Comandante Alfredo Cappellini (CL, I.4, UIT.24)
Cappellini

Type	Ocean going
Class	Improved Marcello (13)
Laid down	25 Apr 1938	Odero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano
Launched	14 May 1939
Commissioned	23 Sep 1939
End service
Stricken
Loss date
Loss position
History	Converted as a transport submarine, code name "AQUILA III". Captured by the Germans at Sabang, renumbered UIT-24. Taken over by Japan at Kobe on 5th May 1945, renamed I-503. Scuttled by the US Navy on 16th April 1946 in the Kii Suido.
Fate

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
Walter Auconi
Walter Auconi		15 Sep 1943
C.C. Cristiano Masi	30 Sep 1939	25 Sep 1940
C.C. Salvatore Todaro	26 Sep 1940	1 Oct 1941
T.V. Aldo Lenzi	1 Oct 1941	28 Jan 1942
S.T.V. Sergio Bresina	28 Jan 1942	10 Apr 1942
C.C. Marco Revedin	10 Apr 1942	30 Apr 1943
C.C. Walter Auconi	1 May 1943	15 Sep 1943

Ships hit

	Date	Commander	Ship hit	Type	GRT	Nat.	Loss type
1.	16 Oct 1940	C.C. Salvatore Todaro	Kabalo	Cargo ship	5,074		Sunk
2.	5 Jan 1941	C.C. Salvatore Todaro	Shakespear	Cargo ship	5,029		Sunk
3.	14 Jan 1941	C.C. Salvatore Todaro	Eumaeus	Cargo ship	7,735		Sunk
4.	2 Dec 1941	T.V. Aldo Lenzi	Miguel De Larrinaga	Cargo ship	5,231		Damaged
5.	19 May 1942	C.C. Marco Revedin	Tisnaren	Cargo ship	5,747		Sunk
6.	31 May 1942	C.C. Marco Revedin	Dinsdale	Tanker	8,214		Sunk

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
	Masi, Cristiano	3 Jun 1940	2300	La Spezia	5 Jun 1940	0200	Cagliari	326	Passage La Spezia-Cagliari with Glauco, Tazzoli and Finzi, escorted by the torpedo boat Curtatone.
1	Masi, Cristiano	6 Jun 1940	1100	Cagliari	14 Jun 1940	0200	Ceuta (Spain)	787,5	Patrolled off Cape Palos, Cape de Gata and Punta Almina (Madeira). Attempted to enter the Atlantic, but failed. Had to go Ceuta because of rudder defects. Sir Samuel Hoare, the British ambassador in Madrid, insisted that the crew should be interned and reported that it had been done, but it was later learnt that the submarine had sailed during the night of 23rd/24th June.
		14 Jun 1940	0050 0005 (e)	(e) 35° 44'N, 5° 16'W	At 0020 hours, Comandante Alfredo Cappellini had reported sighting a light cruiser, three destroyers and two gunboats. At 0050 hours, a destroyer was sighted turning toward the submarine at full speed. Cappellini fired a stern torpedo (533mm) from a distance of 900 metres. This was the destroyer HMS Vidette, who reported being missed astern by the torpedo. The submarine had been reported earlier by the trawler HMT Arctic Ranger. The strong current and shallow depth made maneuvers difficult and C.C. Masi decided to escape to Ceuta where the submarine arrived at 0200 hours.
1b	Masi, Cristiano	23 Jun 1940	2330	Ceuta	29 Jun 1940	1950	La Spezia	887,1	Passage Ceuta-La Spezia for repairs.
		26 Jun 1940	2106 2017 (e)	(e) 36° 54'N, 1° 54'W	At 0335 hours, Cappellini had submerged for a listening watch, using the Rovetto apparatus to maintain her trim. At 2030 hours, at periscope depth, a steamer was observed on a southerly course. She was identified as British. At 2106 hours, one torpedo (533mm) was fired from a distance of 700 metres, but missed. One minute later, she had to submerge as a Spanish vessel suddenly appeared on a collision course. When she surfaced at 2124 hours, her target had disappeared. This had been the British Cydonia (3517 GRT, built 1927).
	Masi, Cristiano	14 Jul 1940	0800	La Spezia	14 Jul 1940	1336	La Spezia	58,5	Exercises.
	Masi, Cristiano	24 Jul 1940	1320	La Spezia	24 Jul 1940	1550	La Spezia	8	Exercises with the submarine Gondar, 5 miles south of Moneglia.
2	Masi, Cristiano	28 Jul 1940	1315	La Spezia	29 Jul 1940	1527	Cagliari	355,6	Sailed for patrol off Cape de Gata but interrupted patrol and diverted to Cagliari because of defects.
2b	Masi, Cristiano	30 Jul 1940	1605	Cagliari	9 Aug 1940	0920	La Spezia	1635,6	Patrolled off Cape de Gata, early return because of defects.
	Masi, Cristiano	12 Aug 1940	0630	La Spezia	12 Aug 1940	1230	La Spezia	75	Exercises.
	Masi, Cristiano	18 Sep 1940	1000	La Spezia	18 Sep 1940	1855	La Spezia	62	Exercises.
	Masi, Cristiano	20 Sep 1940	1230	La Spezia	20 Sep 1940	1625	La Spezia	20	Exercises.
	Masi, Cristiano	25 Sep 1940	0820	La Spezia	25 Sep 1940	1905	La Spezia	86	Exercises.
	Todaro, Salvatore	27 Sep 1940	0800	La Spezia	27 Sep 1940	1630	La Spezia	92,5	Exercises.
3	Todaro, Salvatore	29 Sep 1940	1849	La Spezia	4 Nov 1940	1607	Pauillac	5368,1	Passage La Spezia-Bordeaux (passed Gibraltar on 5th October) patrol off Azores between 32°00'N and 33°40'N, and between 16°50'W and 32°00'W. T.V. Athos Fraternale was second in command and was later to command with distinction Morosini and other submarines.
		13 Oct 1940	1620	(0) Off Lisbon.	At 1620 hours, a steamer was stopped with a warning shot. She proved to be the Yugoslav Rosina Topic (4,307 GRT, built 1913) on passage from Lisbon to New Jersey with a cargo of sugar. She was allowed to proceed.
