Sketch of MARCELLO Class - BARBARIGO was this class

In this section, we cover actions of some of the submarines of the Italian Navy and I.J.N. Any additional information is welcome.

On 1 October, 1940 the Italian sub BARACCA under C.C. Enrico Bertarelli sank the 3,687 ton Greek steamer AGHIOS NICOLAOS but by gunfire rather than with a torpedo.

On 18 November, 1940 BARACCA, still under Bertarelli, sank the 4,866 ton British steamer LILIAN MOLLER. This ship was also in the North Atlantic, but this was in a convoy; Convoy SLS.53d and was sunk by torpedo.

On 5 September 1941 BARACCA, now under T.V. Georgio Viani, sank the 434 ton Panamanian motorship TRINIDAD. BARACCA did not return from this patrol, but we have no record of the reason for her loss. If anyone can help, we would appreciate additional information.

On 19 August, 1940 the Italian submarine BARBARIGO under C.C. Giulio Ghiglieri attacked and damaged the 3,255 ton British steamer AGUILA with her deck gun and reported five hits. The ship was later identified by xB-Dienst.

On 10 November, 1940 BARBARIGO still under Ghiglieri claimed an attack on a destroyer, country unknown, but there is no confirmation and no loss report by any of the Allied Navies

On 15 May, 1941 BARBARIGO (Ghiglieri) attacked and damaged the 5,464 ton British steamer MANCHESTER PORT.

On 25 July, 1941 BARBARIGO, now under C.C. Francesco Murzi, sank the 5,135 ton British steamer MACON.

On 26 July, 1941 BARBARIGO, still under Murzi, sank the 8,272 ton British motor tanker HORN SHELL.

On 23 January, 1942 BARBARIGO, now under C.C. Enzo Grossi, sank the 5,473 ton Spanish steamer NAVEMAR.

BARBARIGO departing Bordeaux in 1942

On 18 May, 1942 BARBARIGO, still under Grossi, attacked the 5,052 ton Brazilian ship COMANDANTE LYRA with a torpedo which hit, as well as 16 rounds of 100mm artillery from the deck gun. She was towed into Fortaleza under protection of a US Navy task force.

On 28 May, 1942 BARBARIGO (Grossi) sank the 4,836 ton British steamer CHARLBURY.

On 6 October, 1942 BARBARIGO (Grossi) attacked the 940 ton British corvette PETUNIA, which Grossi reported as a 33,000 ton battleship of the USS MISSISSIPPI Class, and assumed that the detonations of nearby depth charges were actually hits by his torpedoes on this ship, which was not even damaged. After this War Patrol, command passed from Grossi (imagine that!) to T.V. Roberto Rigoli.

On 24 February, 1943 BARBARIGO (Rigoli) sank the 3,453 ton Spanish steamer MONTE IGUELDO.

On 2 March, 1943 BARBARIGO (Rigoli) sank the 3,540 ton Brazilian steamer AFONSO PENA.

On 3 March, 1943 BARBARIGO (Rigoli) sank the 8,591 ton American motorship STAG HOUND.

Eventually, BARBARIGO made her passage to the I.J.N. sub base at Penang where they were when Italy surrendered to the Allies. The Japanese now treated the crew almost as enemy prisoners, but when a German blockade runner offered to take them back to Europe, the Japanese let them go. In the South Atlantic, US Navy warships intercepted and sank the various blockade runners in that group, and Commander Rigoli and a great many Italian and German sailors floated around for some time before they were found.

We carried this story by Commander Rigoli in a past issue of our KTB Magazine.