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Italian submarines
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Salvatore Todaro
(Luciana Manara, Comandante Alfredo Cappellini)
Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Gioacchino Ventura
T.V. Tenente di Vascello
PERLA (T.V. C.O.): from 13.06.1942 to 09.07.1942 (sunk, Ventura survived as PoW).
Commands listed for Gioacchino Ventura
Perla (I.33 or I.30) Coastal / Sea going T.V. 13 Jun 1942 9 Jul 1942
War patrols listed for Gioacchino Ventura
Arr. date
Arr. time
Arr. port
Perla (I.33 or I.30) 15 Jun 1942 0800 Messina 15 Jun 1942 1305 Messina 13 Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Manas, between 38°02'N and 38°10'N, and between 15°35'E and the coast.
Perla (I.33 or I.30) 20 Jun 1942 1230 Messina 20 Jun 1942 1906 Messina 28,5 Exercises between 38°02'N and 38°10'N, and between 15°35'E and the coast.
Perla (I.33 or I.30) 24 Jun 1942 0810 Messina 24 Jun 1942 1250 Messina 29 Exercises between 38°02'N and 38°10'N and 15°35'E and the coast.
Perla (I.33 or I.30) 26 Jun 1942 0805 Messina 26 Jun 1942 1300 Messina 27,3 Exercises between 38°02'N and 38°10'N and 15°35'E and the coast.
1. Perla (I.33 or I.30) 1 Jul 1942 1850 or 1923 Messina 9 Jul 1942 Captured Passage Messina-Leros, patrol in Cyprus area and then patrolled off Beirut, between 33°40'N and 36°00'N and between 32°00'E and the Syrian coast. Captured by HMS Hyacinth 15 miles south of Beirut (one killed, five officers and forty ratings taken PoWs). Became RHN Matrozos.
2 Jul 1942 0915 36° 52'N, 17° 44'E At 0915 hours, a wheel of a German aircraft was seen and picked up. It appeared to be the tail wheel.
2 Jul 1942 1730
(0) About 100 miles west of Navarino. At 1730 hours, Perla carried out gunnery practice. Two 100mm and about 140 13.2mm rounds were fired.
(0) About 70 miles southwest of Navarino. At 2145 hours, a friendly submarine (possibly U-375?) was sighted. Perla took avoiding action.
(0) West of Crete. At 0002 hours, a hospital ship was sighted.
(0) ? A large motor launch apparently stopped was sighted bearing 270°. Perla steered away.
At 2000 hours, information was received of a convoy, 10 miles to the southward. The submarine steered 170° to intercept, but nothing was sighted.
1728C (e)
(e) 33° 50'N, 35° 19'E At 0309 hours, Sunderland 'X' (W.3987) of 230 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Howe, obtained a radar contact at a distance of 3 miles in 32°18' N, 34°28' E. This was a submarine and it submerged before an attack could be made.
At 1020C hours, a Blenheim of 13 Hellenic Squadron piloted by Pilot Officer Kipouros, sighted a surfaced submarine in 32°44' N, 34°30' E, steering 270° at 12-14 knots. The submarine crash-dived again, before an attack could be made.
These two sightings possibly referred to HMS Una, on passage from Port Said to Haifa, or U-372. The British submarine did not dive at the aforementioned time, but this is possibly an error somewhere. Check!
At 1728C hours, the corvette HMS Hyacinth (Lieutenant John Ivor Jones, DSC, RNR) was proceeding at 15 knots from Haifa to Beirut, when two torpedo tracks were observed from the port beam. A Walrus of 700 Squadron, piloted by Lieutenant P.C. Chorley, also sighted the tracks and passed a warning to the corvette. The warship turned immediately to port to comb the tracks and an ASDIC contact was obtained at 1,000 yards.
The attack had been made by Perla.
At 1730C hours, a first pattern of depth charges was delivered and oil patches were seen. Two more patterns followed and the submarine surfaced. The corvette immediately engaged Perla with all guns. A white flag was waved and the crew began abandoning ship. Firing was ceased and a boarding party (including the Maltese cook who spoke Italian) was sent under Lieutenant Jack Arthur Pollard, RNVR. After examination, Pollard judged that the submarine could be towed. Shortly after, the corvette HMS Gloxinia and the motor torpedo boats MTB-261 and MTB-265 arrived on the scene. The submarine was towed to Beirut by HMS Hyacinth, covered by the other vessels and by aircraft. At the entrance of the port, the tow was passed to a tug.
One rating of Perla had been killed. T.V. Gioacchino Ventura, four officers and forty ratings were taken as prisoners of war.
11 entries. 6 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 6 events.