Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Giuseppe Caito
| Born | 2 Jan 1906 | Trapani | |
| Died | Jun 1943 | (37) | Killed in action |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
ALPINO ATTILIO BAGNOLINI (T.V. First Officer): from 22.12.1939 to ?NARVALO (T.V. C.O.): from 15.05.1941 to 09.04.1942.
Promoted to C.C. in April 1942.
MARCANTONIO BRAGADINO (C.C. C.O.): from 10.04.1942 to 24.05.1942.
OTARIA (C.C. C.O.): from 30.10.1942 to 16.11.1942.
ENRICO TAZZOLI (C.C. C.O.): from 01.03.1943 to June 1943? (sunk, Caito was killed).
Commands listed for Giuseppe Caito
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narvalo (NR) | Ocean going | T.V. | 15 May 1941 | 9 Apr 1942 |
| Marcantonio Bragadino (BG) | Minelaying | C.C. | 10 Apr 1942 | 24 May 1942 |
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | Ocean going | C.C. | 30 Oct 1942 | 16 Nov 1942 |
| Enrico Tazzoli (TZ, I.3) | Ocean going | C.C. | 1 Mar 1943 | Jun 1943 |
Ships hit by Giuseppe Caito
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Giuseppe Caito
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narvalo (NR) | 20 May 1941 | 0922 | Pola | 20 May 1941 | 1740 | Pola | 39 | Exercises with the submarine Speri. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 24 May 1941 | 0808 | Pola | 24 May 1941 | 1705 | Pola | 123,8 | Exercises with the submarines Bausan, Pisani, Speri and Toti, escorted by the auxiliaries San Giorgio, Jadera and Morrhua. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 30 May 1941 | 0743 | Pola | 30 May 1941 | 1632 | Pola | 17,8 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 3 Jun 1941 | 0735 | Pola | 3 Jun 1941 | 1818 | Pola | 58 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 7 Jun 1941 | 0748 | Pola | 7 Jun 1941 | 1810 | Pola | 50 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 9 Jun 1941 | 0750 | Pola | 9 Jun 1941 | 1806 | Pola | 72,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 10 Jun 1941 | 1345 | Pola | 11 Jun 1941 | 0230 | Pola | Exercises with the submarine Bausan, escorted by the torpedo boat Cantore. | |||
| Narvalo (NR) | 12 Jun 1941 | 0755 | Pola | 12 Jun 1941 | 1705 | Pola | 58,3 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 13 Jun 1941 | 0725 | Pola | 13 Jun 1941 | 1730 | Pola | 72 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 14 Jun 1941 | 1858 | Pola | 15 Jun 1941 | 0225 | Pola | 52 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 17 Jun 1941 | 0714 | Pola | 17 Jun 1941 | 1727 | Pola | 65,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 18 Jun 1941 | 0716 | Pola | 18 Jun 1941 | 1525 | Pola | 55,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 19 Jun 1941 | 1905 | Pola | 20 Jun 1941 | 0245 | Pola | 46 | Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Jadera. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 24 Jun 1941 | 0404 | Pola | 26 Jun 1941 | 1010 | Taranto | 530 | Passage Pola-Taranto. Sighted only Italian ships. | ||
| 1. | Narvalo (NR) | 30 Jun 1941 | 1435 | Taranto | 4 Jul 1941 | 1455 | Taranto | 578 | Sailed for patrol off Ras Azzaz, via point K (34°20'N, 23°00'E) and point Z (33°00'N, 27°10'E) then to area between 31°54'N and the Egyptian coast and between 27°00'E and 27°20'E but returned due to defects, despite repeated efforts to fix them. Repairs until September 1941. | |
