Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Livio Piomarta
| Born | 29 Mar 1908 | La Spezia | |
| Died | 28 Oct 1941 | (33) | Killed in action |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
GALILEO FERRARIS (C.C. C.O.): from 15.12.1939 to 21.09.1941?GUGLIELMO MARCONI (C.C. C.O.): from 30 August 1941? to 28.10.1941 (sunk, Piomarta was killed).
Commands listed for Livio Piomarta
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | Ocean going | C.C. | 15 Dec 1939 | 21 Sep 1941 |
Ships hit by Livio Piomarta
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Livio Piomarta
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 10 Jun 1940 | 1235 | Massawa | 14 Jun 1940 | 1412 | Massawa | 720 | Patrolled off Massawa. Orders were to have patrolled off Djibouti, but apparently not implemented. | |
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 7 Aug 1940 | 0600 | Massawa | 7 Aug 1940 | 1738 | Massawa | 35 | Exercises. | ||
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 9 Aug 1940 | 0648 | Massawa | 9 Aug 1940 | 1630 | Massawa | 31 | Exercises. | ||
| 2. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 14 Aug 1940 | 1057 | Massawa | 17 Aug 1940 | 1600 | Massawa | 242 | Patrolled off Massawa, on an axis 090°-270° of 20 miles, 35 miles northeast of Harmil Island. | |
| 15 Aug 1940 | 2355 | 16° 55'N, 40° 40'E (0) 35 miles NE of Harmil Island. | At 2000 hours, the submarine sighted a shape in the dark and closed on one Diesel. This appeared to be a British cruiser of the LEANDER class or a large destroyer. The submarine fire two torpedoes (533mm). Both missed. This may have been HMNZS Leander, which had sailed from Aden the previous day, to join the escort of convoy B.N.3. The submarine was counter attacked, she dived to 85 meters, but suffered no damage. She was later informed that the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign and three destroyers (these were HMS Dainty, HMS Decoy and HMS Defender) had reached Aden on 17th August (they had actually reached it on the 16th). | |||||||
| 3. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 26 Aug 1940 | 1312 | Massawa | 1 Sep 1940 | 1145 | Massawa | 650 | Patrolled off Massawa [between Tair and Gebel Zucur?]. | |
| 4. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 5 Sep 1940 | 1615 | Massawa | 8 Sep 1940 | 1137 | Massawa | 390 | Patrolled ca. 18°10'N, 40°00'E. Off Dahlak Island? | |
| 5. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 14 Sep 1940 | 0950 | Massawa | 16 Sep 1940 | 1327 | Massawa | 445 | Patrolled off Massawa, but aborted her patrol when some of her crew were stricken by methylene chloride poisoning. She was the last submarine in Massawa still using this gas for her air conditioning system, and this was to be converted to use Ircon gas in October. | |
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 10 Oct 1940 | Massawa | 10 Oct 1940 | Massawa | 25 | Exercises. | ||||
| 6. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 12 Oct 1940 | 1230 | Massawa | 18 Oct 1940 | 1215 | Massawa | 593,4 | Patrolled off Massawa. | |
| 7. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 20 Oct 1940 | 1335 | Massawa | 23 Oct 1940 | 1300 | Massawa | 480 | Patrolled off Massawa. | |
| 8. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 7 Nov 1940 | 1235 | Massawa | 13 Nov 1940 | 1011 | Massawa | 561 | Patrolled off Massawa. | |
| 9. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 23 Nov 1940 | 1300 | Massawa | 27 Nov 1940 | 1107 | Massawa | 478 | Patrolled between 18°00' and 18°20'N, 40°00' and 40°30'E. The patrol was curtailed because of defects to the air conditioning system. | |