		15 Oct 1940	2315	32° 20'N, 31° 14'W (e) 31° 59'N, 31° 21'W (0) Approximately.	At 2315 hours, Cappellini sighted a steamer and closed at high speed. The vessel must have also sighted her as it turned away and increased speed. At a distance of 1,500 metres the steamer opened fire with her stern gun. When the range was reduced to 1,000 metres, the submarine replied with her artillery and scored a hit with her third round, which started a fire and silenced the freighter's gun. She was now repeatedly hit and took a list to port. Shortly after, Cappellini fired a torpedo (533mm, S.I. type) from 500 metres but it missed under. A second torpedo (533mm, S.I. type), followed by a third (450mm, W 200 type), also appeared to head straight for the target, but without exploding. The steamer was finally finished off with gunfire and sank at 0400 hours on the 16th. T.V. Athos Fraternale (who was later to command the submarine Morosini and other submarines with great distinction) was in charge of the forward gun. This was the Belgian Kabalo (5,074 GRT, built 1917, captain Georges Vogels) after dispersal of convoy OB.223 (also listed as QB.223d) on passage from Liverpool to Freetown. Only one was killed, a Congolese sailor. There were forty-two survivors. Cappellini picked up twenty-six survivors and landed them on the Island of Santa Maria (Azores). Sixteen survivors were picked up by the Panamanian tanker Panam in 32°03' N, 30°00' W or 475 miles SW of the Azores. Kabalo had not been a lucky ship, she had collided with the Belgian Flanders on 12 February 1940 and the latter had sunk.
		27 Oct 1940	0230	(0) Off Azores.	At 0230 hours, a vessel was sighted. Although she was illuminated, the lights did not conform to regulations. Accordingly, Cappellini fired a warning shot and she stopped. She was the French motor fishing vessel Marcella (800 GRT, built 1932) and reported that she was travelling from Bordeaux to Casablanca (in fact she had sailed from St. Pierre et Miquelon on 19th October). She was allowed to proceed.
3b	Todaro, Salvatore	5 Nov 1940	0825	Pauillac	5 Nov 1940	1115	Bordeaux	30	Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.
4	Todaro, Salvatore	21 Dec 1940	1036	Bordeaux	21 Dec 1940	1520	Le Verdon	38	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
4b	Todaro, Salvatore	22 Dec 1940	1630	Le Verdon	20 Jan 1941	0630	Luz (Gran Canaria)	5728,7	Patrolled off Cape Ortegal, between 40°00'N and 42°00'N, and between 17°00'W and 21°00'W. Off Oporto, Funchal and Canaries and then to Luz, because of damage and to land a wounded crew member. She also took 73 tons of fuel from the supply ship Charlotte Schliemann.
		5 Jan 1941	1127 0930 (e)	18° 05'N, 21° 25'W (e) 18° 05'N, 21° 11'W	At 1000 hours, the masts of a vessel were observed on the horizon. Cappellini took an intercepting course. At 1045 hours, at a distance of 3,000 metres, the merchant ship opened fire. Cappellini altered course to starboard and opened fire with her artillery. The enemy's gunfire was accurate and, at 1100 hours, a shell exploded close to the submarine's aft gun and mortally wounded the gunner Giuseppe Bastoni who fell overboard. He was posthumously awarded the Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare. But the freighter was now being repeatedly hit by the submarine's artillery. At 1127 hours, the white flag was run up the mast and she sank. This was the British Shakespear (5,029 GRT, built 1926), carrying 8,000 tons of coal from Milford Haven to Alexandria via Capetown, a straggler from convoy OB.262. The submarine turned back and conducted a thorough search to locate Bastoni, but he was never found. C.C. Salvatore Todaro, who was to earn the nickname of the "Knight of the Atlantic", was a chivalrous man. He returned to the site of his sinking and rescued twenty-two survivors (including eight wounded, one of whom would die shortly after) and landed them on the Island of Sal (Cape Verde). The destroyer HMS Velox arrived on the scene but found only wreckage. The Portuguese destroyer Gonçalves Zarco found twenty-five survivors (including ten wounded) and landed them on São Vicente Island (Cape Verde) on 9 January 1941.
		9 Jan 1941			Control of the submarine's hydroplane broke down, requiring repairs at sea. The stern was continuously under water and sharks were making the repairs dangerous that had to be kept at bay by rifle fire. The repairs were finally completed during the day.
		14 Jan 1941	0900+ 0658 (e)	9° 00'N, 15° 19'W (e) 8° 55'N, 15° 33'W (0) 285° - Cape Sierra Leon - 118 miles.	At 0830 hours, a large steamer was sighted. After 0900 hours, the submarine had closed to 700 metres and fired a pair of torpedoes (533mm, S.I. type) from the bow tubes. They had a normal run and one appeared to be about to hit near the mast aft, but there was no explosion. The target turned away and opened fire with two guns. Cappellini followed at full speed but the enemy was maintaining a distance of about 2,500 metres. The submarine opened fire with her guns but several of the enemy's shells were falling near her. As the range began to close, Cappellini's machine guns were beginning to take a toll of the freighter's gunners. At 0930 hours, the submarine had to briefly suspend fire as the ammunition' s hoist broke down. Shells had to be passed through the conning tower hatch. At 0940 hours, it was now Cappellini's aft gun that broke down. Gunfire was maintained with the gun forward. At 0950 and 0955 hours, the conning tower was hit by two shells. Tenente G.N. D.M.c. Danilo Stiepovich had just replaced a wounded gunner, when a shell fragment took off his left leg. He remained at his station, fighting to the last. He died of his wounds at 1600 hours. His dying wish had been to watch the enemy vessel sink. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for his sacrifice. This was the British Eumaeus (7,735 GRT, built 1921) proceeding independently at 13 knots from Birkenhead to Shanghai via Capetown with a crew of 91 and about 265 passengers (with 100 servicemen on board for the Far East). She was actually proceeding to Freetown to coal. She fought valiantly for two hours but ran out of ammunition and was finally brought to a halt. Survivors would report that she had been hit by at least 44 rounds. At 1009 hours, Cappellini closed to 700 metres and fired a torpedo (450mm, A 200 type) from a bow tube. It hit under the forward mast and the vessel sank. Twenty-three were killed (eight crew members and fifteen passengers), sixty-three survivors were picked up by the trawlers HMT Bengali and HMT Spaniard who arrived at the scene at 1315 hours. Walrus P.5667 (Lt. V.B.G. Cheesman, RM) of 710 Squadron, which was searching for the U-boat (this was not the Walrus which later attacked Cappellini), alighted and helped out the survivors. At 2000 hours, the destroyers HMS Isis and HMS Encounter and the A/S trawler HMT Pict arrived and picked up more survivors. In all, 305 survivors were picked up. It had been a gruelling fight. Cappellini had one officer killed and nine ratings wounded.
