Italian submarines in World War Two

Italian Commanders


Ottorino Beltrami

Born  13 Aug 1917Pisa
Died  17 Aug 2013(96)Milan

Ranks

  T.V.Tenente di Vascello

Decorations

16 Aug 1943 Medaglia d'argento al valore militare
14 Jan 1946 Croce di guerra al valore militare
25 Jul 1947 Medaglia d'argento al valore militare

Career information

ACCIAIO (T.V. First Officer): from 11.01.1942 to 02.05.1942.
ACCIAIO (T.V. C.O.): from 03.05.1942 to 22.02.1943.
Seriously wounded on ?.02.1943 at Cagliari.

Commands listed for Ottorino Beltrami


Submarine Type Rank From To
Acciaio (AC)Coastal / Sea goingT.V.3 May 194222 Feb 1943

Ships hit by Ottorino Beltrami

No ships hit by this Commander.

War patrols listed for Ottorino Beltrami

 SubmarineDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Acciaio (AC)6 May 19420810Augusta6 May 19420949Augusta12Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Diversi.

Acciaio (AC)8 May 19420850Augusta8 May 19421228Augusta9Exercises.

Acciaio (AC)13 May 19420837Augusta13 May 19421227Augusta14,3Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Diversi.

Acciaio (AC)27 May 19420813Augusta27 May 19421405Augusta34Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat Partenope.

Acciaio (AC)29 May 19420505Augusta29 May 19421450Augusta55,9Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boats Partenope and Lince.

1.Acciaio (AC)29 May 19421920Augusta30 May 19420148Augusta80,6Sailed with the submarine Giada for a patrol west of Malta to intercept a cruiser squadron reported to have sailed from Gibraltar for an eastward destination. Escorted by the auxiliary Diversi but recalled by MARICOSOM at 2227 hours on the 29th. The light cruisers Eugenio di Savoia and Monteccucoli escorted by the destroyers Ascari and Oriani had also sailed. They were all recalled, including the submarine Alagi ,who had sailed from Trapani, when it was learned that the enemy squadron had reverted course. The enemy force was made of up of the light cruiser HMS Charybdis and the destroyers HMS Westcott and HMS Wrestler and they had sailed to search for the disabled submarine Argo.

Acciaio (AC)1 Jun 19420210Augusta2 Jun 19421512Cagliari421,3Passage Augusta-Cagliari with the submarine Giada.

2.Acciaio (AC)4 Jun 19420325Cagliari12 Jun 19420943Cagliari926,5Patrolled north of Cape Caxine (Algeria) between 37°20'N and 37°40'N, and between 01°40'E and 02°20'E.
  10 Jun 19420735At 0735 hours, a Bristol Bombay aircraft was sighted at a distance of 4,000 metres and the submarine dived.

3.Acciaio (AC)12 Jun 19421533Cagliari17 Jun 19421650Cagliari626Patrolled between 37°20' N and 37°40' N, and between 05°20' E and 05°40' E (Grid 9025, north of Cape Caxine (Algeria) with the submarines Bronzo, Emo, Giada, Uarsciek and Mocenigo. On 14th June, ordered to Grid 5801 (60 miles to the east).
  14 Jun 19422200At 2200 hours, Acciaio received information that two damaged steamers would be passing near its position and altered course to 330° to intercept. Nothing was sighted at 0030 on the 15th and the submarine returned to her patrol zone.

4.Acciaio (AC)19 Jun 19422345Cagliari21 Jun 19421615Augusta403,9Sailed to operate between 34°20'N and 36°00'N, and between 16°00'E and 19°00'E, on a patrol line with the submarines Otaria, Emo and Uarsciek against an enemy convoy from the east (VIGOROUS), but at 1515 hours on the 20th, she was ordered back to Augusta. She was met by the torpedo boat Partenope and later by the submarines Alagi and Dessiè and they were being escorted to Augusta by the torpedo boat Abba.

Acciaio (AC)25 Jun 19422345Augusta27 Jun 19421456Cagliari429,2Passage Augusta-Cagliari.

Acciaio (AC)10 Jul 19421410Cagliari11 Jul 19421020La Maddalena219,5Passage Cagliari-La Maddalena with the submarine Platino.

5.Acciaio (AC)22 Jul 19421400La Maddalena8 Aug 19421345La Maddalena1369,7Patrolled south of the Balearic Islands, between 37°40'N and 38°00'N, and between 02°20'E and 02°40'E.
  30 Jul 1942083837° 52'N, 2° 48'EAt 0838 hours, an aircraft was seen which appeared to be a Swordfish and the submarine dived.
  6 Aug 1942051837° 49'N, 2° 06'EAt 0518 hours, a dark shape that could have been the conning tower of a submarine was sighted in poor visibility. The submarine tried to close but the target appeared to open fire at 0523 hours and contact was lost.
  7 Aug 1942065238° 58'N, 3° 20'EAt 0652 hours, a steamer was sighted at 15 miles on a northerly course, 14 knots. It passed out of range.

Acciaio (AC)19 Aug 19421058La Maddalena19 Aug 19421442La Maddalena22Trials.

Acciaio (AC)20 Aug 19421238La Maddalena20 Aug 19421615La Maddalena20Trials.

Acciaio (AC)11 Sep 19420800La Maddalena11 Sep 19421300La Maddalena32Exercises.

Acciaio (AC)13 Sep 19422355La Maddalena15 Sep 19421450Augusta459Passage La Maddalena-Augusta with the submarines Bronzo and Platino.

Acciaio (AC)3 Oct 19420829Augusta3 Oct 19421255Augusta28Exercises.