| 26 Nov 1940 | 0250 0010Z-0015Z (e) | 18° 00'N, 40° 00'E | Three British merchant vessels, escorted by two cruisers and destroyers, were observed proceeding on a SE course and the submarine closed to attack on the surface. This was convoy S.W.3 convoy consisting of Georgic, Monarch of Bermuda, Duchess of York, Orontes, City of Capetown, Brisbane Star and Highland Brigade escorted by the light cruiser HMS Caledon. They had left Suez at 0805 hours on the 23rd. The escort was reinforced by the sloop HMS Flamingo at 1545 hours on the 25th and by the destroyer HMS Kimberley and the sloop HMAS Parramatta at 1705 hours (they had just left escorting convoy BN9 1/2. Ferraris fired three torpedoes from the surface, but the submarine submerged upon firing and only heard three explosions. Piomarta claimed that all three torpedoes hit, two vessels were damaged and one sunk. The torpedoes actually missed and three explosions were heard by HMS Caledon. | |||||||
| 10. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 4 Dec 1940 | 1357 | Massawa | 8 Dec 1940 | 1010 | Massawa | 623 | Patrolled off Massawa. Off Masamaruh? | |
| 11. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 23 Dec 1940 | 0935 | Massawa | 30 Dec 1940 | 1606 | Massawa | 786,6 | Patrolled off Massawa. Off Port Sudan? | |
| 12. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 20 Jan 1941 | 1243 | Massawa | 27 Jan 1941 | 0956 | Massawa | 634 | Patrolled off Massawa [between Tair and Gebel Gebel Zucur?]. | |
| 13. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 20 Feb 1941 | 1341 | Massawa | 22 Feb 1941 | 1554 | Massawa | 359 | Patrolled off Massawa. | |
| 14. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 3 Mar 1941 | 1713 | Massawa | 9 May 1941 | 2015 | Bordeaux | 12715 | Passage Massawa to Bordeaux with Archimede. She reached the first refuelling point (25°00'S, 20°00'W) at 1200 hours on 9th April 1941, and started cruising on electric motors. She was advised by Guglielmotti on 14th April 1941, that the rendezvous had been changed to 25°00'S, 26°00'W. Refuelled from the German supply ship Nordmark on 17th April 1941, in 25°00'S, 26°00'W. For this passage, spare torpedoes were not carried, their place being taken by food and stores. | |
| 5 Mar 1941 | 2200 | (0) North of Strait of Bab El Mandeb. | An enemy convoy, escorted by warships, was sighted on a northerly course. However, Piomarta had instructions to avoid being seen as he was embarking on his long periple to France and he took his submarine deep. | |||||||
| 6 Mar 1941 | 0132 | (0) Strait of Bab El Mandeb. | A patrol vessel was seen and again, Ferraris took avoiding action and submerged. | |||||||
| 11 Mar 1941 | 0840 | (0) Between Cape Guardafui and the Comores Islands. | A vessel was sighted on opposite course and the submarine dived to avoid detection. | |||||||
| 12 Mar 1941 | 0345 | (0) Between Cape Guardafui and the Comores Islands. | Another vessel was sighted on opposite course and again Ferraris dived. | |||||||
| 13 Mar 1941 | 1400 | (0) Between Cape Guardafui and the Comores Islands. | Another vessel was sighted on opposite course and again Ferraris dived. | |||||||
| 16 Mar 1941 | 0218 | (0) Between Cape Guardafui and the Comores Islands. | Another vessel was sighted on opposite course and again Ferraris dived. | |||||||
| 17 Mar 1941 | 1205 | (0) Mozambique Channel. | Another vessel was sighted on opposite course and again Ferraris dived. | |||||||
| 10 Apr 1941 | 1947 (e) | (e) 24° 24'S, 18° 46'W | Italian signals had been deciphered giving the position of the refuelling rendezvous with the German supply ship Nordmark. The Royal Navy had sent the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Alcantara, the sloops HMS Bridgewater and HMS Milford Haven and the submarine HMS Severn to intercept (operation GRAB). The British submarine fired four torpedoes at a PERLA class submarine which was proceeding on a northerly course at 7 knots. This was probably Ferraris and she was missed. The heavy swell prevented a gun action. The attack was not observed from the Italian side. | |||||||
| 17 Apr 1941 | 1100-1730 | 25° 00'S, 26° 00'W | The German supply ship Nordmark was initially sighted by Guglielmotti, at 1550 hours on the 14th in 25°00' S, 20°00' W. She had informed the other submarines to change the refuelling point to 25°00' S, 26°00' W, as the first position might be compromised. She had been sighted by a plane (a seaplane from HMS Alcantara). Ferraris had reached the initial rendezvous point at 1200 hours on 9th April, but had not seen the German ship. She now refuelled and took provisions. | |||||||
