Italian submarines in World War Two

Italian Commanders


Corrado Dal Pozzo

Born  9 Oct 1909Genoa

Ranks

  T.V.Tenente di Vascello
  C.C.Capitano di Corvetta

Decorations

17 Oct 1941 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare
2 Dec 1941 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare
18 Mar 1943 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare

Career information

MARCELLO (T.V. First Officer): from 05.01.1939 to ?
SIRENA (T.V. C.O.): from 28.10.1940 to 21.12.1940.
ONDINA (T.V. C.O.): from 18.11.1940 to 28.02.1942.
Promoted C.C. in August 1941.
From 01.07.1942 to at least January 1943, served at MARINACCAD.

Commands listed for Corrado Dal Pozzo


Submarine Type Rank From To
Sirena (SI)Coastal / Sea goingT.V.28 Oct 194021 Dec 1940
Ondina (ON)Coastal / Sea goingT.V.18 Nov 194028 Feb 1942

Ships hit by Corrado Dal Pozzo


DateSubmarineShip hitTypeGRTNat.Loss type
1.23 Jun 1941OndinaRefahCargo ship3,512TurkishSunk

War patrols listed for Corrado Dal Pozzo

 SubmarineDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Sirena (SI)5 Nov 19400835Taranto5 Nov 19401510Taranto31,7Exercises.

Sirena (SI)7 Nov 19400830Taranto7 Nov 19401552Taranto52,2Exercises.

Sirena (SI)9 Nov 19400835Taranto9 Nov 19401620Taranto59,5Exercises.

Sirena (SI)14 Nov 19400805Taranto14 Nov 19401247Taranto24,5Exercises.

Sirena (SI)16 Nov 19400800Taranto16 Nov 19401200Taranto23,5Exercises.

Sirena (SI)18 Nov 19400800Taranto18 Nov 19401400Taranto33Exercises.

1.Sirena (SI)22 Nov 19400923Taranto1 Dec 19401620Taranto886Patrolled off Corfu, within 10 miles from 39°40'N, 19°10'E on the parallel with Nereide. Uneventful.

Ondina (ON)1 Jan 19411410Taranto1 Jan 19411752Taranto23Exercises.

Ondina (ON)2 Jan 19411025Taranto2 Jan 19411825Taranto44Exercises.

Ondina (ON)5 Jan 19411243Taranto5 Jan 19411919Taranto23,5Exercises.

Ondina (ON)7 Jan 19411115Taranto7 Jan 19411532Taranto26Exercises.

Ondina (ON)9 Jan 19410852Taranto9 Jan 19411618Taranto21,8Exercises with submarine chaser Vieste.

Ondina (ON)10 Jan 19410807Taranto10 Jan 19411520Taranto53,6Exercises with the submarines Millelire and Speri.

Ondina (ON)12 Jan 19410729Taranto12 Jan 19411600Taranto42,5Exercises.

Ondina (ON)13 Jan 19410839Taranto13 Jan 19411031Taranto5Exercises with the torpedo boat Polluce.

2.Ondina (ON)20 Jan 19412115Taranto21 Jan 19411110Taranto75A/S patrol in 40°00'N, 17°20'E. Uneventful.

Ondina (ON)23 Jan 19410916Taranto27 Jan 19410845Leros683Passage Taranto-Leros. Uneventful, except for the bad weather.

Ondina (ON)5 Mar 19410850Leros5 Mar 19411637Leros34Exercises.

3.Ondina (ON)8 Mar 19410340Leros19 Mar 19410715Leros1040Patrolled SSE of Scarpanto within 20 miles from 34°20'N, 27°40'E on a NE-SW axis.
  13 Mar 19411420-1735
(0) Near Kasos Strait.
At 1420 hours, smokes were sighted on the horizon. At 1450 hours, the upper works of a destroyer could be discerned at 15,000 metres. Later, the convoy could be seen, consisting of eight merchant ships, escorted by a light cruiser of the CERES or CALEDON class and two destroyers, on a NNW course. This was most likely convoy AN.19 escorted by the antiaircraft cruiser HMS Coventry and the Greek destroyers Spetsai and Hydra.

