Italian submarines in World War Two

Italian Commanders


Olinto Di Serio

Birth details unknown

Ranks

  T.V.Tenente di Vascello

Decorations

11 Jul 1942 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare
7 Nov 1942 Medaglia d'argento al valore militare
4 Apr 1946 Croce di guerra al valore militare
3 Nov 1947 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare
24 Sep 1954 Medaglia d'argento al valore militare

Career information

ASCIANGHI (T.V. C.O.): From 28.06.1941 to 14.03.1942?
MALACHITE (T.V. C.O.): From 24.03.1942 to 20.05.1942. Promoted to C.C. in April 1942.
From 18.01.1943, served at MARINA NAPOLI per C. GRUPPO TORP. SCORTA.

Commands listed for Olinto Di Serio


Submarine Type Rank From To
Ascianghi (AS)Coastal / Sea goingT.V.28 Jun 194114 Mar 1942
Malachite (MH)Coastal / Sea goingT.V.24 Mar 194220 May 1942

Ships hit by Olinto Di Serio


DateSubmarineShip hitTypeGRTNat.Loss type
1.21 Sep 1941AscianghiAntarTanker385PalestinianSunk

War patrols listed for Olinto Di Serio

 SubmarineDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Ascianghi (AS)10 Jul 19410700Portolago (Leros)10 Jul 19411235Portolago (Leros)34Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)17 Jul 19410710Portolago (Leros)17 Jul 19411710Portolago (Leros)59Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)18 Jul 19410705Portolago (Leros)18 Jul 19411648Portolago (Leros)41Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)19 Jul 19410726Portolago (Leros)19 Jul 19411725Portolago (Leros)43Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)22 Jul 19410945Portolago (Leros)22 Jul 19411150Portolago (Leros)7,7Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)23 Jul 19410710Portolago (Leros)23 Jul 19410752Portolago (Leros)4,8Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)24 Jul 19410715Portolago (Leros)24 Jul 19411735Portolago (Leros)61Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)25 Jul 19410715Portolago (Leros)25 Jul 19411747Portolago (Leros)53Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)1 Aug 19410715Portolago (Leros)1 Aug 19411715Portolago (Leros)41,5Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)2 Aug 19410700Portolago (Leros)2 Aug 19411722Portolago (Leros)46Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)6 Aug 19410650Portolago (Leros)6 Aug 19411718Portolago (Leros)42Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)9 Aug 19411350Portolago (Leros)9 Aug 19411804Portolago (Leros)26Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)16 Aug 19410640Portolago (Leros)16 Aug 19411242Portolago (Leros)29,3Exercises.

Ascianghi (AS)20 Aug 19410640Portolago (Leros)20 Aug 19411125Portolago (Leros)25,5Exercises.

1.Ascianghi (AS)24 Aug 19412000Leros31 Aug 19410815Leros555Patrolled in the Cyclades, off Kalogeri, Cape Koraka, Karlovassi and Panormos Point. Uneventful.

2.Ascianghi (AS)17 Sep 19410720Leros25 Sep 19410613Rhodes938Patrolled between 33°40'N and 34°40'N, and between 34°40'E and the Syrian coast (off Beirut) and reconnaissance of the bay of Famagusta.
  21 Sep 19412146
2300 (e)
33° 57'N, 35° 04'E
(0) 332° - Ras Beirut - 7.8 miles.
At 2142 hours, a vessel believed to be a 12,000-ton tanker, was sighted at a distance slightly over 1,000 metres, travelling at 8 knots.

At 2146 hours, a single torpedo was fired from a bow tube at a range of 700 metres. It missed narrowly ahead. Shortly after, a second torpedo was fired but the target must have seen it and altered course. It also missed.

This was the Palestinian tanker Antar (385 GRT, built 1890) on passage from Beirut to Haifa.

At 2152 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes. T.V. Olinto Di Serio claimed both torpedoes hit, one forward and one aft. It is surprising if they did, as surely such a small vessel would have been destroyed by them. The vessel was observed to fire three rockets, two red and one green. The crew abandoned ship in lifeboats.

At 2159 hours, the submarine opened fire to finish her off. Some hits registered but, after the fifth round the gun jammed.

At 2218 hours, the gun had not yet been repaired, so two torpedoes were fired from the stern tubes at a range of 400 metres. They both had erratic courses and missed the target.

At 2224 hours, gunfire was resumed with 21 rounds from close range. Most of them hit and the tanker was set afire and sank at 2229 hours. At least, this was as reported by T.V. Olinto Di Serio. Despite the punishment, Antar was still afloat.

There were no casualties. The fifteen survivors were reported picked up by a Lebanese fishing vessel. Later the armed trawler HMSAS Southern Isles took the hull in tow and was bombed in the process but was undamaged. However, Antar finally sank on 23 September.