		14 Jan 1941	1122 0819 (e)	(e) 8° 53'N, 14° 56'W	At 1120 hours, Cappellini was about to dive when an aircraft was sighted. Two minutes later, it dropped four bombs and they hit the submarine at the bow extremity and amidship. The attack had been carried out by a Walrus of 710 Squadron (FAA) from the seaplane tender HMS Albatross based in Freetown. It had actually dropped three 100-lb A/S bombs. The submarine was badly damaged and had to take refuge in Luz (Gran Canaria) for repairs.
4c	Todaro, Salvatore	24 Jan 1941	0038	Luz (Gran Canaria)	30 Jan 1941	1710	Pauillac	1905,2	Passage Luz-Pauillac. HMS Tribune was sent to intercept her in 45°44'N, 02°32'W but failed to make contact.
4d	Todaro, Salvatore	1 Feb 1941	0900	Pauillac	1 Feb 1941	1030	Bordeaux	25	Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux.
	Todaro, Salvatore	12 Apr 1941	0700	Bordeaux	12 Apr 1941	1635	La Pallice	117	Passage Bordeaux-La Pallice.
	Todaro, Salvatore	15 Apr 1941	0738	La Pallice	15 Apr 1941	1115	La Pallice	18	Exercises.
5	Todaro, Salvatore	16 Apr 1941	0800	La Pallice	17 May 1941	1435	Bordeaux	5230	Sailed for North Atlantic patrol (a) between 56° and 57°00'N and 21° and 26°00'W (b) between 58° and 59°00'N and 20° and 25°00'W. Todaro was awarded the Silver medal after this patrol.
		21 Apr 1941	0717 0847 (e)	53° 42'N, 17° 55'W (e) 53° 31'N, 17° 36'W	At 0640 hours, two shadows of large ships, later believed to be 10,000-ton armed merchant cruisers apparently screened by three destroyers. Cappellini closed for a surface attack but the sea was very rough (Force 5) making the approach difficult. An enemy report could not be made as her wireless was not working. At 0717 hours, one stern torpedo (533mm) was fired from a distance of 1,500 metres aimed at the first AMC, a vessel of the ACCRA class (9,370 GRT). It missed. At the same time two vessels had spotted the submarine and opened fire with guns and machine guns. At 0723 hours, two stern torpedoes (533mm) were launched at a range of 600 metres and were aimed at the second AMC. The submarine dived upon firing and heard a loud explosion. At the same time, defects were plaguing Cappellini including serious flooding, especially in the radio room and the forward ammunition store. The submarine was forced to surface again very quickly. Only one armed merchant cruiser was still visible and C.C. Todaro assumed the other had sunk. The three destroyers were still distant and he took the opportunity to dive again, this time to 110 metres. From 0830 to 1000 hours, 21 depth charges were counted, usually in groups of 3 or 4. They caused small leaks in a forward compartment and in the mid section. At 1800 hours, no more propeller noises were heard and Cappellini was brought to periscope depth. The horizon was clear and she surfaced. The target had been the Dutch steamer Berkel (2,130 Grt, built 1930) who opened fire with her 4" gun and machine guns and believed to have scored a direct hit abaft the conning tower. The submarine was hunted by the armed trawler HMS St. Wistan, the ocean boarding vessel HMS Corinthian and the sloop HMS Sandwich. They were part of the Gibraltar convoy OG. 59.
		22 Apr 1941	Time?		During the day, Cappellini received a signal from Torelli, reporting a convoy at 1300 hours on the 22nd, 150 miles (Italian Grid 6894/44) steering 025°, 8 knots. She altered course to intercept. Nothing was sighted. On 27th April, she was ordered by BETASOM to move her patrol between 21° and 26° W.
		1 May 1941	2020	56° 45'N, 25° 04'W	An unidentified submarine was observed steering 060°. Cappellini dived upon sighting and came to periscope depth but could not find it anymore and assumed it had also dived.
		7 May 1941	0515	58° 20'N, 22° 54'W	At 0515 hours, a small vessel was observed from a distance of 1,500 metres. It appeared to be a motorboat, similar to the MAS type, 15-20 metres in length and 50-100 tons. Cappellini dived upon sighting and heard that two more A/S vessels had joined this one but there were no depth-charge attack.
		8 May 1941	2250	59° 00'N, 24° 22'W	At 2250 hours, a German U-boat was sighted and they exchanged recognition signals.
		9 May 1941	0138		At 0138 hours, BETASOM signalled Cappellini that German sources had reported the presence of an enemy convoy at 1100 hours on 8th May in Italian Grid 7628/35 (300 miles away) steering 250°, 8 knots. The submarine altered course south to intercept.
		10 May 1941	1215	53° 58'N, 23° 17'W	At 1215 hours, a German U-boat was sighted and they exchanged recognition signals.
		11 May 1941	1930	51° 55'N, 20° 40'W	At 1930 hours, the submarine Luigi Torelli was encountered and exchanged recognition signals.
		14 May 1941	1240	47° 42'N, 13° 50'W	At 1420 hours, the French sailing ship Notre Dame Du Châtelet (453 GRT, built 1921) was stopped. She was proceeding from St. Malo to fish the Newfoundland banks. Todaro, having ascertained her identity, let her proceed. The following day U-43 (KL Wolfgang Lüth) made no distinction and sank her by gunfire.
	Todaro, Salvatore	18 May 1941	1207	Bordeaux	18 May 1941	1250	Bordeaux	2	Entered dock.
6	Todaro, Salvatore	27 Jun 1941	0800	Bordeaux	27 Jun 1941	1248	Le Verdon	65	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
6b	Todaro, Salvatore	28 Jun 1941	0800	Bordeaux	10 Jul 1941	2024	Bordeaux	2449	Sailed for patrol west of Gibraltar to reach Grid 8511/66 (35°58'N, 14°00'W) by 3rd July, but aborted mission because of defects. Salvatore Todaro left her to join Decima Flotilla MAS and was killed by an airplane strafing as he was leading a raid on Bone on 14th December 1942.
		30 Jun 1941	1045+	35° 21'N, 13° 50'W	At 1045 hours, BETASOM ordered the submarines to patrol within 15 miles of the following positions by 3rd July: Torelli in 2533/36 (36°58'N, 12°30'W) Morosini in 2511/33 (36°30'N, 13°20'W) Cappellini in 8511/66 (35°58'N, 14°00'W) Da Vinci in 8511/33 (35°30'N, 13°20'W) Baracca in 8533/31 (35°10'N, 12°30'W) Malaspina in 3972/51 (33°00'N, 11°45'W). Cappellini proceeded toward her position.
