Italian submarines in World War Two
Reginaldo Giuliani (GN, I.14, UIT.23)
Giuliani
The Reginaldo Giuliani arrives at Gotenhafen in April 1941 for operation Marigammasom (the training course for commanders)
Type | Ocean going | |
Class | Liuzzi (16) | |
Laid down | 13 Mar 1939 | Cantieri Navale Tosi di Taranto, Taranto |
Launched | 3 Dec 1939 | |
Commissioned | 3 Feb 1940 | |
End service | 9 Sep 1943 | |
Stricken | ||
Loss date | 14 Feb 1944 | |
Loss position | 4° 27'N, 100° 11'E | |
History | Converted as a transport submarine, code name "AQUILA II". Seized by the Germans at Singapore on 9th September 1943. Renamed UIT-23. | |
Fate | Sunk on 14 February 1944 in the Straits of Malacca south of Penang, in position 04°27'N, 100°11'E by the submarine HMS Tally-Ho |
Commands
Commander | Date from | Date to | Command notes |
---|---|---|---|
T.V. Bruno Zelik | 25 Apr 1940 | 12 Aug 1940 | |
C.C. Renato D'Elia | 13 Aug 1940 | 12 Jan 1941 | |
T.V. Giovanni Baù | 13 Jan 1941 | 19 Jan 1941 | |
C.F. Vittore Raccanelli | 20 Jan 1941 | 10 Apr 1941 | |
C.C. Adalberto Giovannini | 11 Apr 1941 | 1 Jun 1942 | |
C.C. Giandomenico Bruno | 1 Jun 1942 | 31 Jan 1943 | |
T.V. Aredio Galzigna | 1 Sep 1942 | 3 Nov 1942 | |
T.V. Gianfranco Gazzana Priaroggia | 4 Sep 1942 | 4 Sep 1942 | |
C.F. Ferdinando Corsi | 1 Feb 1943 | 20 Feb 1943 | |
C.C. Athos Fraternale | 20 Feb 1943 | 30 Apr 1943 | |
C.C. Mario Tei | 1 May 1943 | 9 Sep 1943 |
Ships hit
Date | Commander | Ship hit | Type | GRT | Nat. | Loss type | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 10 Aug 1942 | C.C. Giandomenico Bruno | Medon | Cargo ship | 5,915 | Sunk | |
2. | 13 Aug 1942 | C.C. Giandomenico Bruno | California | Cargo ship | 5,376 | Sunk | |
3. | 14 Aug 1942 | C.C. Giandomenico Bruno | Sylvia De Larrinaga | Cargo ship | 5,218 | Sunk |
Patrols and events
Commander | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Zelik, Bruno | 6 Jun 1940 | 0800 | Taranto | 21 Jun 1940 | 1810 | Taranto | 1462,8 | Patrolled 35 miles south of Gavdo and south of Crete in 34°20'N, 24°20'E. On 18th June, patrol was shifted 25 miles to the west. Formed a line with Bagnolini, Tarantini and Salpa. | |
Zelik, Bruno | 1 Jul 1940 | 0800 | Taranto | 1 Jul 1940 | 1055 | Taranto | 10,5 | Exercises. | ||
Zelik, Bruno | 11 Jul 1940 | 1155 | Taranto | 11 Jul 1940 | 1533 | Taranto | 19 | Exercises. | ||
2 | Zelik, Bruno | 12 Jul 1940 | 0748 | Taranto | 27 Jul 1940 | 1543 | Taranto | 1682,9 | Patrolled northeast of Derna from 33°05'N, 22°40'E, 20 miles to SE and SW with the submarine Bagnolini. From the night of 23 July, patrol was shifted to 33°40'N parallel. | |
24 Jul 1940 | 0435 | (0) Off Derna. | At 0435 hours, As the submarine was diving, the hatch fell heavily on the head of the gunner Cesario Verardo. The gunner was severely injured and despite attempts to administer him first aid he died at 0525 hours on the following day. | |||||||
27 Jul 1940 | 0157 0215 (e) | (0) 31 miles south of Cape Santa Maria di Leuca. | At 0157 hours, Giuliani sighted a shadow at 1,200-1,500 metres. It was believed to be a submarine and it dived. This was most likely Bagnolini. Giuliani also dived and Zelik heard a noise and believed the "enemy" submarine had fired a torpedo, but this was not the case. | |||||||
D'Elia, Renato | 13 Aug 1940 | 0725 | Taranto | 13 Aug 1940 | 1139 | Taranto | 18 | Trials. | ||
D'Elia, Renato | 14 Aug 1940 | 0729 | Taranto | 14 Aug 1940 | 1515 | Taranto | 32,9 | Trials. | ||
D'Elia, Renato | 16 Aug 1940 | 0735 | Taranto | 16 Aug 1940 | 1431 | Taranto | 26,8 | Trials. | ||
D'Elia, Renato | 27 Aug 1940 | 1345 | Taranto | 28 Aug 1940 | 2015 | Trapani | 431,6 | Passage Taranto-Trapani. | ||
3 | D'Elia, Renato | 29 Aug 1940 | 1855 | Trapani | 5 Oct 1940 | 1020 | Le Verdon | 5122,2 | Passage to Bordeaux. Passed Gibraltar on 10th September 1940. Patrolled in area between 32°00'N and 33°40'N, and between 16°50'W and 30°05'W. On 30th September 1940, the submarine had water damage to the diesel plant. Note: in the early hours of 11th September, a French squadron also crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, HMS Hotspur, HMS Griffin and HMS Encounter were hunting a submarine at the time but Giuliani does not seem to have been much disturbed. Met Baracca and escorted in by the German minesweepers M-9 and M-13. | |