| Narvalo (NR) | 17 Jul 1941 | 0830 | Taranto | 17 Jul 1941 | 1330 | Taranto | 6,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 18 Jul 1941 | 0830 | Taranto | 18 Jul 1941 | 2000 | Taranto | 72 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 19 Jul 1941 | 1625 | Taranto | 19 Jul 1941 | 2041 | Taranto | 25 | Exercises, escorted by the pilot vessel Limbara. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 21 Jul 1941 | 0410 | Taranto | 21 Jul 1941 | 1454 | Taranto | 58,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 24 Jul 1941 | 0735 | Taranto | 24 Jul 1941 | 1508 | Taranto | 65,6 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 28 Jul 1941 | 0605 | Taranto | 28 Jul 1941 | 1708 | Taranto | 68,7 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 1 Aug 1941 | 1101 | Taranto | 1 Aug 1941 | 1830 | Taranto | 47,3 | Exercises escorted by the pilot vessel Limbara. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 3 Aug 1941 | 0830 | Taranto | 3 Aug 1941 | 1610 | Taranto | 51,6 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 6 Aug 1941 | 0826 | Taranto | 6 Aug 1941 | 1725 | Taranto | 72 | Trials escorted by the pilot vessel Limbara. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 8 Aug 1941 | 1215 | Taranto | 8 Aug 1941 | 1927 | Taranto | 53,2 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 1 Sep 1941 | 0816 | Taranto | 1 Sep 1941 | 1920 | Taranto | 120,9 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 3 Sep 1941 | 1039 | Taranto | 3 Sep 1941 | 1730 | Taranto | 48 | Exercises. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 12 Sep 1941 | 1022 | Taranto | 12 Sep 1941 | 2210 | Crotone | 127,5 | Passage Taranto-Messina but diverted to Crotone due to defects. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 13 Sep 1941 | 0650 | Crotone | 13 Sep 1941 | 2000 | Messina | 138,3 | Passage Crotone-Messina. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 15 Sep 1941 | 1447 | Messina | 16 Sep 1941 | 0800 | Trapani | 171,7 | Passage Messina-Trapani. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 22 Sep 1941 | 0804 | Trapani | 22 Sep 1941 | 1130 | Trapani | 55,6 | Exercises with the auxiliary Petsamo. | ||
| 2. | Narvalo (NR) | 24 Sep 1941 | 1316 | Trapani | 5 Oct 1941 | 0900 | Trapani | 827,2 | Sailed for a patrol off Cape Bon in zone K.2 (between 36°53'N and 36°57'N, and between 11°00'E and 11°05'E) but very soon was diverted to zone K.1 (between 37°12'N and Tunisian coast, and between 11°00'E and 11°05'E) which she occupied from 25 September to 4 October, | |
| 27 Sep 1941 | 0305 | (0) Off Cape Bon (Italian Grid 5075). | A 10 to 12,000-ton steamer steering 160° was sighted at 0300 hours at 2,500 meters, possibly a vessel of Operation HALBERD, perhaps Melbourne Star (11,076 GRT, built 1936) which sailed from Malta for Gibraltar at 1130 hours on the 26th September. The submarine closed to about 1,200 metres and fired a single torpedo from a stern tube. It missed. | |||||||
| 27 Sep 1941 | 0306 | (0) Off C Bon. | A second torpedo was fired from a stern tube from a distance of 1,500 metres and again missed. | |||||||
| 28 Sep 1941 | 2330 | (0) 4 miles south of Ras Mustapha (Tunisia) | Two destroyers were sighted at a distance of 7 to 8,000 metres. The submarine dropped to the bottom at 68 metres and stopped her engines. | |||||||
| Narvalo (NR) | 7 Oct 1941 | Trapani | 7 Oct 1941 | Trapani | At Trapani. Squalo discharged her gun accidentally. | |||||