		4 Jul 1941	1600	35° 21'N, 13° 50'W	At 1600 hours, a 10,000-ton vessel was sighted,s teering 220°. She bore neutral markings and was left alone.
		5 Jul 1941	1220	35° 55'N, 13° 46'W	At 1220 hours, the submarine Morosini was encountered and information was exchanged by megaphone.
		6 Jul 1941	1730 1637 (e)	35° 55'N, 13° 46'W (e) 37° 34'N, 12° 22'W	At 1730 hours, an aircraft was observed diving on Cappellini from the sun. It was identified as a twin-engined seaplane of the Consolidated 28-5 type. It made two low-flying runs, strafing and each time dropping two depth charges which exploded at a depth of 20-30 metres, about 30 metres from the submarine. This was Catalina ' G' (W8415) of 202 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer R.Y. Powell. The aircraft was instructed to shadow the submarine as long as its endurance permitted and had made several signals to home other aircraft or A/S vessels, but to no avail. It was kept at distance of 3-4,000 metres by the submarine's main artillery, firing 100mm rounds. At 2245 hours, the Catalina left the scene. Upon returning, it ran out of petrol and had to alight 4 miles west of Trafalgar. It had to be towed by a sloop. It had been hit by a single machine gun round from the submarine, but was seriously damaged during the towing.
		8 Jul 1941	1930	43° 05'N, 9° 35'W	At 1930 hours, two small yachts were observed. Ten minutes later, Cappellini developed defects, which forced the interruption of the patrol.
7	Todaro, Salvatore	14 Aug 1941	1145	Bordeaux	14 Aug 1941	1700	Le Verdon	63	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon, then delayed because of defects.
7b	Todaro, Salvatore	15 Aug 1941	2045	Le Verdon	22 Sep 1941	1315	Bordeaux	6850	Sailed for patrol off Portugal in 36°30'N, 12°30'W, between Cape St. Vincent and Cape Finisterre.
		17 Aug 1941	0850	44° 34'N, 5° 47'W	At 0850 hours, an aircraft, believed to be a Heinkel 115, was observed but it took no notice of the submarine.
		17 Aug 1941	1130	44° 34'N, 6° 25'W	At 1130 hours, an aircraft was seen but took no notice of the submarine.
		19 Aug 1941	1615	39° 56'N, 11° 55'W	At 2200 hours on 18th August, Cappellini was ordered to reach Italian Grid 9522/32 (38°15' N, 11°25' W) by 2000 hours on the 20th. At 1615 hours on the 19th, she observed an Italian submarine steering 180°, 12 knots. It was believed to be Mocenigo. At 2210 hours on 20th, the submarine was ordered to Italian Grid 5142/32 (39°15' N, 15°25" W).
		21 Aug 1941	0030	38° 12'N, 11° 30'W	At 0030 hours, an illuminated Portuguese ship was observed steering toward the Azores. At 2200 hours on the 21st, Cappellini was ordered to 40°25' N, 17°15' W, At 0000 hours on the 23rd, she was ordered to Italian Grid 5991/16 (40°25' N, 17°15' W).
		24 Aug 1941	1700-1730	37° 24'N, 13° 40'W	At 0002 hours, Cappellini was ordered to 37°55' N, 13°05' W. At 1035 hours, the order was changed to 32°30' N, 13°30' W (Italian Grid 8391 and 8942). At 1700 hours, a large German submarine was observed. It submerged immediately but surfaced shortly after. It was a modern large U-boat with two guns. The submarines exchanged voice greetings and then the German boat sailed on a 220° course. At 2120 hours on the 26th, Cappellini found a floating gasoline drum with the inscription "SOS MALVERNIAN lat. 47°30' N/ ...W" [Malvernian had been sunk by the Luftwaffe]. During the night of 30th August Cappellini sighted five neutral ships off the Portuguese coast. At 1005 hours on 1st September, Cappellini was ordered to Grid 3302 (36°30' N, 12°30' W).
		30 Aug 1941	Night	(0) West of Cape Espichel.	During the night, three illuminated steamers were observed on southerly course and two more on northerly course.
		4 Sep 1941	0555	36° 06'N, 12° 39'W	At 0555 hours, the Portuguese destroyer Dao was observed steering 235°, 16 knots.
		4 Sep 1941	1900	36° 00'N, 12° 10'W	At 1900 hours, an American destroyer of the MAURY class (GRIDLEY class) was sighted at 1,000 metres, which suddenly made straight for the submarine. Cappellini dived to 100 meters but no depth-charges followed. At 2200 hours, Cappellini was ordered to Italian Grid 9542.
		5 Sep 1941	0210	36° 26'N, 12° 08'W	At 0210 hours, a small Portuguese ship (estimated at less than 1000 GRT) was sighted. She was probably going from the Azores to Portugal. At 2300 hours, Cappellini was ordered to proceed to Italian Grid 5110/13 (39°25' N, 16°05' W) then to Grid 5121/22 (38°15' N, 18°15' W). At 2240 hours on 6th September, she was ordered to Grid 5143/24 (39°35' N, 19°25' W) then to Grid 5119/22 (39°15' N, 21°15' W).
		9 Sep 1941	0610	39° 45'N, 24° 10'W	At 1200 hours on 8th September, Cappellini was ordered to operate in Italian Grids 3995 and 3901 (between 40° N and 41° N and 30° W and 32° W). At 0610 hours on the 9th, the submarine Baracca was encountered. No action was taken taken, not even recognition signals as they were close to the Azores coast and did not wish to reveal their presence.
		20 Sep 1941	1935	45° 24'N, 8° 55'W	At 1935 hours, the French motor fishing vessel Petite Hélène (D 2583) was sighted. She was left undisturbed.
		21 Sep 1941	0810	45° 30'N, 4° 47'W	At 0810 hours, an aircraft, believed to be German, was sighted but it apparently failed to notice the submarine.
	Lenzi, Aldo	12 Nov 1941	1200	Bordeaux	12 Nov 1941	1700	Le Verdon	60	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Lenzi, Aldo	13 Nov 1941	0800	Le Verdon	13 Nov 1941	1700	La Pallice	60	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Lenzi, Aldo	14 Nov 1941		La Pallice	14 Nov 1941		La Pallice	24	Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
8	Lenzi, Aldo	17 Nov 1941	1700	La Pallice	21 Dec 1941	1100	Le Verdon	5700	Patrolled south and southeast of Azores.
		20 Nov 1941	1230	44° 24'N, 11° 40'W	At 1230 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		21 Nov 1941	1210	43° 29'N, 12° 52'W	At 1210 hours, an aircraft of the Consolidated 28 PBY type was seen and the submarine dived.