26 Sep 1940 | 1120 | 33° 25'N, 21° 35'W | (Time not given) A steamer was sighted steering 030°. The flag could not be distinguished, but appeared to be red. At 1120 hours, from a distance of 5,000 metres, the vessel opened fire on the submarine with a stern gun, the shells fell short but with a yellow colouring. She escaped when Giuliani's gun jammed. | |||||||
5 Oct 1940 | 0815+ 0716 (e) | 45° 39'N, 1° 41'W | At 0815 hours, Giuliani was proceeding in company of Baracca, escorted by the German minesweepers M-9 and M-13 and by the Sperrbrecher Cap Hadid, when three torpedo wakes were sighted. They apparently missed 300 metres astern and exploded at the end of their run. The attacker was the submarine HMS Tigris (Lieutenant Commander H.F. Bone, RN). She had sighted what was believed to be three U-boats (only two were present) escorted by two ELAN class boats and had fired a salvo of four torpedoes from 2,500 yards range. Two explosions were heard after 124 and 131 seconds and then only two U-boats were sighted, leading Lt. Cdr. Bone to believe that a U-boat had been sunk. | |||||||
3b | D'Elia, Renato | 5 Oct 1940 | 1827 | Le Verdon | 5 Oct 1940 | 2010 | Pauillac | Passage Le Verdon-Pauillac. | ||
5 Oct 1940 | 0815+ 0716 (e) | 45° 39'N, 1° 41'W | At 0815 hours, Giuliani was proceeding in company of Baracca, escorted by the German minesweepers M-9 and M-13 and by the Sperrbrecher Cap Hadid, when three torpedo wakes were sighted. They apparently missed 300 metres astern and exploded at the end of their run. The attacker was the submarine HMS Tigris (Lieutenant Commander H.F. Bone, RN). She had sighted what was believed to be three U-boats (only two were present) escorted by two ELAN class boats and had fired a salvo of four torpedoes from 2,500 yards range. Two explosions were heard after 124 and 131 seconds and then only two U-boats were sighted, leading Lt. Cdr. Bone to believe that a U-boat had been sunk. | |||||||
3c | D'Elia, Renato | 6 Oct 1940 | 0800 | Pauillac | 6 Oct 1940 | 1057 | Bordeaux | Passage Pauillac-Bordeaux. | ||
4 | D'Elia, Renato | 10 Nov 1940 | 1550 | Bordeaux | 10 Nov 1940 | 1840 | Pauillac | Passage Bordeaux-Pauillac. | ||
4b | D'Elia, Renato | 11 Nov 1940 | 1515 | Pauillac | 7 Dec 1940 | 1440 | Bordeaux | 2505,6 | Patrolled west of Ireland between 54°00'N and 54°40'N, and between 15°00'W and 21°00'W. Her commanding officer was criticised by Admiral Parona and was removed from his submarine command. | |
24 Nov 1940 | 1915 | 49° 10'N, 19° 50'W | At 1915 hours, suddenly an armed merchant cruiser was sighted coming out of a rain squall at a distance of 3,500 metres, steering 000°, 14 knots. It may have sighted the submarine as she turned toward her and increased speed. Giuliani dived and lost hydrophone contact at 2000 hours. At 2130 hours, she surfaced and made an enemy report. | |||||||
Baù, Giovanni | 13 Jan 1941 | Bordeaux | 19 Jan 1941 | Bordeaux | 2505,6 | Change in command. | ||||
Raccanelli, Vittore | 30 Jan 1941 | Bordeaux? | 30 Jan 1941 | Date? | Le Verdon? | According to the KTB of 2.MSFL, Giuliani made a sortie on this date escorted by M-12 and M-21. Italian documents do not confirm such a movement. | ||||
Raccanelli, Vittore | 5 Mar 1941 | 1040 | Bordeaux | 5 Mar 1941 | 1450 | Le Verdon | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon and tested her gyro-compass. | |||
Raccanelli, Vittore | 6 Mar 1941 | 0855 | Le Verdon | 6 Mar 1941 | 1650 | La Pallice | 105,6 | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice escorted by M-6 and M-21? [mileage is from Bordeaux]. | ||
Raccanelli, Vittore | 8 Mar 1941 | 0800 | Le Verdon | 8 Mar 1941 | 1400 | La Pallice | 19 | Exercises. | ||
5 | Raccanelli, Vittore | 16 Mar 1941 | 1850 | La Pallice | 30 Mar 1941 | 1845 | Brunsbüttel | 1458,5 | Transfer to Gotenhaven and brief Atlantic patrol, passage via 47°30'N, 14°00'W and 53°00'N, 18°00'W then route north to 60°00'N and passage between Iceland and Faroes. Met by Sperrbrecher 32 and escorted in. | |
19 Mar 1941 | During the day, the submarine was informed of an enemy convoy of five merchant ships escorted by gunboats at 1100 hours in 55°05' N, 12°35' W (Italian Grid 0607/44), course 230°, 8 knots. Giuliani altered course to intercept. At 1945 hours, a new signal received indicated that the convoy at 1700 hours was now in Grid 0645/13 on course 260°, 8 knots. This forced a new alteration of course, but visibility was only a few hundred meters and the submarine submerged to use her hydrophones, but without success. At 0505 hours the following day, the intersection point had been reached and Giuliani searched an area 10 miles wide along the presumed path. Visibility was only a few hundred meters and the submarine submerged at 0606 hours to use her hydrophones, again without success. At 0900 hours, the chase was abandoned. | |||||||||