| 23 Apr 1941 | 1150 | 4° 15'S, 26° 52'W | An unknown vessel was sighted on a southwest course and the submarine altered course to avoid her. | |||||||
| 26 Apr 1941 | 1600 | 8° 00'N, 26° 00'W | Another unknown vessel was sighted on a southwest course and the submarine again altered course to avoid her. | |||||||
| 2 May 1941 | 1640 | 31° 00'N, 24° 00'W | Another unknown vessel was sighted on a southwest course and the submarine again altered course to avoid her. | |||||||
| 3 May 1941 | 1150 | 34° 00'N, 24° 00'W | A convoy of about ten ships was sighted on 110° course. The submarine altered course to avoid it and proceeded toward 43°00' N, 20°00' W. | |||||||
| 5 May 1941 | 0230 | 37° 00'N, 22° 00'W | An unknown ship was sighted and Ferraris moved away. | |||||||
| 8 May 1941 | 1813 | 45° 41'N, 3° 30'W | An unknown ship was sighted and the submarine submerged to avoid being seen. | |||||||
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 26 Aug 1941 | Bordeaux | 26 Aug 1941 | Le Verdon | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon (dates to be confirmed and it is not certain if Piomarta had been replaced by Flores at this time). | |||||
| Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 27 Aug 1941 | 0745? | Le Verdon | 27 Aug 1941 | 1910? | La Pallice | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice with Archimede escorted by the German patrol boats V-404 and V-411. | |||
| 15. | Galileo Ferraris (FE, I.32) | 2 Sep 1941 | Evening | La Pallice? | 7 Sep 1941 | 2300? | Bordeaux | 782 | Short antisubmarine patrol in Bay of Biscay between Italian grids 2599 and 2540, between 44°00'N and 45°00'N and 08°10'W and 10°00'W. | |
| Guglielmo Marconi (MN, I.7) | 2 Oct 1941 | Bordeaux | 2 Oct 1941 | Le Verdon | Passage Bordeaux-Le Verdon. | |||||
| Guglielmo Marconi (MN, I.7) | 3 Oct 1941 | Le Verdon | 3 Oct 1941 | La Pallice | Passage Le Verdon-La Pallice. | |||||
| 16. | Guglielmo Marconi (MN, I.7) | 5 Oct 1941 | La Pallice | 28 Oct 1941 | Sunk with all hands | She was sailed for a patrol off the Portuguese coast then to proceed to an area northeast of the Azores. On 16th October, she was ordered to an area between 40°00'N and 41°00'N and between 21°00'W and 22°00'W. On 22nd October, information was received of the departure of a convoy from Gibraltar. This was convoy H.G. 75 proceeding to the UK. Marconi was immediately diverted to attack it. On 28th October, she was trailing the convoy when she was attacked and sunk by HMS Duncan. There were no survivors.
Note: The Italian Official account made an error in translating the grid by stating it was 42°55'N, 21°55'W, about 60 miles north of her true position giving rise to speculation that she could not have been the submarine attacked by HMS Duncan. | ||||
| 28 Oct 1941 | 1232 (e) | 41° 55'N, 21° 55'E (e) 41° 57'N, 21° 56'E | Marconi had just made a weather report at 1150 hours, giving her position as 41°55'N, 21°55'W (Italian Grid 7171/66) when she was sighted and attacked by a British warship .This was the destroyer HMS Duncan carrying an A/S sweep astern of convoy H.G. 75 before returning to Gibraltar. At 1232 hours, she sighted a submarine on the surface. She rushed and dropped five depth-charges before her ASDIC broke down, five more were dropped by eye and another attack was made at 1334 hours with a depth-charge set at 500 feet. HMS Duncan only had five depth charges left and had to abandon the chase. There is little doubt that this was Marconi and she disappeared with all hands. Five officers and fifty-five ratings were killed. Note: The Italian Official account made an error in translating the grid by stating it was 42°55'N, 21°55'W, about 60 miles north of her true position giving rise to speculation that she could not have been the submarine attacked by HMS Duncan. | |||||||
37 entries. 23 total patrol entries (16 marked as war patrols) and 18 events.