		25 Nov 1941	0315	40° 50'N, 16° 45'W	At 0315 hours, the Portuguese steamer Santa Princeza (1,179 GRT, built 1930) was sighted. She was apparently proceeding to Oporto.
		30 Nov 1941	0620	39° 10'N, 29° 00'W	At 0620 hours, a destroyer of the AMBUSCADE class was sighted. Cappellini had been sent by Betsasom to intercept a convoy. The submarine closed on the surface to attempt a torpedo attack. She then sighted a second smaller vessel, but lost contact at 0740 hours.
		30 Nov 1941	0917	39° 30'N, 29° 00'W	At 0620 hours, a dark shape was sighted. The submarine closed to investigate and recognised it as a destroyer of the AMBUSCADE class proceeding slowly. At 0650 hours, as the range had closed to 3,000 metres, a smaller warship appeared moving fast at about the same distance. Cappellini dived, but the destroyer now appeared to increase speed. At 0745 hours, the two units disappeared in the distance. At 0917 hours, a corvette appeared at about 400-500 metres, proceeding at about 8 knots. As the range dropped to 300 metres, Cappellini was about to fire torpedoes when the enemy warship suddenly changed course. The opportunity was lost and the submarine lost contact at 0949 hours.
		2 Dec 1941	0716 0616 GMT (e)	35° 34'N, 29° 52'W (e) 35° 24'N, 29° 58'W	At 0030 hours, a dark vessel was observed in 36°11' N, 30°22' W. She was on a zigzag course, steering 140°. The submarine trailed her at a distance of 4-5,000 metres. At 0712 hours, as the moon was low, Cappellini raced to take a position about 3,000 metres ahead of the enemy ship. At 0716 hours, two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at 500 metres. Although, they ran true, no explosions occurred. The freighter changed course and so did the submarine. At 0720 hours, two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the stern tubes from about 1,000-1,200 metres. After 61 seconds, a muffled explosion was heard, followed by two quick explosions and then three more. This was the British Miguel De Larrinaga (5,231 GRT, built 1924), a straggler of convoy O.S.12. She had been hit by a torpedo and made an SOS but she was still moving although at a slower pace. The submarine opened fire from a range of 1,500-2,000 metres, claiming several hits, and then fired another torpedo from a stern tube. It missed. Cappellini dived and prepared to give her a coup de grace by loading a forward and an aft tube with a 450mm torpedo. At 0756 hours, two shadows appeared at 3,500-4,000 metres, approaching fast. They were believed to be destroyers. The submarine fired a stern shot (450mm) from 1,800-2,000 metres. It missed. Cappellini escaped at full speed. Following the freighter's SOS, the Portuguese destroyer Vouga sailed from Ponto Delgada to search for survivors but found nothing. Despite her damages, Miguel De Larrinaga reached Freetown on 14th December.
		3 Dec 1941	1935	35° 35'N, 27° 41'W	At 1935 hours, the Spanish tanker Gobeo (3346 GRT, built 1921) was sighted steering 085°. She was probably proceeding to Cadiz.
		17 Dec 1941	1350	39° 30'N, 18° 40'W	A small white yacht was sighted and the submarine attempted to close, but the vessel escaped at high speed over the horizon.
8b	Lenzi, Aldo	21 Dec 1941	1500	Le Verdon	21 Dec 1941	2010	Bordeaux	60	Passage Le Verdon-Bordeaux.
	Lenzi, Aldo	22 Dec 1941	0945	Bordeaux	22 Dec 1941	1045	Bordeaux	0,7	Entered dock for refit until April 1942.
	Bresina, Sergio	28 Jan 1942		Bordeaux	10 Apr 1942		Bordeaux		Refit in Bordeaux. Change in command.
	Revedin, Marco	21 Apr 1942	0957	Bordeaux	21 Apr 1942	1425	Le Verdon	62	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Revedin, Marco	22 Apr 1942	0753	Le Verdon	22 Apr 1942	1836	La Pallice	72	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice.
	Revedin, Marco	23 Apr 1942	1747	La Pallice	23 Apr 1942	1434	La Pallice	19,5	Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Revedin, Marco	25 Apr 1942	1000	La Pallice	25 Apr 1942	1336	La Pallice	16,5	Trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
9	Revedin, Marco	27 Apr 1942	1500	La Pallice	19 Jun 1942	1300	Bordeaux	8735	Sailed for patrol off Natal (Brazil) between 36°00'W meridian, Punta Tres Irmaos Light, Pititinga Light, Rocas Island and 02°35'S, 36°00'W.
		29 Apr 1942	2318	44° 59'N, 8° 35'W	An illuminated fishing vessel was sighted and the submarine turned away to avoid being seen.
		2 May 1942	1932 2025 (e)	39° 05'N, 15° 44'W (e) 38° 58'N, 16° 01'W	The submarine Bagnolini was encountered and exchanged recognition signals.
		11 May 1942	1725	19° 33'N, 26° 48'W	At 1705 hours, a convoy of nine ships was detected. The submarine closed, but at 1908 hours, a corvette was sighted turning toward the submarine at a distance of 9,000 meters. The submarine dived and moved at full speed underwater to a point 3,500 meters from the point where it had submerged This was the sloop HMS Hastings. Cappellini was depth-charged and escaped by diving to a depth of 125 meters. She tried to surface at 2315 hours, but was depth-charged again as she was coming up at 70 meters. She dived again with her stern, reaching 145 meters, finally surfacing at 0305 hours on the 12th, during a heavy rain squall.
		19 May 1942	0041 2230GMT (e)	3° 28'N, 32° 15'W (e) 3° 38'N, 32° 11'W	At 1537 hours, on 18th May, a large motorship was sighted at 12,000 metres in 05°29' N, 32°19' W. Cappellini maneuvered to trail her at the limit of visibility (22,000 metres) with the intention of closing to attack after dark. At 2309 hours, the vessel changed course and contact was temporarily lost. It was regained 20 minutes later. At 0041 hours on 19th May, in a surface attack, a single torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube. It hit under the bridge. This was the Swedish Tisnaren (5747 GRT, built 1918), a straggler from convoy OS.27 bound from Liverpool for Rio de Janeiro. Simultaneously, from 0041 hours, the vessel was finished off by gunfire, the submarine making use of her two deck guns (100mm/47) and machine-guns and the ship was abandoned, fire being suspended while to allow them to take to the boat and then resumed at 0057 and the ship sank. There were no casualties, forty-two survivors were rescued by the steamer Green Mountain and brought to Trinidad.
