Calvi-class submarine

The Calvi class was a class of three submarines built by Oderno-Terni-Orlando in Genoa for the Royal Italian Navy (Italian: Regia Marina). The submarines were built in 1935, and all three served in the Mediterranean at the start of the Second World War. The boats were transferred to the BETASOM Atlantic submarine base at Bordeaux in August 1940. In December 1941 the boats were used for a rescue mission of 254 sailors from the sunken German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis. After Calvi had been sunk, Finzi and Tazzoli were selected for conversion to "transport submarines" in order to exchange rare or irreplaceable trade goods with Japan. Cargo capacity of 160 tons reduced reserve buoyancy from 20–25% to 3.5–6%; and armament was reduced to defensive machine guns.[1]

Class overview
BuildersOdero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano, La Spezia
Operators Regia Marina
Preceded byPietro Micca
Succeeded byFoca class
Built1935
In commission1936–1943
Completed3
Lost2
Scrapped1
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine cruiser
Displacement
  • 1,549 t (1,525 long tons) (surfaced)
  • 2,061 t (2,028 long tons) (submerged)
Length84.3 m (276 ft 7 in)
Beam7.7 m (25 ft 3 in)
Draft5.2 m (17 ft 1 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 bhp (3,300 kW) (diesels)
  • 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) (surfaced)
  • 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) (submerged)
Range
  • 11,400 nmi (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (surfaced)
  • 120 nmi (220 km; 140 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) (submerged)
Test depth90 m (300 ft)
Crew77
Armament

Design and description

The Calvi class was an improved and enlarged version of the preceding Balilla-class submarine cruisers. They displaced 1,549 metric tons (1,525 long tons) surfaced and 2,061 metric tons (2,028 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 84.3 meters (276 ft 7 in) long, had a beam of 7.7 meters (25 ft 3 in) and a draft of 5.2 meters (17 ft 1 in).[2] They had an operational diving depth of 90 meters (300 ft).[3][2] They had an operational diving depth of 90 meters (300 ft).[3] Their crew numbered 77 officers and enlisted men.[2]

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 2,200-brake-horsepower (1,641 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 900-horsepower (671 kW) electric motor. They could reach 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) on the surface and 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) underwater. On the surface, the Calvi class had a range of 11,400 nautical miles (21,100 km; 13,100 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph); submerged, they had a range of 120 nmi (220 km; 140 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).[3]

The boats were armed with eight 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes, four each in the bow and in the stern for which they carried a total of 16 torpedoes. They were also armed with a pair of 120-millimeter (4.7 in) deck guns, one each fore and aft of the conning tower, for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two twin-gun mounts for 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns.[2]

Ships

Pietro Calvi

Pietro Calvi (pennant number CV) was launched 31 March 1935.[2] During the Spanish Civil War, she unsuccessfully fired a pair of torpedoes each at the 6,942-gross register ton (GRT) mail steamer SS Villa de Madrid and the 3946 GRT mail steamer SS Ciudad de Barcelona during a patrol on 1–17 January 1937. During the night of 12/13 January she bombarded the port of Valencia.[4]

The first patrol during the Second World War was from Liguria to the Atlantic Ocean, and lasted from 3 July to 6 August 1940. After overhaul at La Spezia, Calvi sailed on 6 October 1940 for a second Atlantic patrol reaching Bordeaux on 23 October. Calvi suffered storm damage during its third patrol off the British Isles from 3 to 31 December 1940. The fourth patrol was between the Canary Islands and the Azores from 31 March to 13 May 1941. Calvi sailed on 1 August 1941 for a fifth patrol off the Canary Islands. During the sixth patrol from 7 to 29 December 1941 Calvi, Finzi and Tazzoli rescued sailors of the sunken raider Atlantis. The seventh patrol was off Brazil from 7 March to 29 April 1942. Calvi sailed on 2 July 1942 for its eighth patrol.[5] Calvi was rammed and sunk on 14 July 1942 by convoy SL 115 escort HMS Lulworth.[6] Three officers and 32 sailors survived.[5]

Ships sunk by Pietro Calvi[5]
Ship Country Patrol Date Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Carlton  United Kingdom 3rd 20 December 1940 5,162 freighter from convoy OB 260; 4 survivors from a crew of 35
Tredinnick  United Kingdom 7th 25 March 1942 4,589 freighter, no survivors
T.C. McCobb  United States 7th 1 April 1942 7,452 tanker; 24 killed; first US ship sunk by an Italian submarine
Eugene V.R. Thayer  United States 7th 9 April 1942 7,138 tanker; 11 killed
Balkis  Norway 7th April 1942 2,161 freighter
Ben Brush  Panama 7th April 1942 7,691 tanker; 1 killed
Total: 34,193

Giuseppe Finzi

Giuseppe Finzi (pennant number FZ) was launched 29 June 1935.[2] The first war patrol was from Cagliari to the Atlantic, and lasted from 5 June to 10 July 1940. The submarine sailed on 7 September 1940 and passed the Strait of Gibraltar on 13 September for an Atlantic patrol to Bordeaux, France, on 29 September. Admiral Karl Dönitz visited Giuseppe Finzi on 30 September to welcome Regia Marina sailors to the German base. The third patrol near the British Isles from 24 October to 4 December 1940 revealed that the diesel engine air intake was too exposed for North Atlantic winter weather. The fourth patrol was near the Canary Islands from 10 March to 17 April 1941 and the fifth patrol was off Gibraltar in August. During the sixth patrol from 7 to 29 December 1941 Pietro Calvi, Giuseppe Finzi and Enrico Tazzoli rescued sailors of the sunken German commerce raider Atlantis. The submarine sailed for Operation Neuland on 6 February 1942 and returned on 31 March. She returned to the Caribbean Sea for an eighth patrol from 6 June to 18 August 1942. On 26 November 1942 Giuseppe Finzi sailed for a ninth patrol to Brazil; but mechanical problems required return to base on 10 December. The boat patrolled the West African coast from 11 February to 18 April 1943. Conversion to a transport submarine was never completed, and the boat was seized by the Germans on 9 September 1943 when Italy surrendered to the Allies. Renamed UIT21 in German service, she was scuttled at Le Verdon-sur-Mer on 25 August 1944 to prevent her capture by advancing Allied forces.[7][8]

