Quite some time ago, we had featured some of the missions of the small submarines, the guys who drove the Miaile (Italian for Pigs). They were a huge thorn in the side of the British lion, and here we continue with some more of their exploits.

Mission B.G.4 – Gibraltar

Despite the failures, the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’ organizes a 4th attack on the base at Gibraltar (BG 4) at the new moon September 1941. The mission includes the same routes and formality of attack as used in the previous attack.

On 10 September, SCIRÉ departs La Spezia in the darkness. While the submarine sails on in the Mediterranean, the team composed of ten operators of the SLCs reaches the city of Cadiz by air, and hides in the Italian oil tanker FULGOR. On 16 September, at night, SCIRÉ emerges silently near the Italian tanker and in a few minutes, the operators of the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’ enter inside the submarine.

On 19 September 1941, SCIRÉ sights a convoy on his route, bound to the open Atlantic, but the commander, Borghese, is able to elude the escorting destroyers. That night, the submarine goes up the Gulf of Algeria. She stops at the mouth of the river Guadarranque and stays at 10 meters depth. After the watertight containers have been flooded, the frogmen some out of the submarine and put their SLCs into operation.

0107 hours of 20 September, the three ‘Pigs’ leave the submarine and head for the roadstead of Gibraltar. After rescuing the three backup operators that had collaborated at the departure of the three SLCs, SCIRÉ immediately begins a diversionary maneuver.

Distant detonations were heard in the submarine’s hydrophones. They were the roars of victory – the 3 SLCs had in fact, overcome all obstacles and the frogmen from the MAS had succeeded in placing the explosive charges on the hulls of the 11,000 ton auxiliary cruiser HMS DURHAM; on the 16,000 ton tanker SS DENBYDALE and the 2,400 ton tanker SS FIONA SHELL.

Because of the shallow water, DURHAM and DENBYDALE did not sink completely and were subsequently repaired and put back into service, while FIONA SHELL disappeared completely beneath the waves, a total loss.

After crossing the Strait of Gibraltar the 8th time, SCIRÉ moored at the submarine quay at La Spezia on 25 September. A few days later, all the operators of the three MASs returned to Italy. They had succeeded in escaping capture, thanks to a perfect organization purposely set in Spain by the men of the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’.

Mission G.A.3 – Alexandria

During November 1941, the British Mediterranean Fleet was in a critical situation – only the battleships HMS VALIANT and HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, based at Alexandria, were available. The Italian Navy studied carefully, how to take advantage of that – if those two battleships were destroyed, the Italian convoys to Libya could safely with positive effects on the African war. In November 1941, the mission to destroy the British battleships was given to ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’ and the submarine SCIRÉ.

The first suitable time of the darkness of the new moon was a few days after Christmas of 1941. And so, on the night of 3 December, SCIRÉ silently sets out from the submarine base at La Spezia. She sails on the surface to the Aeolian Islands, unseen by the lookouts of a French steamer and by the pilots of three enemy airplanes.

Crossing the Straits of Messina, the submarine is overtaken by an Italian motorboat with a dispatch for the commander of SCIRÉ with new information on Alexandria Harbor.

SCIRÉ continues on her way, but off Taormina, she is spotted by a British submarine! Commander Borghese disengages from a possible attack, and submarine continues on toward Greece. Despite a damaged engine, in the evening of 9 December, SCIRÉ docks at Leroy Harbor, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea under Italian control. The watertight cylinders containing the three SLCs are carefully hidden under curtains. The following day, the sailors of SCIRÉ try to repair their damaged engine.

On 14 December, the men of the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’ also reach this Greek island. Once the repairs are completed, SCIRÉ quietly sails away from the island of Leroy and at the dawn of 16 December, reaches the Egyptian coast a few miles from Alexandria.

The sea conditions are not favorable, so Borghese decides on a 24 hour delay for this attack on Alexandria Harbor.

17 December 1941, the submarine receives word from the Italian Command in Athens, that two big English warships are anchored in Alexandria Harbor. During the night, SCIRÉ begins approaching at 60 meters underwater. She moves slowly through the minefields until she is at the point where the Charioteers are to be put out, after 23 hours of silent running.