5b | Raccanelli, Vittore | 31 Mar 1941 | 0800 | Brunsbüttel | 31 Mar 1941 | 1410 | Kiel | 1816,5 | Passage Brunsbüttel-Kiel [mileage is from La Pallice]. | |
5c | Raccanelli, Vittore | 4 Apr 1941 | 0610 | Kiel | 6 Apr 1941 | 0920 | Gotenhaven | 358 | Passage Kiel-Gotenhaven escorted by the German submarine tender Isar. | |
Giovannini, Adalberto | 16 Apr 1941 | 0800 | Gotenhaven | 17 Apr 1941 | 1712 | Gotenhaven | 175 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 21 Apr 1941 | 1325 | Gotenhaven | 23 Apr 1941 | 0840 | Gotenhaven | 175 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 24 Apr 1941 | 1000 | Gotenhaven | 26 Apr 1941 | 0840 | Gotenhaven | 232 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 28 Apr 1941 | 0840 | Gotenhaven | 28 Apr 1941 | 1321 | Gotenhaven | 8 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 30 Apr 1941 | 0945 | Gotenhaven | 2 May 1941 | 1411 | Gotenhaven | 321,5 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 5 May 1941 | 0605 | Gotenhaven | 8 May 1941 | 1454 | Gotenhaven | 376,8 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 9 May 1941 | 1015 | Gotenhaven | 12 May 1941 | 0950 | Danzig | 398,4 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 19 May 1941 | 0846 | Danzig | 19 May 1941 | 1340 | Gotenhaven | 15 | Passage Danzig-Gotenhaven. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 20 May 1941 | 0815 | Gotenhaven | 24 May 1941 | 0450 | Gotenhaven | 407 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 26 May 1941 | 1245 | Gotenhaven | 29 May 1941 | 0520 | Gotenhaven | 373 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 30 May 1941 | 1300 | Gotenhaven | 1 Jun 1941 | 0642 | Gotenhaven | 380 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 4 Jun 1941 | 1049 | Gotenhaven | 8 Jun 1941 | 0551 | Gotenhaven | 555 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 11 Jun 1941 | 1100 | Gotenhaven | 14 Jun 1941 | 0511 | Gotenhaven | 411 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 16 Jun 1941 | 1025 | Gotenhaven | 17 Jun 1941 | 0135 | Gotenhaven | 70 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 20 Jun 1941 | 0625 | Gotenhaven | 20 Jun 1941 | 1850 | Königsberg | 99 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 22 Aug 1941 | 0817 | Königsberg | 22 Aug 1941 | 1935 | Pillau | 56,6 | Passage Königsberg-Pillau. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 23 Aug 1941 | 0817 | Pillau | 23 Aug 1941 | 1935 | Danzig | 59 | Passage Pillau-Danzig. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 9 Sep 1941 | 0839 | Gotenhaven | 9 Sep 1941 | 2120 | Danzig | 10,4 | Passage Gotenhaven-Danzig. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 16 Sep 1941 | 0803 | Gotenhaven | 16 Sep 1941 | 1710 | Gotenhaven | 69,5 | Exercises (firing, etc.). | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 20 Sep 1941 | 0900 | Gotenhaven | 20 Sep 1941 | 1303 | Gotenhaven | 5 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 24 Sep 1941 | 0858 | Gotenhaven | 24 Sep 1941 | 1605 | Gotenhaven | 77 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 26 Sep 1941 | 0858 | Gotenhaven | 26 Sep 1941 | 1611 | Gotenhaven | 61 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 2 Oct 1941 | 0600 | Gotenhaven | 5 Oct 1941 | 0747 | Gotenhaven | 552 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 7 Oct 1941 | 0730 | Gotenhaven | 11 Oct 1941 | 0755 | Gotenhaven | 557 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 15 Oct 1941 | 0802 | Gotenhaven | 18 Oct 1941 | 0907 | Gotenhaven | 544 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 22 Oct 1941 | 0720 | Gotenhaven | 22 Oct 1941 | 1727 | Gotenhaven | 90 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 28 Oct 1941 | 0840 | Gotenhaven | 31 Oct 1941 | 2400+ | Gotenhaven | 736 | Exercises. Probably returned on 1st November 1941. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 4 Nov 1941 | 0800 | Gotenhaven | 7 Nov 1941 | 1348 | Gotenhaven | 392 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 11 Nov 1941 | 0747 | Gotenhaven | 13 Nov 1941 | 1642 | Gotenhaven | 362 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 18 Nov 1941 | 0800 | Gotenhaven | 21 Nov 1941 | 0930 | Gotenhaven | 397 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 24 Nov 1941 | 0800 | Gotenhaven | 28 Nov 1941 | 0932 | Gotenhaven | 528 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 2 Dec 1941 | 0839 | Gotenhaven | 4 Dec 1941 | 2120 | Gotenhaven | 434,5 | Exercises. