Italian Submarines

2 July 1940 the Italian submarine MARCONI under command of CC Guilio Chialamberto, fired at the Royal Navy destroyer HMS VORTIGERN. MARCONI was diving and could not observe but heard a detonation and assumed a hit. There was no hit.

11 July 1940, MARCONI still under Chialamberto, sank the 1,375 ton Royal Navy destroyer HMS ESCORT in the western Mediterranean.

19 September 1940, MARCONI still under Chialamberto, sank the 330 ton Spanish trawler ALMIRANTE JOSE de CARRANZA 16 miles NW of Villano, using a torpedo.

9 Nov. 1940, MARCONI under Chialamberto, sank the 2,734 ton Swede motorship VINGALAND at 55º 41’N x 18º 24’W. This ship had been damaged by bombs from a FW 200 CONDOR of KG 40 the previous day. This was Chialamberto’s last action as Skipper of MARCONI. He took command of BAGNOLINI.

30 May 1941, MARCONI, now under of TV Mario Paulo Pollina, sank the 8,129 ton British tanker CAIRNDALE 170 miles WSW of Trafalgar.

1 June 1941, MARCONI (Pollina) sank the 318 ton Portuguese trawler EXPORTADOR 137 miles SW of Cape St. Vincent using his deck gun.

6 June 1941, MARCONI (Pollina) fired a spread in Convoy OG.63 and claimed three ships of 6,000 tons each sunk and another of 8,000 tons damaged. Actually, the British steamer ARIOSTO watched the torpedoes flash past her without damage, but both the 3,395 ton British steamer BARON LOVAT and the 1,392 ton Swedish steamer TABERG were hit and sunk at 35º 30’N x 11º 30’W.

11 August 1941 MARCONI (Pollina) attacked (surfaced) the 2,589 ton Yugoslavian steamer SUD with two dozen rounds from her deck gun and damaged her. U-126 (Bauer) sank the ship with torpedo.

This was the only command that Pollina had in World War II. MARCONI was lost to unknown causes in mid-Atlantic during November 1941. MARCONI was one of the more successful and aggressive Italian submarines in World War II, even though she was lost only two years after hostilities began.

I.J.N. Submarines

4 February 1942, the I.J.N. submarine I-155 under command of KL Sakae Nakijima, sank the 1,937 ton Netherlands steamer van LANSBERGE south of Makasar.

7 February 1942, I-155 (Nakajima) sank the 4,519 ton Netherlands steamer van CLOON south of Bawean Island.

13 February 1942, I-155 (Nakajima) reported sinking a transport north of Sunda Strait. No confirmation, no ship lost.

18 February 1942, I-155 (Nakajima) reported sinking a transport north of Sunda Strait. No confirmation, no ship lost.

These were the only actions initiated by I-155 but Nakajima went on to command I-10. In the tape offered by SHARKHUNTERS, you will actually ride along on a patrol with I-10. It is Tape H-26 and the title is GOCHIN! This boat lived out the war and was surrendered in 1945.