| Page Created |
| May 30th, 2022 |
| Last updated |
| June 2nd, 2022 |
| Additional Information |
| Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti Order of Battle Commanders Operations Equipment Multimedia References Interactive Page |
| Operations |
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| August 12th, 1940 – August 22nd, 1940 Raid on Alexandria, Egypt. Submarine Iride, with four SLC’s and five two-man crews, torpedo boat Calipso and support ship Monte Gargano. The Iride and the Monte Gargano are sunk while preparing for the attack in the Gulf of Bomba near Tobruk, Libya, by British Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. September 21st, 1940 – September 30th, 1940 Raid on Alexandria, Egypt. Submarine Gondar, with three SLC’s and four two-man crews. The ship is spotted by British and Australian destroyers. After a 12 hour attack it suffered heavy damage and is forced to the surface. Here the crew scuttled the submarine. The complete crew of the submarine and the troops of the Dexima Flottiglia MAS were captured. September 24th, 1940 Raid on Gibraltar. Submarine Sciré, with three SLC’s and four two-man crews. Raid was canceled when the fleet stationed there left tthe harbour. October 21st, 1940 Raid on Gibraltar. Submarine Sciré with three SLC’s and four two-man crews. The unit managed to enter the harbour. Two SLC’s were unable to attack any ships due to technical problems with the torpedoes and breathing equipment. Only one SLC managed to reach the battleship Barham. The charge exploded but did not cause significant damage. The two crewmen were captured by the British. The other four manage to escape to Spain and return to Italy. March 25th, 1941 Raid on Suda Bay, Crete. Destroyers Francesco Crispi and Quintino Sella, each carrying three Motoscafo da Turismo, Mocificato and their crew. Two MTM’s hit the H.M.S. York amidships. The ship was beached to prevent its loss but later scuttled by its crew. The Pericles was severely damaged and settled on the bottom. The ship sunk in april 1941. Another tanker and the cargo ship were also sunk. Two MTM’s missed their target. One of the missed targets was the Cruiser Coventry. All six of crew members survived but were captured. May 25th, 1941 Raid on Gibraltar. Submarine Sciré with three SLC’s aboard. At Cadiz, Spain it embarked four two-man crews. At Gibraltar, they found no warships because the fleet had been ordered to hunt the German battleship Bismarck. The SLC’s again experienced technical problems as they tried to attack a freighter. The crew manage to escape to Italy via Spain. May 25th, 1941 Reconnaisance mission on the port of Valleta, Malta. May 30th, 1941 Raid on the post of Valetta, Malta. Operazione Malta. Aborted after a aircraft reconnaissance due to the lack of ships in the harbour. June 26th, 1941 Reconnaisance mission on the port of Valleta, Malta. June 28th, 1941 Raid on the post of Valetta, Malta. Operazione Malta. Aborted due oprational problems and motor failure of one of the vessels. July 26th, 1941 Raid on the port of Valletta, Malta. Operazione Malta Due. The raiding group consisted of the Aviso Diana, one Motoscafo Turismo Lento (MTL) with two SLC’s, two MAS boats, six Motoscafo Turismo (MTM’s) and one Motoscafo Turismo Silurante (MTS). The force was detected early on by a British radar installation, but the British coastal batteries held their fire until the Italians approached to close range. Fifteen crewmen were killed (including Commander Moccagatta), and eighteen captured. Only the Motoscafo Turismo Silurante (MTS) survived the raid. The other vessels was destroyed or captured by the British. September 10th, 1941 Raid on Gibraltar. Submarine Sciré with three SLC’s aboard. At Cadiz, Spain it embarked four two-man crews. The tankers Denbydale and Fiona Shell, and the cargo ship Durham. All six crewmen swam to Spain and returned to Italy. December 3rd, 1941 – December 18th, 1941 Raid on Alexandria, Egypt. Submarine Sciré with three SLC’s aboard. At the island of Leros in the Aegean Sea, it embarked three two-man crews. The unit entered the harbour and managed to sink the battleships H.M.S. Valiant, and H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, the Norwegian tanker Sagona, and badly damaged the destroyer H.M.S. Jervis. All six crew members were captured. April 29, 1942 – May 14th, 1942 Raid on Alexandria, Egypt. Submarine Ambra with three SLC’s aboard. At the island of Leros in the Aegean Sea, it embarked three two-man crews. They sank a British floating dock. The Ambra was spotted which caused the SLC crews to be captured before they could do furthermore damage. June 1942 During this period, the X Flotiiglia MAS set up a secret base within Villa Carmella in Spain. This base would be used for operations against Gibraltar. June 13th, 1942 Raid on Sevastopol. A military transport of the Soviet Union is sunk. July 1942 During this period, the X Flotiiglia MAS set up a secret SLC base within the merchant Ship Olterra. This ship was interned in the harbour at the of Algeciras near Gibraltar at the beginning of the war. For a while operations were limited since all materials had to be smuggled into the ship threw Spain. July 13th, 1942 Twelve men from Gruppo Gamma swam from Villa Carmella at the Spanish coast into Gibraltar harbour. Here they placed limpet mines on four merchant ships. The steamships Meta, Shuma and Baron Douglas are sunk. The steamship Empire Snipe is heavily damaged. All members return safely to Spain. August 10th, 1942 Raid on Haifa, Palestine. Submarine Sciré with three SLC’s aboard. While unloading the SLC’s the Scirè is hit by HMS Islay with depth charges. The Scirè surfaces briefly before sinking during which time she was also shelled by three hundred Coast Battery, Royal Artillery. August 29th, 1942 Raid on El Daba, Egypt. The destroyer HMS Eridge was torpedoed at close range by an Motoscafo da Turismo Silurante Modificato (MTSM). The Eridge lost 6 crewmembers and was towed to Alexandria. There the ship was declared a constructive total loss. December 4th, 1942 – December 12th, 1944 Raid on the harbour of Algiers. Submarine Ambra with two SLC’s and ten crewmembers aboard. They were released to far from the harbour and attacked five ships outside the harbour. Sinking the steamships Ocean Vanquisher, Berta, and Armattan and the USN Military Transport N.59. They damaged the Tanker Empire Centaur. All crew members returned safely. December 17th, 1942 Raid on Gibraltar. Three SLC’s with three two-man crews left the Olterra to attack the British battleship, HMS Nelson, and the two aircraft carriers HMS Formidable, and HMS Furious in Gibraltar. The SLC’s were spotted, and a British patrol boat killed one SLC crew with a depth charge. Another British patrol boat spotted another SLC and captured its two crewmen. The remaining torpedo returned to the Olterra without its rear rider. May 8th, 1943 Raid on Gibraltar. Three SLC’s with three two-man crews leave the Olterra. They sink steamships Pat Harrison, Mahsud and Camerata. The SLC’s return safely to the Olterra. June 30th, 1943 Raid on Alexandria. Frogman sinks motorship Orion. July 9yh, 1943 Raid on at Mersin, Turkey. Frogman sinks motorship Kaituna. August 1st, 1943 Raid at İskenderun, Turkey. Frogman sinks Norwegian cargo ship Fernplant. August 3rd, 1943 Raid on Gibraltar. Three SLC’s with three two-man crews leave the Olterra. They sink steamship Harrison Gray Otis and Stanridge and the tanker Thorshøvdi. All three SLC’s return to the Olterra. One of the crewmembers is captured. |