Ships sunk by Giuseppe Finzi[7]
Ship Country Patrol Date Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Melpomese  United Kingdom 7th 6 March 1942 7,011 tanker, no casualties
Boren  Sweden 7th 6 March 1942 4,528 freighter; no casualties
Charles Racine  Norway 7th 10 March 1942 9,957 tanker; no casualties
Granicos  Greece 10th 28 March 1943 3,689 iron ore freighter sank in less than 30 seconds, one survivor from a crew of 31
Celtic Star  United Kingdom 10th 29 March 1943 5,575 freighter, 2 killed
Total: 30,760

Enrico Tazzoli
For other Italian submarines, see Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli.

Enrico Tazzoli (pennant number TZ) was launched 14 October 1935.[2] It was named after Enrico Tazzoli, a martyr of the Italian wars of independence. The first wartime patrol was off the coast of North Africa from 21 June to 2 July 1940. The second was an unsuccessful attempt to pass the Strait of Gibraltar from 30 July to 9 August 1940. After overhaul at La Spezia, Enrico Tazzoli sailed on 2 October 1940 and passed the Strait of Gibraltar on 7 October for an Atlantic patrol to Bordeaux on 24 October. The fourth patrol was off the British Isles from 13 December 1940 to 6 January 1941. The boat sailed on 7 April 1941 to patrol between Freetown and the Azores; and shot down an attacking Bristol Blenheim while returning to port on 23 May. The sixth patrol was again off Freetown from 15 July to 11 September 1941. During the seventh patrol from 7 to 27 December 1941 Pietro Calvi, Giuseppe Finzi and Tazzoli rescued sailors of the sunken German commerce raider Atlantis. The submarine sailed for Operation Neuland on 2 February 1942 and returned on 31 March. The ninth patrol was again to the Caribbean from 18 June to 5 September 1942; and the tenth patrol was to Brazil from 14 November 1942 to 2 February 1943.[9] After conversion to a transport submarine, Enrico Tazzoli sailed for Japan on 16 May 1943 and was sunk by aircraft in the Bay of Biscay on 23 May.[10]

Ships sunk by Enrico Tazzoli[9]
Ship Country Patrol Date Tonnage (GRT) Notes
Orao  Yugoslavia 3rd 12 October 1940 5,135 Freighter shelled then torpedoed while radioing; 2 killed
Ardanbahn  United Kingdom 4th 27 December 1940 4,980 No survivors from freighter of unescorted Convoy OB 263
Aurillac  United Kingdom 5th 15 April 1941 4,248 Freighter, 1 killed
Fernlane  Norway 5th 7 May 1941 4,310 Freighter with ammunition cargo, no casualties
Alfred Olsen  Norway 5th 10 May 1941 8,817 Tanker, no casualties
Sildra  Norway 6th 19 August 1941 7,313 Tanker, no casualties
Astrea  Netherlands 8th 6 March 1942 1,406 Freighter, no casualties
Tonsbergfjord  Norway 8th 6 March 1942 3,156 Freighter; 1 killed
Montevideo  Uruguay 8th 8 March 1942 5,785 Freighter; 14 killed
Cygnet  Greece 8th 10 March 1942 3,628 Freighter; no casualties
Daytonian  United Kingdom 8th 13 March 1942 6,434 Freighter; 1 killed
Athelqueen  United Kingdom 8th 15 March 1942 8,780 Tanker; 3 killed
Kastor  Greece 9th 2 August 1942 5,497 Freighter; 4 killed
Havsten  Norway 9th 6 August 1942 6,161 Tanker; 2 killed
Empire Hawk  United Kingdom 10th 12 December 1942 5,032 Freighter, no casualties
Ombillin  Netherlands 10th 12 December 1942 5,658 Freighter, no casualties
Queen City  United Kingdom 10th 21 December 1942 4,814 Freighter, 6 killed
Doña Aurora  United States 10th 25 December 1942 5,011 Freighter, 7 killed
Total: 96,165

See also

References

Notes
  1. Brice pp. 129, 131
  2. Chesneau, p. 305
  3. Bagnasco, p. 152
  4. Frank, p. 95
  5. "Regia Marina Italiana". Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  6. Blair, pp. 669–670
  7. "Regia Marina Italiana". Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. Gröner, Erich, German Warships 1815–1945, Volume Two: U-Boats and Mine Warfare Vessels, London: Conway Maritime Press, 1991, ISBN 1-55750-301-X, p. 109.
  9. "Regia Marina Italiana". Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  10. Brice, pp. 131–133

Sources
  • Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-85409-532-3.
  • Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War, The Hunters 1939–1942. Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
  • Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
  • Brice, Martin (1981). Axis Blockade Runners of World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-908-1.
  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Frank, Willard C. Jr. (1989). "Question 12/88". Warship International. XXVI (1): 95–97. ISSN 0043-0374.
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