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 28 Jan 1942 | 0832 | Gotenhaven | 28 Jan 1942 | 1518 | Neufahrwasser | 31,5 | Passage Gotenhaven-Danzig. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 12 Feb 1942 | 0925 | Neufahrwasser | 12 Feb 1942 | 1150 | Danzig | 2,5 | Passage Neufahrwasser-Danzig. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 13 Apr 1942 | 0800 | Danzig | 13 Apr 1942 | 1708 | Danzig | 60,4 | Trials. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 16 Apr 1942 | 0824 | Danzig | 16 Apr 1942 | 1139 | Gotenhaven | 10 | Passage Danzig-Gotenhaven. | ||
Giovannini, Adalberto | 2 May 1942 | 0925 | Gotenhaven | 3 May 1942 | 1900 | Kiel | 350,8 | Passage Gotenhaven-Kiel. | ||
6 | Giovannini, Adalberto | 9 May 1942 | 0854 | Kiel | 10 May 1942 | 2145 | Kristiansand | 315,3 | Passage Kiel-Kristiansand for eventual passage to Bordeaux. C.C. Gian Domenico Bruno was a passenger and was to have taken command of the submarine Pietro Calvi, but he actually took over Reginaldo Giuliani. | |
6b | Giovannini, Adalberto | 11 May 1942 | 0400 | Kristiansand | 23 May 1942 | 1400 | Bordeaux | 2807,4 | Proceeding under escort off Skudesnes (Norway). At 1730 hours on 12th May, she left escort. | |
13 May 1942 | 2202 | 61° 30'N, 2° 00'E | At 2202 hours, an aircraft was seen at 9,000 metres and the submarine dived. | |||||||
14 May 1942 | 1219 | 62° 15'N, 1° 50'E | At 1219 hours, a fast steamer was seen at 18-19,000 metres steering 065°. Giuliani turned away to avoid being seen. | |||||||
20 May 1942 | 1215 | 47° 30'N, 15° 00'W | At 1215 hours, a German 500-ton submarine was sighted steering 108°. Giuliani took evasive action but, at 1359 hours, the submarine was sighted again and exchanged recognition signals. | |||||||
20 May 1942 | 2126 | 46° 50'N, 12° 30'W | At 2126 hours, the same U-boat was sighted and exchanged again recognition signals. | |||||||
23 May 1942 | 0655 | (0) Off Le Verdon. | At 0655 hours, while Giuliani was being escorted by a German minesweeper, a mine detonated 100 metres to starboard side. | |||||||
23 May 1942 | 0830 | (0) Off Le Verdon. | At 0830 hours, while Giuliani was being escorted by a German minesweeper, a mine detonated 70 metres on the port side. | |||||||
Bruno, Giandomenico | 18 Jun 1942 | 0905 | Bordeaux | 18 Jun 1942 | 1335 | Le Verdon | 46 | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon. | ||
Bruno, Giandomenico | 19 Jun 1942 | 0400 | Le Verdon | 19 Jun 1942 | 1237 | La Pallice | 68 | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice. | ||
Bruno, Giandomenico | 20 Jun 1942 | 0745 | La Pallice | 20 Jun 1942 | 1030 | La Pallice | 6 | Exercises. | ||
Bruno, Giandomenico | 21 Jun 1942 | 0745 | La Pallice | 21 Jun 1942 | 1417 | La Pallice | 9 | Exercises. On 22nd June 1942, the German minesweepers M-28 (KL Koch), M-27 and M-152 sailed from Royan, to clear the approaches of La Pallice in anticipation of Giuliani's departure. | ||
7 | Bruno, Giandomenico | 24 Jun 1942 | 1634 | La Pallice | 3 Sep 1942 | 0750 | Santander | 10495,2 | Patrolled south of the Bahamas. Carried eighteen torpedoes (eight forward and eight aft and two stored on deck forward) and 283 rounds of 12 cm). Following air attacks on 1 and 2 September 1942, the submarine was seriously damaged, C.C. Bruno was woundeds and T.V. Aredio Galzigna took over temporary command. The submarine was forced to take refuge in Santander (northern Spain). | |
2 Jul 1942 | 0325 | 38° 45'N, 20° 04'W | At 0325 hours, a light was seen at the distance , Giuliani closed to 1,000 meters and recognised it as a Spanish vessel, similar to the German La Plata. The submarine turned away. | |||||||
16 Jul 1942 | 1545 | 27° 30'N, 61° 04'W (0) Approximately. | At 1545 hours, Giuliani intercepted an SOS from Rolindoncaster (sic). This was actually the American freighter Robin Doncaster who made the SOS at 0915 hours,then reporting she was being chased by a U-boat then by two U-boats in 28°06' N, 61°28' W. This position was about 330° - 42 miles from Giuliani, which was confirmed by radiogoniometry. The submarine altered course to intercept. The chase was interrupted by a bomber at 1938 hours (see other entry). The nearest U-boat to Robin Doncaster was U-161 (KL Albrecht Achilles) which was in German Grid DD 7876 (26°51'N, 65°14' W) at the time who did not mention any incident. | |||||||