The release operations of the SLCs begins at 2047 hours and they were more difficult than anticipated, and they caused a serious accident with one of the frogmen. After about an hour, SCIRÉ heads for the open sea – but the stern vents do not close. Borghese is forced to surface twice to close them, but each time he was met with failure. They would not close. So, even down heavily at the stern, SCIRÉ continues to disengage from the area underwater, to make sure she did not jeopardize the operation of the SLCs. After 19 hours, she comes to the surface for fresh air and to charge batteries, but after only three hours, she is forced to dive again, as a Royal Navy destroyer is spotted approaching.

At 0100 the submarine surfaces again, and receives word from HQ in Athens that the signal came in that several ships were on fire in Alexandria Harbor. In fact, the three SLCs had gotten into the harbor unseen, and the frogmen had struck both battleships, the 30,600 ton HMS VALIANT and the 30,600 ton HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH as well as the destroyer HMS JARVIS, the 7,554 ton oil tanker SAGONA and the 10,900 ton steamer DURHAM.

The oil spilling from SAGONA bursts into flames, and created even more damage in the port area. The shallow waters of this harbor also prevented the ships – but for two years, the big English battleships did not move from the harbor; heavy damage.

In the meantime, SCIRÉ returned to Leroy on 21 December. The injured frogman is disembarked and after being supplied with fuel and supplies on 23 December, SCIRÉ departs for La Spezia.

On 25 December, Christmas Day, SCIRÉ is attacked at noon by a British airplane. No time to dive – Borghese orders the AA guns manned, but the aircraft manages to avoid the submarine’s tracers and drops five bombs that burst close aboard – no major damage. The submarine manages to continue and on 28 December, SCIRÉ berths in the submarine base at La Spezia; met with great honors.

Mission S.L. 1 – Haifa

In July 1942 near the Headquarters of the Regia Marina, a new mission for the men of the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’ and SCIRÉ is planned – attack the harbor at Haifa, Israel.

In the meantime, the Skipper and crew were rotated off SCIRÉ with the exception of the radioman. Command of SCIRÉ now falls to CC (Korvettenkapitän) Bruno Zelich, former Skipper of the submarine ONICE off the Israeli coast. vSCIRÉ loads three SLCs and departs La Spezia on the evening of 27 July 1942. After a calm navigation, she reaches the island of Leroy on 2 August 1942. Two days later, the ten frogmen and ten ‘Swimmers Gamma’ of the ‘Decima MAS flotilla’ reach the Greek island by air. On the morning of 6 August, SCIRÉ departs Leroy Harbor and heads for the coast of Israel. The plan calls for SCIRÉ to follow pre-set routes to the Aegean Sea and to go up as far as one and a half miles from Haifa Harbor, where the three SLCs will be put into operation.

The mission is coordinated with German Air Command of the Egeo so that on 9th and 10th of August, they would send reconnaissance planes over Haifa Harbor. The aerial photos allow the Italian Command to know the situation at Haifa. A message tells SCIRÉ that many ships are in port including a light cruiser, three destroyers, nine steamers, two tankers, two torpedo boats and five patrol boats. In the morning, the exact position of each ship in the harbor is sent to SCIRÉ.

But the British were not to be caught sleeping this time and on the morning of 10 August is spotted some twenty miles from Haifa Harbor. One of the patrol boats, HMS ISLAY, is positioned a few miles from the harbor entrance to intercept SCIRÉ. After a few hours, the patrol boat spots SCIRÉ headed for the release point where the SLCs would be set in motion.

At 1615 hours, HMS ISLAY launched the first depth charge attack. In the shallow sea, SCIRÉ is an easy target and although she is able to surface, she cannot bring her torpedo tubes to bear. As son as she breaks the surface, the guns of the patrol boat open up and in a few minutes, SCIRÉ is lost, resting on the sandy bottom in only 32 meters (100 feet) of water. On board, the crew is prepared to abandon the stricken submarine and 35 men went to the stern exit and flooded to balance the pressure before opening the hatch.

Moments before they could get the port open, a second series of depth charges rained down and killed the entire crew of the submarine as well as the men of the ‘Decima MAS Flotilla’.

SCIRÉ still rests in 32 meters of water, abandoned on the sandy bottom outside Haifa Harbor. She is a grave of many brave men.

Once again VINCENT, an excellent article – many thanks. More stories of the Italian Navy in World War II will be coming soon.