		20 May 1942	2015	0° 01'S, 33° 07'W	At 2015 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		22 May 1942	2116	3° 35'S, 35° 13'W	At 2116 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		23 May 1942	1640	3° 17'S, 35° 35'W	At 1640 hours, an aircraft was sighted at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		23 May 1942	1930	3° 15'S, 35° 37'W	At 1930 hours, an aircraft was seen at 15-16,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		24 May 1942	0907	3° 54'S, 35° 09'W	At 1458 hours, the Argentine steamer Rio De La Plata (former Italian Principessa Maria, 8,329 GRT, built 1923) was observed steering 330°, 12 knots.
		24 May 1942	1020	3° 59'S, 35° 01'W	At 1020 hours, an American cruiser of the CONCORD class, escorted by destroyers, was sighted at 15.000 metres, steering 330°, 15 knots. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen. She surfaced at 1347 hours and made an enemy report at 1415 hours.
		24 May 1942	1630	4° 19'S, 34° 50'W	At 1630 hours, a 10,000-ton tanker was sighted steering 300°, 10 knots. The submarine closed until her Argentine nationality was recognised and the attack aborted.
		26 May 1942	0628 0445Z (e)	2° 19'S, 34° 36'W (e) 2° 58'S, 34° 12'W	At 0628 hours, an aircraft of the Consolidate type was sighted while Cappellini was chasing a vessel reported by Archimede. At 0631 hours, the submarine dived and two minutes later a bomb was heard. This was a Catalina (PBY-5A) of USN squadron VP-83, which dropped a single MK 17 depth charge. It was piloted by Lt.(jg) H.G. Cooper.
		26 May 1942	1420	1° 36'S, 35° 14'W	At 1420 hours, a biplane aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		28 May 1942	1450	2° 47'S, 32° 41'W	At 1450 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		31 May 1942	0233	0° 45'S, 29° 40'W	At 1130 hours on 30th May, a vessel was observed coming out of the mist in 00°11' N, 31°56' W. It was recognised as a large tanker steering 140° at 13 knots. Cappellini trailed her, but the task was difficult due the rough seas (Force 4) and the frequent rain squalls, reducing visibility to 5-6,000 metres. The sun had set at 2319 hours (reminder: this was Rome Time). At 0233 hours, a pair of torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at a distance of 3,500 metres, The wakes must have been spotted, as the tanker altered course and they missed ahead. This was the British tanker RFA Dinsdale (8,214 GRT, built 1942). She was bound from Trinidad for Port Elisabeth and Durban. At 0318 hours, Cappellini closed to 450 metres, launching a second pair of torpedoes from the bow tubes at a 10-second interval. At the same time, the tanker opened fire on the submarine at an accelerated rate. After 23 seconds, a torpedo was observed to hit between the forward mast and the bridge. Shortly after, the second torpedo hit between the bridge and the mast aft. The submarine could not use her guns due to the rough seas and had to dive to avoid the gunfire from the tanker. At 0330 hours, a loud explosion was heard and the hydrophones picked up the propeller noises of the tanker and it appeared she was moving slowly away. At 0547 hours, a stern shot (450mm) was made from 2,000 metres and was observed to hit the engine room. At 0604 hours, another stern shot (450mm) was made from 2,500 metres and was seen to hit at the same spot as the preceding one. The tanker sank at 0612 hours. Of her crew, five were killed and forty-four survivors (including Master) were rescued by the Spanish Monte Orduna (5529 GRT, built 1922) and landed at Las Palmas.
		11 Jun 1942	1108	30° 24'N, 22° 45'W	At 1108 hours, a drifter was seen steering 120°. The submarine turned away to avoid being seen.
		14 Jun 1942	1048	40° 25'N, 16° 36'W	At 1048 hours, an aircraft was seen at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		14 Jun 1942	1215	40° 32'N, 16° 30'W	At 1215 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen at 7-8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		15 Jun 1942	1356	44° 00'N, 14° 08'W	At 1356 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		17 Jun 1942	2207	44° 26'N, 7° 04'W	At 2207 hours, three smokes were briefly sighted on the horizon before they disappeared.
		18 Jun 1942	2311	44° 43'N, 3° 38'W	At 2311 hours, the shadow of. small vessel was seen and the submarine turned away.
	Revedin, Marco	13 Aug 1942	0842	Bordeaux	13 Aug 1942	1250	Le Verdon	62	Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.
	Revedin, Marco	15 Aug 1942	0800	Le Verdon	15 Aug 1942	1722	La Pallice	77,3	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials at Le Pertuis d'Antioche.
	Revedin, Marco	17 Aug 1942	0804	La Pallice	17 Aug 1942	1202	La Pallice	10,2	Exercises.
10	Revedin, Marco	21 Aug 1942	1430	La Pallice	17 Oct 1942	1457	Bordeaux	8245	Sailed for patrol off Freetown, between 04°00'N and 10°00'N, and between 18°00'W and 21°00'W. Participated in the rescue of the Laconia survivors. Most were transferred to Vichy ships, but the submarine kept six Italian prisoners and two British PoWs.
		21 Aug 1942	0220	(0) La Pallice harbour.	At 0220 hours, during an air raid on La Pallice, bombs fell near the dock but Cappellini was not damaged.
		28 Aug 1942	1355	39° 14'N, 16° 23'W	At 1355 hours, the conning tower of a submarine was briefly seen. Cappellini turned away.
		28 Aug 1942	1422	39° 14'N, 16° 23'W (0) Approximately.	At 1422 hours, a destroyer was seen at 15,000 metres. The submarine dived and two more ships were detected by hydrophones.
		29 Aug 1942	0007	38° 39'N, 17° 08'W	At 0007 hours, an illuminated Portuguese 7-8,000-ton ship was seen steering 090°, 10 knots. The submarine turned away.
		30 Aug 1942	1411	35° 36'N, 19° 30'W	At 1411 hours, A biplane aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		2 Sep 1942	1008	28° 48'N, 20° 02'W	At 1008 hours, a periscope was observed and Cappellini moved away.
		16 Sep 1942	0828	4° 08'S, 11° 58'W	At 0730 hours on 13th September, Cappellini deciphered a signal from BETASOM (00615/13) indicating that a British ship (Laconia sunk by U-156, KL Werner Hartenstein) carrying 1,500 Italian PoWs had been sunk. The submarine was to proceed to rescue the survivors, but to maintain radio silence. At 1010 hours, she altered course to conform to the order. At 0052 hours on the 14th, she was instructed by BETASOM to rendezvous with U-506 (KL Erich Würdemann) in Italian Grid 8971/53, as survivors were being divided between a number of submarines. At 0828 hours on the 16th, a first lifeboat was encountered. It had 50 British survivors who appeared to be well equipped, so Cappellini moved on.