16 Jul 1942 | 1938 1739Z (e) | 28° 00'N, 61° 22'W | At 1938 hours, Giuliani was trying to close on "Rolindoncaster" (see 1545 hours entry) when a Boeing Flying Fortress bomber was sighted flying straight toward the submarine. Giuliani dived immediately. Three bombs exploded very close as she was passing the depth of 25 meters, but no damage was incurred. She escaped by going down to 90 meters and remained underwater until 0130 hours. This was actually Catalina P-6 (No. 2367) from VP-2 Squadron (based in Bermuda)piloted by Chief Machinist Mate Russel. It dropped three depth-charges some three minutes after the submarine had disappeared, a fourth was a dud. Only some oil was observed after the attack. Note: there was another air attack on that day at 1221Z hour, by Catalina P-2 (No. 2374) from the same squadron. It was piloted by Chief Machinist mate F.B. Haag and occurred in 28°30' N, 62°00' W. However, this attack was not on Giuliani. | |||||||
22 Jul 1942 | 1926 1915 (e) | 23° 55'N, 62° 38'W (0) German Grid DO 6251. | At 1926 hours, Giuliani encountered U-571 (KL Helmut Möhlmann) who had sailed from La Rochelle. They exchanged recognition signals. | |||||||
23 Jul 1942 | 1700 | 23° 05'N, 60° 45'W (0) Italian Grid 2126/15. | At 1700 hours, Giuliani encountered the submarine Giuseppe Finzi. Finzi gave Giuliani 50 tons of fuel and 4.5 tons of water (figures are slightly different in Finzi's patrol report). The whole process took about seven hours. | |||||||
24 Jul 1942 | 1640+ | 22° 50'N, 60° 50'W | At 1640 hours, a smoke was sighted on the horizon. As it seemed to steer toward Giuliani, the submarine submerged. It appeared to be a 10,000-ton motorship. (Time not given) Two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at a distance of 3,500 metres. One hit was heard after 5 minutes but the vessel did not appear to have been damaged and escaped at high speed in the mist. The result has not been confirmed. | |||||||
10 Aug 1942 | 0831 0345 (e) | 9° 45'N, 38° 25'W | At 0330 hours, a steamer was sighted at a distance of 1,000 metres. The submarine was in a prohibited zone and had to request authorisation to attack from BETASOM, which was granted at 0704 hours. At 0831 hours, two torpedoes were fired from the forward tubes at a distance of 1,700 metres. C.C. Bruno decided to hurry his attack as dawn was breaking and he feared he might be spotted. One torpedo hit the vessel in the stern section, but she remained afloat and did not take a list. She made an SOS identifying her as the British Medon (5,915 GRT, built 1923). She had been zigzagging on a true 240° course at 10.75 knots, in ballast and bound from Capetown to New York via Trinidad. She had been struck in no. 5 hold and her crew had abandoned ship in four life boats. After two hours, the vessel did not appear to sink and some survivors reboarded her to take some stores. A third torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube at 800 metres. It had an irregular course and missed. At about 1130 hours, as Medon was armed with a stern gun, Giuliani moved to a distance of 5,000 metres and began shelling her. The second round was observed to be a direct hit on the bridge. Thirty rounds were fired of which twenty-five were claimed to have hit. A fourth torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) was fired from a stern tube at a distance of 500 metres. It appeared to hit amidship but missed under (according to survivors it passed under the bow). At 1232 hours, a fifth torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) was fired from 700 metres. It hit the stern and Medon sank three minutes later. The entire crew of sixty-four survived. Nineteen survivors from one lifeboat were rescued by the Norwegian Tamerlane (17th August), another lifeboat was picked up by the Panamanian Rosemont (18th August), a third lifeboat by the Portuguese Luso and the fourth by the British schooner Millie Masher. | |||||||
12 Aug 1942 | 1840 | At 1840 hours, a vessel, believed to be a decoy ship, was sighted on a westerly course. Giuliani gave chase until 2244 hours when she disappeared at high speed. | ||||||||