| 7 Oct 1941 | 0840+ | (0) At Trapani. | Following the accidental discharge of Squalo's deck gun, a rating was killed and two were wounded on Narvalo (in addition one rating was wounded on Squalo and another on Bandiera). | |||||||
| 3. | Narvalo (NR) | 17 Oct 1941 | 2250 | Trapani | 21 Oct 1941 | 1200 | Trapani | 443 | Patrolled off Ras Mustafa in zone K.2 (between 36°53'N and 36°57'N, and between 11°12'E and the Tunisian coast) with Squalo in zone K.1. Uneventful except for several aircraft sightings. | |
| 18 Oct 1941 | 0805 | 37° 03'N, 13° 07'E | An unidentified aircraft was sighted at 6,000 metres and the submarine dived. | |||||||
| 18 Oct 1941 | 1105 | 37° 00'N, 13° 05'E | A derelict mine was seen and the submarine fired three magazines of 13.2mm before the machine-gun jammed. The mine appeared to have been hit but did not sink. | |||||||
| 18 Oct 1941 | 1153 | 36° 49'N, 13° 01'E | Two aircraft were sighted at 8,000 metres and the submarine submerged. | |||||||
| 18 Oct 1941 | 1414 | 36° 48'N, 12° 51'E | An aircraft was sighted at 7,000 metres and the submarine submerged. | |||||||
| 18 Oct 1941 | 1450 | 36° 47'N, 12° 47'E | An aircraft was sighted and the submarine submerged. | |||||||
| 18 Oct 1941 | 1635+ | 36° 46'N, 12° 44'E | An aircraft was sighted at 5-6000 metres, this time the submarine remained on the surface and was not attacked. | |||||||
| Narvalo (NR) | 27 Oct 1941 | 0901 | Trapani | 27 Oct 1941 | 1140 | Trapani | 25,2 | Exercises escorted by the auxiliary Petsamo. | ||
| 4. | Narvalo (NR) | 8 Nov 1941 | 2337 | Trapani | 19 Nov 1941 | 1500 | Trapani | 886,1 | Patrolled in Sicilian Channel, east of Linosa, between 35°40'N and 36°20'N, and between 13°00'E and 13°20'E. Uneventful. | |
| 19 Nov 1941 | 0915 | 36° 31'N, 12° 52'E | A derelict mine was sighted, but it took 90 rounds of 13.2mm and 70 rounds of 6.5mm to sink it. | |||||||
| Narvalo (NR) | 3 Dec 1941 | 0835 | Trapani | 3 Dec 1941 | 1104 | Trapani | 21,7 | Exercises escorted by the auxiliary Egusa. | ||
| 5. | Narvalo (NR) | 7 Dec 1941 | 2303 | Trapani | 16 Dec 1941 | 0105 | Trapani | 751,6 | Patrolled east of Malta, between 35°20'N and 36°00'N, and between 16°00'E and 16°40'E, on a patrol line with Santarosa. Damaged at 0900-0930 hours on 14th December by A/S units and forced to return home. | |
| 8 Dec 1941 | 1400 | 36° 39'N, 14° 15'E (0) Approximately. | Caito believed his submarine was attacked by an aircraft and ordered his machine gun crew to their stations. This was an error: the submarine Santarosa had actually just detonated a derelict mine. | |||||||
| 14 Dec 1941 | 0928-0940 | (0) East of Malta. | Two enemy warships were detected by hydrophones and depth-charged the submarine. Narvalo suffered damage and had to abort her mission. | |||||||
| Narvalo (NR) | 2 Jan 1942 | 0823 | Trapani | 2 Jan 1942 | 1240 | Trapani | 19,6 | Trials escorted by the minesweeper R.D.40. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 4 Jan 1942 | 0920 | Trapani | 4 Jan 1942 | 1406 | Trapani | 35,4 | Trials escorted by the minesweeper R.D.12. | ||
| 6. | Narvalo (NR) | 15 Jan 1942 | 2004 | Trapani | 27 Jan 1942 | 0925 | Trapani | 859,7 | Within 8 miles from 35°02'N, 13°20'E, on a line east of Lampedusa with Squalo and Santarosa. On the night of 17 January was ordered to shift patrol 10 miles to the east (35°02'N, 13°32'E) and on the night of 18 January to the east as far as 15°05'E. On 20 January, she was moved to 34°35'N, 14°20'E. | |