Ascianghi (AS)26 Sep 19411950Rhodes27 Sep 19410830Portolago (Leros)110Passage Rhodes-Leros.

Ascianghi (AS)10 Oct 19410800Portolago (Leros)10 Oct 19411215Portolago (Leros)23Trials.

Ascianghi (AS)17 Oct 19410750Portolago (Leros)17 Oct 19411035Portolago (Leros)23Trials.

3.Ascianghi (AS)17 Oct 19411805Leros24 Oct 19410235Leros580Patrolled in Scarpanto Channel from 36°40'N, 26°40'E to 35°20'N, 27°34'E. Uneventful.

Ascianghi (AS)10 Nov 19411030Leros10 Nov 19411218Leros2,5Trials.

Ascianghi (AS)11 Nov 19410910Leros11 Nov 19411120Leros1,5Trials.

4.Ascianghi (AS)11 Nov 19411705Leros26 Nov 19410825Leros1464Patrolled in 33°20'N, 33°00'E then, after a week, in area north of 33°40'N and Bay of Morphon, mostly off Beirut and Haifa. This patrol was marred by numerous defects.
  13 Nov 1941030732° 28'N, 32° 50'EAt 0307 hours, a small fishing vessel or a patrol boat was sighted. Ascianghi turned away.

5.Ascianghi (AS)10 Dec 19410310Leros22 Dec 19411525Brindisi1418,5Patrolled south of Crete, between 32°50'N and 35°20'N, and between 22°50'E and 24°25'E (Grids 4456 and 9856). Returned via 36°36'N, 20°35'E and Point A from Santa Maria di Leuca.
  14 Dec 19411408
(0) About 100 miles north of Sidi Barrani.
At 1408 hours, information was received from MARICOSOM (1009/14) that an enemy naval force of three battleships and nine destroyers had been sighted at 96 miles NNW of Ras Haleima (Sidi Barrani), steering 315°, 22 knots. T.V. Olinto Di Serio altered course to an intercept position six miles away, which he expected the enemy would cross at 1630 hours.

At 1714 hours, Ascianghi received a new signal reporting a change of course, which would put the enemy much farther south. The submarine surfaced at 1730 hours and proceed at full speed on a 225° course in the hope that the enemy might slow down. At 2200 hours she had sighted nothing.

Ascianghi (AS)26 Dec 1941Brindisi26 Dec 1941BrindisiWhile changing moorings, the cable towing the M.R. Zara snapped and the vessel collided with Ascianghi causing slight damage to the submarine.
  26 Dec 19410925+
(0) At La Spezia.
At 0925 hours, the auxiliary Zara (1,976 GRT, built 1931) had arrived at Brindisi from convoy escort duty. While being towed by tugs to her moorings, a cable snapped and she collided with the stern of Ascianghi. Only minor damages were inflicted to a hydroplane and torpedo tube no. 6. They did not affect the seaworthiness of the submarine.

Ascianghi (AS)30 Dec 19411535Brindisi1 Jan 19420900Pola365Passage Brindisi-Pola.

Ascianghi (AS)3 Jan 19420812Pola3 Jan 19421510Monfalcone74Passage Pola-Monfalcone.

Malachite (MH)25 Mar 19421330Messina25 Mar 19421730Messina13Trials and exercises escorted by the auxiliary Marras.

Malachite (MH)27 Mar 19420800Messina27 Mar 19421145Messina16Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Marzano.

Malachite (MH)29 Mar 19420812Messina29 Mar 19421130Messina17Exercises, escorted by the auxiliaries Marzano (A.S.67) and Marras (A.S.51).

Malachite (MH)4 Apr 19420800Messina4 Apr 19421130Messina20Trials.

Malachite (MH)6 Apr 19420630Messina6 Apr 19421335Messina62Trials, escorted by MAS 562.

6.Malachite (MH)6 Apr 19422010Messina24 Apr 19420648Messina1876Patrolled north of Cyrenaica, between 33°40'N and 34°20'N, and between 22°00'E and 22°20'E on a patrol line with Uarsciek.
  8 Apr 19421150
1240 (e)
At 1150 hours, a Blenheim bomber was sighted at a distance of 5,000 metres. It circled twice the submarine, making strafing runs. At 1200 hours, Malachite took an opportune moment to dive.

This was a Maryland (291) of 203 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Curtiss who sighted a surfaced submarine, course 130°, 8 knots and took photographs. This was the third U-boat sighted on this patrol.

Malachite (MH)12 May 19421410Messina12 May 19421715Messina18Trials.

Malachite (MH)15 May 19422100Messina17 May 19421135Cagliari364Passage Messina-Cagliari.

Malachite (MH)19 May 19421350Cagliari19 May 19421945Cagliari33Trials.

36 entries. 36 total patrol entries (6 marked as war patrols) and 5 events.

Italian Commanders

Italian Submarines