Ondina vainly attempted to close, but gave up at 1735 hours as the distance was now 10 miles and she just made an enemy report.

Ondina (ON)3 Apr 19412157Leros4 Apr 19410206Leros36Exercises.

Ondina (ON)19 Apr 19410730Leros19 Apr 19411205Leros29Exercises.

4.Ondina (ON)19 Apr 19412226Leros28 Apr 19411530Leros804,5Patrolled in 35°30'N, 36°20'E then, from 24th April, in 33°20'N, 26°00'E, off Cape Plaka on Alexandria-Cape Sidero route and Kasos Straits.
  25 Apr 19411956
(0) Near Cape Plaka (or near Cape Kaso).
Several hydrophone effects had been heard since 1518 hours.

At 1956 hours, Ondina had just surfaced when a large MTB was sighted at a distance of 500 metres. The submarine dived immediately, but the hatch could not be properly closed until a rating managed to unblock it and the submarine dived to 85 meters.

Depth-charges exploded but high above the submarine. Other patterns of depth charges followed at 2023, 2024 and 2025 and a last one at 2320 hours, which caused some damage forcing the submarine to 130 meters. H.E. continued to be heard and oxygen was running out.

At 1830 hours on 26th April, Ondina finally surfaced with the gun crews at the ready, but fortunately the horizon was clear of enemy vessels. The damage inflicted by the depth-charging and S.T.V. Galletti who had been very sick with high fever since 22nd April forced the abandonment of the patrol.

5.Ondina (ON)11 May 1941Leros11 May 19411517LerosOnice was to have sailed during the day (or in the evening) for the "Dario" area (or area D, Kaso Strait) but apparently was recalled.

Ondina (ON)9 Jun 19411643Portolago (Leros)9 Jun 19411304Portolago (Leros)24Exercises.

6.Ondina (ON)13 Jun 19411643Leros27 Jun 19411304Leros1066Patrolled between Alexandretta and Cape Andreas, Cyprus.
  23 Jun 1941213036° 08'N, 34° 44'EAt about 2000 hours, a vessel was sighted coming from the direction of Mersin (Turkey). At 2100 hours, Ondina began closing for the attack. The vessel was flying the Turkish flag and estimated at about 9,000 GRT.

At 2130 hours, two torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at a range of 1,000 metres, They missed ahead.

This was the Turkish Refah (3,512 GRT, built 1901) on her way from Mersin to Alexandria (or Port Said) carrying Turkish naval officers destined to England for a submarine course.

Ondina turned sharply to port to revert course and fired a stern torpedo (533mm) from 1,000 metres. It squarely hit the vessel, followed 30 or 40 seconds later by a secondary explosion, believed to be from boilers exploding. She sank at 2200 hours.

The sinking could have proven an embarrassment to the Italian government, as Turkey was sought as an ally in the war against the Soviet Union. The Italians were ready to deny their involvement. Dal Pozzo had refrained from using his gun so as not to reveal that the vessel had been sunk by a submarine and this was justified as British authorities attributed the sinking to a mine. Captain Christopher Michael Cadogan of SOE was travelling on this ship (he was drowned).

Of some 200 passengers and crew, 168 were missing and 32 survived.

7.Ondina (ON)4 Aug 19412305Leros17 Aug 19411110Brindisi881,5Patrolled between 36°00'N and 36°40'N, and between 25°00'E and 25°40'E, off Island of Thera and passage to Brindisi. Uneventful.

Ondina (ON)22 Aug 19411800Brindisi24 Aug 19410635Pola360Passage Brindisi-Pola.

Ondina (ON)26 Aug 19410511Pola26 Aug 19411125Monfalcone70Passage Pola-Monfalcone for repairs.

Ondina (ON)11 Dec 19411007Monfalcone11 Dec 19411800Monfalcone29Exercises.

Ondina (ON)15 Dec 19411045Monfalcone15 Dec 19411348Monfalcone10,5Exercises.

Ondina (ON)17 Dec 19410940Monfalcone17 Dec 19411430Monfalcone7Exercises.

Ondina (ON)18 Dec 19411015Monfalcone18 Dec 19411528Monfalcone14,5Exercises.

