 (Senior Lieutenant Sergey Artemyevich Trofimchuk) and she was missed. At 0606C hours, the Russians heard an explosion which probably the same explosion heard in CB 2 and was probably that of a torpedo exploding prematurely.
  18 Jun 1942064444° 17'N, 33° 13'E
(0) Approximately.
At 0644 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
  18 Jun 19420825
(0) 125° - Cape Sarytsch 12 miles.
At 0825 hours, two small boats were sighted and CB 2 closed to investigate to about a distance of 50 metres. Suddenly, eight men were seen firing with pistols, light machine-guns and two machine guns.

The midget submarine turned away but was hit by about 20 rounds. Fortunately, none of the crew was hit. A light machine-gun was used to keep the two small boats at a distance. At 0830 hours, CB 2 reported the incident and at 1010 hours, an Italian MAS was sighted on its way to look for the two boats.

These were actually two small boats from a reconnaissance detachment from SOR (Sevastopol Defence District), returning after an unsuccessful landing behind enemy lines.

Russo, Attilio Mario19 Jun 19421300Yalta19 Jun 19421300YaltaAt Yalta damaged under air attack.
  19 Jun 19421300
(0) At Yalta.
At 1300 hours, CB 2 and CB 3 were anchored at Yalta when they came under air attack.

The periscope of CB 2 was seriously damaged and could only be repaired at Costanza.

Russo, Attilio Mario21 Jun 19421615Yalta25 Jun 19422130Costanza372Passage Yalta-Costanza with CB 3 via 43°47'N, 31°38'E. Suffered from defective rudder and compass. Needed three weeks repairs.

Russo, Attilio Mario15 Aug 19421215Costanza18 Aug 19420700Costanza246Passage Costanza-Yalta with CB 3 and CB 6, but all returned because of defects.

Russo, Attilio Mario19 Aug 1942Costanza19 Aug 1942CostanzaExercises.

Russo, Attilio Mario13 Sep 19421330Costanza14 Sep 19421500BurgasPassage Costanza-Burgas with CB 3.

15Russo, Attilio Mario16 Sep 19420900?Burgas19 Sep 19420700?BurgasPatrolled near Bosphorus with CB 3, between 41°30'N and the Turkish coast and east of 29°30'E .

Russo, Attilio Mario21 Sep 19420900Burgas22 Sep 19421530Costanza530Passage Burgas-Costanza with CB 3 [mileage from 13th September].

Russo, Attilio Mario16 Oct 19421200Costanza17 Oct 19420745SulinaPassage Costanza-Sulina, towed by the German barge Penelope (KTB Group South, reports three Italian C.B. boats arriving at Sevastopol on 17th October and arriving at Sulina).

Russo, Attilio Mario17 Oct 19421100Sulina19 Oct 19421200Sevastopol298Passage Sulina-Sevastopol.

16Russo, Attilio Mario2 Nov 19421210Sevastopol3 Nov 19420810Yalta90Passage Sevastopol-Yalta and antisubmarine patrol south of Cape Sarych with CB 4.

17Russo, Attilio Mario6 Nov 19421550Yalta7 Nov 19420700Yalta42Antisubmarine patrol south of Yalta with CB 4. C.C. Luigi Longanesi was an observer. Uneventful.

18Russo, Attilio Mario13 Nov 19421500Yalta14 Nov 19420810Sevastopol45Antisubmarine patrol south of Cape Sarych with CB 4. Because of bad weather the patrol was shifted on the leeward of Cape Aj-Todor. Uneventful.

19Russo, Attilio Mario16 Nov 19421100Yalta17 Nov 19421520Sevastopol120Passage Yalta-Sevastopol and antisubmarine patrol south of Cape Sarych with CB 4.

22 Nov 19420800Sevastopol23 Nov 19421956OstchakovPassage Sevastopol-Ostchakov with CB 1, CB 4 and CB 6.

26 Nov 1942Date?Ostchakov27 Nov 1942OdessaPassage Ostchakov-Odessa with CB 1, CB 4 and CB 6.

28 Nov 19420600?Odessa28 Nov 19421500?BugazPassage Odessa-Bugaz with CB 1, CB 4 and CB 6.

30 Nov 19420600?Bugaz30 Nov 19421930SulinaPassage Odessa-Sulina with CB 1, CB 4 and CB 6.

1 Dec 19421100Sulina2 Dec 19420500Costanza440Passage Sulina-Costanza with CB 1, CB 4 and CB 6.

Barbi, Arrigo16 Jun 1943Costanza16 Jun 1943CostanzaExercises?

Barbi, Arrigo17 Jun 1943Costanza17 Jun 1943CostanzaExercises?

Barbi, Arrigo21 Aug 19430730Costanza25 Aug 19431330Sevastopol300Passage Costanza-Sevastopol.

20Barbi, Arrigo27 Aug 19430600Sevastopol30 Aug 19431230Sevastopol250Patrolled between (a) 44°15'N, 33°45'E (b) 44°00'N, 33°45'E (c) 44°15'N, 34°15'E (d) 44°00'N, 34°15'E.

21Barbi, Arrigo1 Sep 19431900Sevastopol3 Sep 19431500Sevastopol150Antisubmarine patrol.

Barbi, Arrigo9 Sep 1943Sevastopol9 Sep 1943SevastopolSeized at Sevastopol.

22Barbi, Arrigo15 Sep 1943Sevastopol16 Sep 1943SevastopolPatrolled during operation MAINTLAND.

3 Dec 19433 Dec 1943According to an ULTRA signal they flew the Rumanian flag on 3 December 1943.

90 entries. 82 total patrol entries (22 marked as war patrols) and 13 events.

All Italian submarines