| 16 Jan 1942 | 1415 | 35° 28'N, 13° 09'E | A derelict mine was seen, but no action was taken. | |||||||
| 18 Jan 1942 | 1950 | The submarines were ordered by signal (1954/18) to form a patrol line to intercept the convoy from Alexandria reported in the afternoon: Santarosa in Italian Grid 0132 (34°30' N, 15°30' E), Squalo in Grid 8332 (probably 35°20' N, 15°30' E) and Narvalo in Grid 2732 (probably 35°02' N, 15°30' E). Narvalo proceeded to the new position but sighted nothing. | ||||||||
| 7. | Narvalo (NR) | 10 Feb 1942 | 1725 | Trapani | 14 Feb 1942 | 1042 | Trapani | 329,9 | Patrolled off Cape Blanc (Tunisia), between 37°46'N and 38°00'N, and between 09°40'E and 10°00'E, on a patrol line with Santarosa and Delfino. | |
| 11 Feb 1942 | 0130 | The submarine was informed of an enemy force sighted at 2100 hours on the 10th in 37°50' N, 07°30' E on an easterly course. The submarine listened on her hydrophones until 1000 hours, but nothing had been heard so she surfaced and resumed her course to her patrol position. | ||||||||
| 8. | Narvalo (NR) | 14 Feb 1942 | 1430 | Trapani | 25 Feb 1942 | 1730 | Trapani | 1031,5 | Patrolled south of Malta, between 34°30'N and 34°50'N, and between 14°20'E and 14°40'E, on a line with Santarosa. Uneventful. Heard only distant explosions and H.E. | |
| Narvalo (NR) | 9 Mar 1942 | 0830 | Trapani | 9 Mar 1942 | 1257 | Trapani | 15,6 | Trials escorted by MAS 544 and MAS 548. | ||
| Narvalo (NR) | 10 Mar 1942 | 0853 | Trapani | 10 Mar 1942 | 1210 | Trapani | 6,9 | Trials escorted by the auxiliary Terracina. | ||
| 9. | Narvalo (NR) | 28 Mar 1942 | 1920 | Trapani | 1 Apr 1942 | 1110 | Trapani | 372,3 | Patrolled off Cape Blanc in zone K.1 (between 37°12'N and Tunisian coast, and between 11°00'E and 11°05'E). | |
| 30 Mar 1942 | 0557 | (0) 030° - Ras Addar - 1.5 mile. | A light cruiser and a destroyer, on course 290, were sighted briefly at a distance of 800-1,000 metres in a rain squall and poor visibility. They disappeared before any action could be taken. | |||||||
| Narvalo (NR) | 4 Apr 1942 | 0755 | Trapani | 4 Apr 1942 | 0945 | Trapani | Exercises escorted by MAS 548. | |||
| Narvalo (NR) | 7 Apr 1942 | 2005 | Trapani | 8 Apr 1942 | 1540 | Naples | 204,6 | Sailed for Naples escorted until point A.2 from Trapani by the steamer Mazzara at 2200 hours on the 7th. Stayed in company with the submarine Santarosa until 0010 hours on the 8th then proceeded alone to Naples. Refit in Naples until June 1942. | ||
| Marcantonio Bragadino (BG) | 11 Apr 1942 | 1335 | Brindisi | 11 Apr 1942 | 1630 | Brindisi | 18,2 | Exercises with the submarine Corridoni, escorted by the torpedo boat Orsa and minesweeper R.D.32. | ||
| Marcantonio Bragadino (BG) | 4 May 1942 | 0835 | Brindisi | 4 May 1942 | 1318 | Brindisi | 18 | Trials. | ||
| Marcantonio Bragadino (BG) | 9 May 1942 | 1300 | Brindisi | 9 May 1942 | 1710 | Brindisi | 3 | Trials. | ||
| Marcantonio Bragadino (BG) | 13 May 1942 | 0750 | Brindisi | 13 May 1942 | 1140 | Brindisi | 21 | Exercises. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 2 Nov 1942 | 0857 | Naples | 2 Nov 1942 | 1900 | Naples | 82,43 | Trials. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 4 Nov 1942 | 0818 | Naples | 4 Nov 1942 | 1649 | Naples | 27 | Gyrocompass test. | ||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 6 Nov 1942 | 1516 | Naples | 8 Nov 1942 | 1555 | Taranto | 480 | Passage Naples-Taranto. | ||