Ondina (ON)20 Dec 19411031Monfalcone20 Dec 19411658Pola79Passage Monfalcone-Pola.

Ondina (ON)23 Dec 19410907Pola23 Dec 19411710Pola24Diving trials, escorted by auxiliary San Giorgio.

Ondina (ON)24 Dec 19410745Pola24 Dec 19411748Pola109,6Exercises.

Ondina (ON)28 Dec 19411502Pola29 Dec 19411702Pola125,5Diving trials to 80 metres, escorted by the auxiliary Jadera.

Ondina (ON)31 Dec 19410855Pola31 Dec 19411516Pola10Gyrocompass test. The following days were used for battery maintenance.

Ondina (ON)4 Jan 19420819Pola4 Jan 19421650Pola57Exercises.

Ondina (ON)5 Jan 19420811Pola5 Jan 19421626Pola37,5Exercises with the submarines Jalea, Des Geneys, Medusa and Speri, escorted by the torpedo boat Audace and the auxiliaries Jadera, San Giorgio and Trau.

Ondina (ON)7 Jan 19420846Pola7 Jan 19421749Pola52Exercises.

Ondina (ON)8 Jan 19420920Pola8 Jan 19421510Pola19Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Ondina (ON)12 Jan 19420840Pola12 Jan 19421428Pola12Exercises.

Ondina (ON)13 Jan 19421621Pola14 Jan 19420114Pola58Exercises with the submarine Otaria, escorted by the auxiliaries San Giorgio and Jadera.

Ondina (ON)14 Jan 19420909Pola14 Jan 19421545Pola41,5Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Trau.

Ondina (ON)15 Jan 19420838Pola15 Jan 19421520Pola51,1Exercises with the submarine Jalea, escorted by the auxiliary Jadera.

Ondina (ON)16 Jan 19421603Pola16 Jan 19422235Pola59Exercises with the submarine Des Geneys, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Ondina (ON)19 Jan 19421649Pola20 Jan 19420130Pola47Exercises (night firing) with the auxiliary Grado.

Ondina (ON)21 Jan 19420847Pola21 Jan 19421700Pola50,7Exercises.

Ondina (ON)24 Jan 19422311Pola26 Jan 19421020Brindisi362Passage Pola-Brindisi.

Ondina (ON)30 Jan 19420832Brindisi30 Jan 19421540Brindisi31,5Exercises.

Ondina (ON)5 Feb 19420955Brindisi5 Feb 19421529Brindisi22Exercises.

Ondina (ON)6 Feb 19420902Brindisi6 Feb 19421531Brindisi20Exercises.

Ondina (ON)7 Feb 19420912Brindisi7 Feb 19421454Brindisi20Exercises.

8.Ondina (ON)8 Feb 19421430Brindisi18 Feb 19421630Brindisi1114Patrolled off Cyrenaica, within 8 miles on the meridian from 34°30'N, 21°10'E, on a patrol line with Sirena. On the evening of 13th February, she was shifted 20 miles to the south then back to her original position. Due to defects to her diesels, she had to interrupt her patrol.
  10 Feb 19421156-1235At 1156 hours, a derelict mine was sighted. It was an occasion for some firing exercises with light machine guns and rifles. It finally was exploded from a distance of 250 metres at 1235 hours.
  13 Feb 19422058At 2058 hours, a submarine was sighted on an opposite course. Ondina had just been ordered to change her patrol position to the south. Ondina turned away.
  14 Feb 1942085434° 11'N, 21° 10'EAt 0648 hours, hydrophones noises were heard but, when the submarine rose to periscope depth, nothing could be seen.

At 0854 hours, explosions were heard, believed to be from aircraft bombs. Ondina went down deep. At 1115 hours, another loud explosion occurred, but this time the hydrophones detected an antisubmarine vessel. More depth-charges followed at 1355, 1720 and 1830 hours.
  14 Feb 19422242At 2242 hours, information was received of a large convoy on easterly course.
Ondina steered 231° to intercept. Hydrophone effects were heard without sighting anything and defects finally forced her to return home.

57 entries. 54 total patrol entries (8 marked as war patrols) and 7 events.

Italian Commanders

Italian Submarines