		16 Sep 1942	1032	4° 20'S, 11° 57'W	At 1032 hours, a second lifeboat sighted. It had eighty-four British survivors from Laconia (twenty-five children, eighteen women and forty-one men). At first, they appeared terrorised by the submarine. T.V. Revedin quickly reassured them and proposed to take the women and the children, but they were reluctant to do so as their boat was well stocked with food and water. He provided them with more provisions and they cheered the Italian submarine as it moved away.
		16 Sep 1942	1653	4° 47'S, 12° 05'W	At 1653 hours, four lifeboats were sighted, two of them semi-submerged with survivors from Laconia. The submarine took all the forty-nine Italian survivors except one who gave signs of dementia and refused to be picked up. Nineteen British and Polish survivors who were in the water were also picked up. The submarine remained with the lifeboats in the area, expecting the arrival of Vichy French vessels. The British and Polish survivors were transferred back to the lifeboats the next afternoon and the submarine left in search of the Vichy vessels. At 0710 hours on the 17th, one of the Italian survivors passed away. He was only known from the other survivors as Vincenzo or Ruggero "the medic". He was buried at sea. At 1210 hours, another Italian survivor succumbed. He was Giovanni Volch and was also buried at sea.
		20 Sep 1942	0948	2° 09'S, 13° 09'W	At 0948 hours, the French sloop Dumont d'Urville was met. She had been dispatched from Dakar. The submarine transferred her forty-one Italian survivors to the French warship. She kept six Italians and two British officers.
		21 Sep 1942	1223	2° 08'S, 13° 08'W	At 1223 hours, an unknown warship was sighted. Cappellini dived. It appeared to be a small warship, probably one of the French vessels announced.
		21 Sep 1942	1501	2° 04'S, 13° 21'W	At 1501 hours, Cappellini had just surfaced when a warship was suddenly sighted [probably searching for the Laconia survivors]. The submarine dived again.
		23 Sep 1942	1010	3° 48'N, 17° 26'W	At 1010 hours, a Sunderland was sighted at 12,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		23 Sep 1942	1135	3° 51'N, 17° 31'W	At 1135 hours, a smoke was seen on the horizon. It was a ship zigzagging and steering on a 045° mean course. At 1200 hours, Cappellini dived for a submerged attack but could not detect the vessel with the hydrophones. She came to periscope depth but the foggy lenses (due to the extreme heat) made observation difficult. At 1246 hours, the submarine surfaced and sighted the freighter 7,000 metres away. T.V. Revedin took his submarine down again but by 1400 hours, the distance had only closed to 5-6,000 metres. This was British steamer Bruyère (5,335 GRT, built 1919), bound from Rio de Janeiro for Freetown. At 1402 hours, in 03°53' N, 17°33' W, Cappellini was still at periscope depth and chasing the steamer, when a Sunderland aircraft was sighted. Revedin was forced to take his submarine down to 40 meters. The submarine surfaced at 1442 hours and the steamer was still in sight. At 1627 hours, in 04°10' N, 17°32' W, Cappellini was still chasing the British steamer Bruyère and dived immediately. The submarine surfaced at 1704 hours and sighted the steamer again at 1758 hours and maneuvered to attack. At 2304 hours,in 04°50' N, 17°18' W, Cappellini was making her final run on her target when another shadow was suddenly sighted. At 2336 hours, Bruyère was suddenly rocked by two explosions. She had just been torpedoed by U-125 (KL Ulrich Folkers).
		4 Oct 1942	0335	26° 18'N, 20° 10'W	At 0215 hours, an illuminated vessel was sighted, shortly after followed by another. The first was a 5,000-ton Swiss ship steering 210°, 12 knots, the other was a 1,500-ton Portuguese ship steering 015°, 8 knots. The submarine turned away.
		13 Oct 1942	0842	44° 10'N, 7° 22'W	At 0842 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was sighted at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		13 Oct 1942	0929	44° 09'N, 7° 19'W	At 0929 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived. Later, distant explosions were heard.
		14 Oct 1942	1012	44° 18'N, 5° 04'W	At 1012 hours, a Sunderland aircraft was sighted at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		14 Oct 1942	1632	44° 15'N, 4° 19'W	At 1632 hours, a biplane aircraft was seen at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		16 Oct 1942	0812	44° 08'N, 2° 16'W	At 0812 hours, a large seaplane was seen at 8,000 metres, apparently taking off. The submarine dived.
		16 Oct 1942	1022	44° 23'N, 2° 22'W	At 1022 hours, an aircraft was seen at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		16 Oct 1942	1512	44° 57'N, 2° 33'W	At 1512 hours, an aircraft, possibly a Junker 88, was seen at 10,000 metres. Cappellini dived as her recognition signals were out of date.
	Revedin, Marco	17 Dec 1942	1500	Bordeaux	17 Dec 1942	1730	Pauillac	35	Passage Bordeaux-Pauillac. Delayed at Pauillac because of the presence of magnetic mines in the river.
	Revedin, Marco	20 Dec 1942	1330	Pauillac	20 Dec 1942	1630	Le Verdon	27	Passage Pauillac-Le Verdon and trials off Le Verdon.
	Revedin, Marco	21 Dec 1942	0930	Le Verdon	21 Dec 1942	1900	La Pallice	77,3	Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice and trials.
	Revedin, Marco	23 Dec 1942	0815	La Pallice	23 Dec 1942	1400	La Pallice	15	Trials.
	Revedin, Marco	24 Dec 1942	1430	La Pallice	24 Dec 1942	1635	La Pallice	10	Trials.
11	Revedin, Marco	26 Dec 1942	1500	La Pallice	4 Mar 1943	1605	Bordeaux	9419	Patrolled northwest of Cape Verde Islands, North of Brazil and on meridian 500 miles east of Trinidad (she was equipped with Metox). Patrol was marred by various defects. The submarine was armed with four S.I.C. (magnetic pistols) torpedoes, but three experienced battery problems and had to be replaced with regular torpedoes.
		28 Dec 1942	0500-0530	44° 20'N, 5° 36'W	At 0500 hours, an unidentified submarine was observed and it turned toward Cappellini. The Italian submarine dived.