| 7 Nov 1942 | 1247 1241 (e) | (e) 37° 52'N, 15° 46'E (0) 145° - Cape Dell\'Armi - 7 miles. | ||||||||
| 7 Nov 1942 | 1247 1241 (e) | (e) 37° 52'N, 15° 46'E (0) 145° - Cape Dell\'Armi - 7 miles. | A torpedo wake was sighted and the submarine took evading action. The torpedo passed either under her stern or very close to it. Four explosions were heard which were probably of torpedoes at the end of their run. The attack had been carried out by HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN). The British submarine had fired four torpedoes from a range of only 400 yards. | |||||||
| Otaria (OA, I.25) | 16 Nov 1942 | 1231 | Taranto | 16 Nov 1942 | 1610 | Taranto | 78,5 | Exercises. | ||
| 10. | Enrico Tazzoli (TZ, I.3) | 16 May 1943 | 1200 | La Pallice | 17 Jun 1943 | Sunk with all hands | Passage Bordeaux-Singapore with 165 tons of stores with passenger Japanese Colonel Kihara and German Lt. Chiari and nine others via: (1) 45°30'N, 11°00'W (2) 35°00'N, 21°00'W (3) 17°00'N, 28°00'W [was to have met Giuliani in 09°30'S, 06°30'W on 17 June] (4) 15°00'S, 01°00'W (5) 36°30'S, 16°00'E (6) 37°40'S, 18°00'E (37°40'S, 26°00'E then Sunda Straits. 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). Believed lost between 17th and 24th May 1943, six officers, forty-six ratings, and five civilians killed. The destroyer USS Mackenzie (DD-614) attacked a submarine on 16th May in 38°53'N, 20°33'W and another on 22nd May. It is impossible that it was the first attack. She was to rendezvous with another unit [Giuliani] in 09°30'S, 06°30'W on 17th June, but never showed up. | |||
| 16 May 1943 | 2003 (e) | (e) 45° 57'N, 11° 40'W | At 2003 hours, Halifax 'R' (HR774) of 58 Squadron (piloted by Pilot Officer A.J.W. Birch) attacked a submarine with depth-charges. It was claimed that Enrico Tazzoli was sunk in this attack but it is unlikely, as she could never have reached this position in time. | |||||||
| 20 May 1943 | 1000 (e) | (e) 45° 50'N, 9° 27'W | At 1000 hours, Liberator 'A' (Flying Officer J.R. Weeds) of 224 Squadron sighted a submarine on course of 270 degrees at 8 knots. The bomber attacked from port quarter and a stick of six depth charges was released from 100 feet, 45 seconds after the U-boat had disappeared. The rear gunner witnessed the explosions, estimating four on the submarine's track about 400 feet ahead of the swirl. Baiting tactics were carried out but nothing further was observed. It is possible that Enrico Tazzoli was sunk in this attack. | |||||||
| 21 May 1943 | 0925 (e) | (e) 45° 54'N, 15° 29'W | At 0925 hours, an aircraft of 19 Group reported to be over a submarine. Details of this attack are unknown but it remains a possibility that this was Enrico Tazzoli. | |||||||
| 23 May 1943 | 1718Z (e) | (e) 34° 30'N, 13° 13'W | At 1718Z hours, an American PBY (from VP-92?) sighted two U-boats and attacked one of them. Another aircraft sighted one corpse and debris in a large oil slick in the vicinity. It is possible that this was Enrico Tazzoli. The submarine disappeared without a trace. Believed lost between 17th and 24th May 1943, six officers, forty-six ratings and five civilians killed. | |||||||
70 entries. 57 total patrol entries (10 marked as war patrols) and 23 events.