13 Aug 1942 | 2030 1935 GMT (e) | 9° 31'N, 33° 47'W | At 1730 hours, a steamer was observed on a westerly course. As she was in a restricted area, C.C. Bruno requested permission to attack from BETASOM. At 2030 hours, permission was granted and Giuliani closed to 800 metres and fired a pair of torpedoes (450 mm, W 200 type). Both appeared to have missed ahead after an irregular run, but survivors testified that one had actually hit, but failed to explode. The vessel made an SOS giving her identity as the American California (5,376 GRT, built 1920). She was carrying 4,000 tons of manganese from Bombay to New York via Capetown and Trinidad. At 2158 hours, the submarine surface and proceeded at full speed toward the target, opening fire with her deck gun. Thirty-seven rounds were fired. Survivors confirm that nearly twenty hit, but California did not sink, nor was she set afire despite the incendiary rounds from the Breda machine guns. At 2235 hours, Giuliani presented her stern and fired a torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) from 600 metres, it hit forward and California sank slowly. The crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats, each carrying nineteen survivors. At 1400 hours on 9 September, in German grid EJ 8573 (11°39' N, 24°09' W), U-459 (Georg von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff) came across one of the lifeboats and gave them provisions. One boat was picked up by the British City Of Cape Town and the other (eighteen survivors, one having died of exposure) was rescued by the Norwegian Talisman. | |||||||
14 Aug 1942 | 2040 1620 EWT (e) | 10° 30'N, 33° 45'W | At 1400 hours, a smoke was sighted in 10°45' N, 33°45' W. Very shortly after, the two masts and funnel of a large steamer steering 290-320° was observed. Giuliani maneuvered to take a position ahead of her. At 1930 hours, the submarine closed, submerged to 60 metres, but the sea was very calm and C.C. Bruno had to be careful not to reveal his presence. It appeared to be an 8,000-ton steamer, armed with 120mm gun forward and a 76mm gun aft, four antiaircraft guns and a depth charge thrower. At 2040 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from bow tubes and one hit amidship and the vessel broke in two. This was the British Sylvia De Larrinaga (5,218 GRT, built 1925) bound for Baltimore from Capetown via Trinidad and carrying 2,000 tons of manganese ballast. At 2043 hours, Giuliani surfaced at about 700 metres from her. Despite her predicament, the freighter opened fire with her stern gun, forcing the submarine to dive quickly, but she sank ten minutes after being struck. Twenty-six survived and forty-three were killed or missing. The second torpedo had actually not left the tube and as Giuliani dived, it left the tube and exploded under the submarine's bow. C.C. Bruno was not immediately aware of the situation, as the interphone had broken down. The forward torpedo room was filled with gas from the torpedo, necessitating the crew to don masks. Breaking up noises from the sinking vessel were heard. At 2125 hours, the submarine surfaced and sighted nine lifeboats. | |||||||
1 Sep 1942 | 1112 1028 (e) | 44° 49'N, 5° 05'W | At 1112 hours, a Sunderland was sighted at 3-4,000 metres. It attacked and was met by antiaircraft fire from Giuliani's deck and Breda guns. It was observed to release ten or twelve bombs, but they fell wide and did not damage the submarine. This was Sunderland 'U' of 10 Squadron (RAAF), piloted by Flight Lieutenant S.R.C. Wood, which strafed the submarine but actually dropped only four 250-lb depth-charges. At 1117 hours, another Sunderland appeared and also attacked the submarine. This was Sunderland 'R' of the same squadron, piloted by Flight Lieutenant H.G. Pockley. It attacked the submarine, releasing two 250-lb bombs on the first run and a third on the second run. It also strafed the submarine. C.C. Bruno and rating Alfonso Ruocco were wounded. Bruno, hit in the throat, was seriously wounded and bleeding profusely. His First Officer, T.V. Aredio Galzigna, had to take over command. The Sunderland was also hit by the antiaircraft fire. At 1140 hours, a third bomber similar to a Sunderland appeared and attacked, but was repulsed by the antiaircraft fire of the submarine's four machine guns . Shortly after, one of the aircraft was hit and was later reported to have crashed in Spain. The identity of this aircraft has not been established and it is possible that the Giuliani report, with the confusion brought by the wounding of her commander, mixed up the attacks. At 1715 hours, an aircraft was seen which looked like a Junker 