Acciaio (AC)14 Oct 19420728Augusta14 Oct 19421326Augusta57Speed trials.

Acciaio (AC)5 Nov 19420725Augusta6 Nov 19422340Cagliari477Passage Augusta-Cagliari.
  5 Nov 19421712
1710 (e)
38° 45'N, 15° 16'EAt 1712 hours, the lookout on the port side aft spotted a large bubble of air at a distance of 800 metres followed by three torpedo tracks. The helm was put hard to starboard and two torpedoes missed astern, the nearest at 20 metres, and the third passed under the keel near the deck gun, on a 160° angle.

At 1713 hours, a fourth torpedo was sighted and the submarine kept turning to starboard and it passed on a parallel run 60 metres to port.

The attack was made by the submarine HMS P 43 (Lt. A.C. Halliday, RN), later renamed HMS Unison. At 1658 hours, she had sighted the Italian submarine steering 267° at 12 knots. At 1710 hours, she fired a salvo of four torpedoes from a range of 1,400 yards. They missed and the target was observed to have turned northward.

6.Acciaio (AC)7 Nov 19420320Cagliari13 Nov 19421344Cagliari903Sailed for a patrol between 37°05' N and 37°15' N and between 07°30' E and 08°00' E and this was reached at 0215 hours on the 8th. During the same day, she received an order to proceed to Cape Bougaroni and patrol between 37°20' N and the coast. On 10th November, she was was ordered to patrol off Algiers between 37°00' N and the coast and between 02°40' E and 03°00' E.
  8 Nov 1942044137° 10'N, 7° 45'E
(0) Position is approximate.
At 0441 hours, a warship was observed to be firing her machine-guns at an aircraft. It was believed to be an Italian submarine.
  9 Nov 1942205537° 05'N, 4° 16'EAt 2055 hours, a submarine of the DANDOLO class was sighted on an opposite course. This was possibly Axum returning from patrol.
  10 Nov 19420617
0530 (e)
36° 59'N, 2° 51'E
(0) 174° - 37° N, 02° E - 22 miles (Lord Lotham) or 36°38N, 02°02E.
At 0604 hours, a large warship was sighted on the starboard beam at a distance of 5,000 metres.

At 0610 hours, it was identified as a cruiser of the LEANDER class because of its single funnel and four gun turrets. The target appeared to proceed at 8 knots.

At 0617 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from bow tubes at a range of 1,300 metres, followed a minute later by another pair. The third torpedo passed between turret 4 and the stern but no explosion was observed although one was heard.

At 0626 hours, three depth charges were heard, followed by two more and it was believed they had been dropped by the cruiser. Acciaio was slightly damaged. More depth charges followed at 0628, 0714 and 0915 hours but the submarine succeeded in eluding her adversaries.

The target may have been the armed trawler HMT Lord Lotham (FY 113, 464 tons) escorting convoy T.E.1. She reported being missed by a torpedo at that time although the position does not match (unless there is a typographical error).
  12 Nov 1942213537° 49'N, 7° 12'EAt 2135 hours, a submarine was sighted.

Acciaio (AC)17 Nov 19421655Cagliari18 Nov 19422110Naples295Passage Cagliari-Naples.

Acciaio (AC)4 Jan 19431111Naples4 Jan 19431806Naples28Trials and exercises.

Acciaio (AC)6 Jan 19431354Naples6 Jan 19431644Naples2Periscope tests.

Acciaio (AC)8 Jan 19430827Naples8 Jan 19431512Naples28Exercises.

Acciaio (AC)9 Jan 19430912Naples9 Jan 19431530Naples24Gunfire exercises.

Acciaio (AC)11 Jan 19430815Naples11 Jan 19431430Naples29Trials and exercises.

Acciaio (AC)12 Jan 19430901Naples12 Jan 19430931Naples1Changed moorings.

Acciaio (AC)12 Jan 19431455Naples12 Jan 19431725Naples1Periscope test.

Acciaio (AC)13 Jan 19431135Naples14 Jan 19432035La Spezia340Passage Naples-La Spezia.

Acciaio (AC)19 Jan 19430715La Spezia19 Jan 19431404La Spezia30Torpedo firing exercises.

Acciaio (AC)20 Jan 19431252La Spezia20 Jan 19432050La Spezia55Speed trials.

Acciaio (AC)23 Jan 19430812La Spezia23 Jan 19431518La Spezia2Gyrocompass tests.

Acciaio (AC)25 Jan 19430230La Spezia26 Jan 19431110Cagliari365Passage La Spezia-Cagliari.

7.Acciaio (AC)27 Jan 19431730Cagliari17 Feb 19431225Cagliari1864Patrolled between 37°20'N and the African coast and between 06°00'E and 06°20'E (between Cape Carbon and Cape Bougaroni).
  2 Feb 1943005336° 58'N, 5° 13'EAt 0053 hours, a bomber strafed the submarine twice but missed.
  7 Feb 19432327
2330 (e)
37° 22'N, 6° 14'EAt 2324 hours, the Officer of the Watch spotted an object of the horizon. Shortly after it was identified as a destroyer of the JERVIS class steering 230° at 18 knots.

At 2327 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from the stern tubes at a range of 2,000 metres. The submarine submerged upon firing and explosions were heard after 80 and 87 seconds. The torpedoes had actually missed.

This was the minelayer HMS Abdiel and she avoided the two torpedoes, She had just laid a minefield off Bizerta during the night of 6-7th February.

41 entries. 35 total patrol entries (7 marked as war patrols) and 12 events.

Italian Commanders

Italian Submarines