I.J.N. Submarines I-177

25 April 1943, the I.J.N. submarine I-177 under command of KK. H. Nakagawa, who had earlier commanded I-37, sank the8,724 ton British motorship SS LIMERICK with torpedoes at 28º 54’S x 153º 54’E.

14 May 1943, I-177 (still Nakagawa) sank the 3,222 ton British hospital ship CENTAUR at 27º 17’S x 154º 05’E. The CENTAUR was clearly marked as a hospital ship and fully lighted.

2 October 1944, I-177, now under command of Kapitänleutnant Katsuji Watanabe, sank two destroyers in the Peleliu area. The destroyers were not identified either by nationality or by name, but the sinkings were confirmed by coast watchers on Peleliu and apparently they were American.

This boat I-177 had only hours to live, as she was sunk by USS SAMUEL S. MILES (DE 183) on 3 October.

Italian Submarine Scire

16 July 1940, the Italian SCIRÉ under command of CC Adriano Pini who had also commanded DESSIE, sank the 1,058 ton French steamer CHEIK some 54 miles off Semaphore d’Asmare on a heading of 310º.

20 September 1941, SCIRÉ, now under the command of CF Junio Valerio Borghese attacked three ships at Gibraltar. He used three “maialis” (pigs) operated by Lt.Cdrs. Vesco, Visintini and Catalano.

These ships were:
2,444 ton British tanker FIONA SHELL – sunk; 8,145 ton British tanker DENBYDALE – damaged; 10,893 ton British motorship DURHAM – damaged.

19 December 1941, SCIRÉ (still Borghese) launched four more “maialis” with astonishing results. Under:

Martellotta damaged the 7,554 ton British tanker SAGONA;

Unnamed pilot damaged 1,695 ton R.N. destroyer HMS JERVIS;

Durand de le Penna sank 32,700 ton battleship HMS VALIANT;

Marceglia sank 32,700 ton BB HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH. (both battleships HMS VALIANT and HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH were later salvaged and repaired.)

On 10 August 1942, SCIRÉ was sunk by the Royal Navy trawler HMS ISLAY at approximately 33º 00”N x 34º 00”E.

The Italians who drove the “maialis” were known as Charioteers by the Allies, and they certainly left their mark on the war at sea, and on the Royal Navy.