88. The submarine was expecting German fighter air cover but T.V. Galzigna did not take a chance and Giuliani dived and surfaced an hour later. At 1848 hours, another aircraft was seen at a great distance. A recognition signal was made but was not answered. The submarine dived and had reached a depth of 30 metres when she was shaken by the explosion of four depth charges. They caused only minor damages. This was Whitley 'Q' of 502 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer D.R, Fray . It had detected the submarine by A.S.V. radar at a distance of 5.5 miles. It attacked from a height of 70 feet and released six Torpex depth-charges, set to explode at a depth of 25 feet, but two hung up. The aircraft dropped smoke floats to mark the spot and left after 15 minutes. At 2335 hours, four signals were received informing Giuliani that a German escort could be expected during the night. She was told to meet them at 0100 hours on 2nd September in 44°45' N, 03°55' W. She replied that she could only be at 0900 hours in 44°55' N, 04°45' W. | |||||||
2 Sep 1942 | 1050 | 44° 55'N, 4° 45'W | At 1050 hours, five aircraft was seen and Giuliani dived. She had been at the rendezvous point to meet her German naval escort, but they had failed to show up. At 1155 hours, the submarine surfaced and resumed passage. In the meantime, three Junkers 88 had reported that they had failed to locate the submarine. They had not sighted enemy aircraft, but had observed three German minesweepers proceeding to the rendezvous. Visibility was excellent and two Junkers 88 later reported in action with a Sunderland. | |||||||
2 Sep 1942 | 1244 1140 (e) | At 1244 hours, an aircraft was sighted at 4,000 metres quickly closing. Giuliani could not maneuver very quickly as she was proceeding solely on the port diesel (the starboard diesel was charging the batteries). The twin-engine bomber released four depth charges from a height of 30 metres and strafed the submarine. The depth charges exploded under Giuliani drenching her and causing serious damage as well as several leaks in the fuel tanks. At 1250 hours, the aircraft dropped another bomb, which missed by about 50 metres and heavily strafed the submarine. At 1304 hours, another bomb missed the submarine by 40 metres. During the strafing, two ratings fell over board and drowned, two were wounded and a machine gunner was injured. This was Wellington 'A' of 304 (Polish) Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Kucharski. It had sighted the submarine from a distance of 5-7 miles and dropped six 250-lb depth charges in the first run, one 250-lb A/S bomb on the second run, followed by another on a third run. The submarine did not return fire but two five-star red cartridges were observed (Giuliani had probably fired a recognition signal although this is not mentioned in her report). About ten men were in on deck in swimming trunks and some fell in the water when the aircraft machine gunned the submarine on five runs, expending some 2,500 rounds. At 1230Z hours, the Polish bomber, at the limit of its endurance, left the scene. Whitley 'T' of 502 Squadron was directed to the area but found nothing. Sunderland 'C' of 10 Squadron (RAAF) was to join the search, but could not comply. | ||||||||
7b | Gazzana Priaroggia, Gianfranco | 4 Sep 1942 | 2200 | Santander | 4 Sep 1942 | 2200+ | Santander | T.V. Gianfranco Gazzana arrived at 1230 hours on 4th September and briefly took over command. Attempted to sail for St. Jean de Luz at 2200 hours the same evening (from where the submarine chaser UJ-1408 was expected to escort her to Bordeaux) but was thwarted by the Spanish authorities. He then ceded command again to T.V. Aredio Galzigna. | ||
7c | Galzigna, Aredio | 8 Nov 1942 | 1600 | Santander | 11 Nov 1942 | 1225 | Bordeaux | 240,5 | Passage Santander-Bordeaux escorted by two M-boote, two escort vessels and three Ju 88s. | |
Corsi, Ferdinando | 1 Feb 1943 | Bordeaux | 20 Feb 1943 | Bordeaux | At Bordeaux. Change in command. | |||||
Fraternale, Athos | 20 Feb 1943 | Bordeaux | 30 Apr 1943 | Bordeaux | At Bordeaux. Change in command. | |||||
Tei, Mario | 11 May 1943 | 1100 | Bordeaux | 11 May 1943 | 1600 | Le Verdon | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon with submarine Tazzoli (date and time from C.C. Tei's memory). | |||
Tei, Mario | 12 May 1943 | 1400 | Le Verdon | 12 May 1943 | 2000 | Le Verdon | Sailed for La Pallice with Tazzoli, but had to turn back because of defects (date and time from C.C. Tei's memory). | |||