		29 Dec 1942	2000	44° 19'N, 9° 00'W	At 2000 hours, an aircraft was seen at 8,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		30 Dec 1942	0030	44° 02'N, 9° 30'W	At 0030 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. Apparently this was the first time Metox was used by an Italian submarine. It proved very useful, especially in the Bay of Biscay. Cappellini dived.
		30 Dec 1942	2020	43° 20'N, 10° 24'W	At 2020 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox and the submarine dived.
		2 Jan 1943	1830	38° 59'N, 17° 58'W	At 1830 hours, an aircraft was seen at 15,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		26 Jan 1943	1530	1° 00'S, 39° 20'W	At 1830 hours, an aircraft was seen at 12,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		26 Jan 1943	1725	1° 03'S, 39° 21'W	At 1725 hours, a seaplane was seen at 10,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		27 Jan 1943	2143	0° 10'N, 40° 25'W	At 2143 hours, an aircraft was seen at 9,000 metres and the submarine dived.
		12 Feb 1943	1216		At 1216 hours, an illuminated ship was sighted at 8,000 metres steering 175°. The submarine attempted to investigate but could not close and, at 2319 hours, resumed her original course.
		19 Feb 1943	2040		At 2040 hours, a ship was sighted at 10,000 metres. The submarine attempted to intercept but lost contact.
		24 Feb 1943	1413 1411 (e)	38° 00'N, 17° 05'W (e) 38° 50'N, 16° 37'W	At 1413 hours, a twin-engine seaplane was sighted. Cappellini dived. This was Catalina 'D' of 202 Squadron, piloted by Flight Lieutenant C.J. Le Couteur. It had sighted the Italian submarine and employed baiting tactics, hoping the submarine would surface again in a short time.
		24 Feb 1943	1557 1545A (e)	38° 05'N, 17° 01'W (e) 38° 58'N, 16° 34'W	At 1557 hours, Cappellini had surfaced again when, at 9,000 metres, a large aircraft of the Consolidated type (Catalina) was sighted. T.V. Revedin had ordered the machine guns to be manned, but the order was misinterpreted to be for diving. Cappellini was rocked by five explosions as she was submerging as well as strafed by machine guns. The aircraft was again Catalina 'D' of 202 Squadron whose patience had been rewarded when the Italian submarine was sighted at 16 miles. She had maneuvered to get the sun immediately astern and swooped down to the attack. Her six Mark XI Torpex depth charges had straddled the submarine. The submarine was damaged, but temporary repairs were made.
		24 Feb 1943	2306	38° 00'N, 17° 05'W (0) Approximately.	At 2306 hours, an aircraft was detected by Metox and Cappellini dived. At a depth of 30 metres, a leak developed preventing the submarine from going deeper.
		25 Feb 1943	0129	38° 00'N, 17° 05'W (0) Approximately.	At 0129 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived to 30 metres but the Metox broke down.
		28 Feb 1943	0115	43° 44'N, 9° 55'W	At 0129 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived but again the Metox broke down.
		2 Mar 1943	1945	44° 05'N, 6° 18'W	At 1945 hours, a four-engine aircraft was seen and the submarine dived.
		4 Mar 1943	0420		At 0420 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived.
		4 Mar 1943	0521		At 0521 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. The submarine dived.
		4 Mar 1943	0750-0822		At 0722 hours, an aircraft was detected with Metox. Cappellini, already late on schedule, remained on the surface with gun crews at the ready but was not attacked.
	Auconi, Walter	4 May 1943		Bordeaux	5 May 1943	PM	La Pallice		Passage Bordeaux-La Pallice.
12	Auconi, Walter	11 May 1943		Bordeaux	9 Jul 1943	1515	Sabang	12122	Storing trip to the Far East (95 tons). She sailed escorted by M 344, Sperrbrecher 5 and Sperrbrecher 9 via point P1 to Point Pilz (BF 6848 or 45°57' N, 02°15' W) which was reached at 1238. They waited there for the inbound U 600 and U 706 which arrived at 1300. Then all boats including Cappellini returned in the direction of P1. When reaching the 70-metre depth line, Cappellini carried out test dive and then proceeded on her voyage. Thanks to Dr Axel Niestlé for these details.
		14 May 1943	0750-0822	45° 02'N, 9° 21'W	At 0750 hours, two A/S motorboats were observed.
		18 May 1943	?	37° 50'N, 17° 25'W	During the night, an illuminated steamer was sighted steering east by northeast.
		27 May 1943	?	10° 10'N, 24° 20'W	During the night, an illuminated steamer was seen on a southwest course.
		24 Jun 1943	?		During the night, an illuminated steamer on a southwest course. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen.
		25 Jun 1943	?	22° 20'S, 60° 10'E	During the day, a 7,000-ton steamer was observed. The submarine submerged to avoid being seen.
12b	Auconi, Walter	10 Jul 1943	1935	Sabang	14 Jul 1943	1029	Singapore (Syonan)		Passage Sabang-Singapore, escorted by sloop Eritrea.
12c	Auconi, Walter	21 Aug 1943		Singapore (Syonan)	24 Aug 1943		Sabang		Sailed for Bordeaux escorted by Eritrea, but ordered back to Singapore by Tokyo, to sail with Giuliani instead. Since Torelli was due to arrive in Singapore where only two Italian submarines could be accommodated, it was decided to go to Sabang instead.
	Auconi, Walter	13 Sep 1943		Sabang	15 Sep 1943		Singapore (Syonan)		Passage Sabang-Singapore. Taken over by the Japanese, then by the Germans on 10 September 1943. Renamed UIT-24. Under Oberleutnant Heinrich Pals, with a mixed crew of Italian and German sailors, she carried out six patrols. Auconi and his crew were interned by the Japanese. On 29th October 1943, they were put on the German blockade-runner Burgenland which sailed for Bordeaux, but on 5th January 1944, she was located by a Martin PBM-3S "Mariner" of VP-203 (Lt. Stanley V. Brown) and was then damaged by gunfire from the light cruiser USS Omaha and the destroyer USS Jouett (DD-396). Later scuttled in 08°06'S, 26°45'W. On 7 January, twenty-one survivors were picked up by the destroyer USS Davis (DD-395) and on 8 January, thirty-five survivors were picked up by the destroyer USS USS Winslow (DD-359). Auconi and thirty-one survivors were picked up by a Brazilian ship.
		6 May 1945		Kobe	6 May 1945		Kobe		On 10th May 1945, was taken over by the Imperial Japanese Navy and renamed I-503. She survived the war and was sunk off Kobe, by the United States Navy, on 16th April 1946.

152 entries. 54 total patrol entries (12 marked as war patrols) and 110 events.

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