Tei, Mario | 13 May 1943 | 1400 | Le Verdon | 14 May 1943 | 0000 | La Pallice | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice again with Tazzoli (date and time from C.C. Tei's memory). According to German sources kindly provided by Dr Axel Niestlé, Tazzoli and Giuliani sailed from Le Verdon at 0800 for transfer to La Pallice escorted by the minesweepers M 344, M 83, M 84 and Sperrbrecher 5 and 9. At 1007 Sperrbrecher 9 developped a defect and all ships returned to Royan, anchoring at the roads at 1246. They sailed again at 1424 and arrived at La Pallice at 2300 same day. (Originally, this transfer was planned for 11.05.43, but was delayed). | |||
8 | Tei, Mario | 16 May 1943 | 0900 | La Pallice | 20 May 1943 | 1850 | La Pallice | Sailed for the Far East with Tazzoli, but turned back because of defects (date and time from C.C. Tei's memory who reported her returning to La Pallice at 2100 hours on the 18th). From German sources kindly provided by Dr Axel Niestlé, Tazzoli and Giuliani left La Pallice at 1200 under escort of M 83, M 84 and Sperrbrecher 21 via Points P1 and point Pilz. Point Pilz (BF 6848 or 45°57' N, 02°15' W) was reached at 1632 and both boats then proceeded independently. (Originally, departure planned for 15.05.43, but delayed). | ||
8b | Tei, Mario | 23 May 1943 | 0800 | Bordeaux | 28 Jul 1943 | 1245 | Sabang | Supply trip from Bordeaux to Singapore (130 tons). Two German passengers: Engine Expert Schmidt and Civil Engineer Lange. Reconstructed patrol report from C.C. Tei memory and various notes. On 10th July 1943, a document from BETASOM mentioned that she was believed lost, as she had made no signal since reporting on 17th June to be in 10°00'S, 06°00'W. | ||
3 Jun 1943 | 1150 1030 (e) | (0) 120 miles SW of Madeira (Giuliani). | At 1150 hours, Giuliani was surprised by a four-engine bomber, which emerged from a fog bank only 800 metres away. It strafed the submarine who replied with her machine guns. C.C. Tei took an opportune time to take his submarine into the fog bank and submerged. Two depth charges were heard but caused no damage. The aircraft was Liberator 'F' of 1st A/S Squadron (USAAF) operating from Fort Lyautey. It had discovered the submarine by radar as it was steering 253° at 12 knots. Of six intended depth charges, only one was released on the first run from a height of 75 feet. On the second run, all depth charges hung up but the submarine was strafed. During the third and last run, two depth charges were dropped, but another two hung up. There was no evidence of damage. MARICOSOM was informed of the attack by intercepting an enemy signal reporting that it had occurred at 1130 hours in 30°00' N, 21°10' E (later corrected to W). They estimated Giuliani's position at 0900 hours as 30°00' N, 22°30' W. | |||||||
17 Jun 1943 | 0800-1200 | 9° 30'S, 6° 30'W | From 0800 to 1200 hours, Giuliani cruised in the area where she was to meet Tazzoli. The latter failed to show up and Giuliani resumed her original course. | |||||||
21 Jul 1943 | 1130 | At 1130 hours, a steamer was sighted steering toward Ceylon at a distance of 15,000 metres. The same day, Giuliani managed to contact the sloop Eritrea after 35 days of attempts. | ||||||||
8c | Tei, Mario | 29 Jul 1943 | 1900 | Sabang | 1 Aug 1943 | 1200 | Singapore | Passage from Sabang to Singapore escorted by sloop Eritrea (date and time from C.C. Tei's memory). | ||
Tei, Mario | 5 Sep 1943 | Singapore | 5 Sep 1943 | Singapore | Embarked 100 tons of rubber and 99 tons of other materials and sailed out for trials. | |||||
Tei, Mario | 9 Sep 1943 | Singapore | 9 Sep 1943 | Singapore | Seized by the Japanese and later transferred to German Navy as UIT-23. The KTB of BdU of 27th January 1944, has the following entry: "No suitable Commander available in Penang for UIT-23. Boat remains in Penang until the arrival of a boat from home that can transfer an officer onto UIT-23 as Commander". | |||||
14 Feb 1944 | Shonan (Singapore) | 15 Feb 1944 | 0822 | Sunk | Sailed for Penang. Torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Tally-Ho in the Malacca Straits (thirty-four Germans and five Italians were killed, two Italians and twelve Germans including OL Striegler and were picked up by two Arados 196). Note: the Japanese had renamed Singapore "Shonan" (Light of the South). |
99 entries. 78 total patrol entries (8 marked as war patrols) and 29 events.