Italian submarine Iride

Italian submarine "Iride" was an Italian 600-Serie "Perla"-class submarine, serving with the Regia Marina during World War II.

"Iride" was laid down on 3 September 1935 in the Odero-Terni-Orlando Navy Yard, Muggiani (La Spezia), and was completed on 30 July 1936, being delivered to the Regia Marina on 6 November that year.

She was originally armed with six 21 inch torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun and room for up to four 13.2 mm machine guns. During the course of the war, "Iride" was converted to carry human torpedoes, which were carried in cylinders mounted on her deck.

On 22 August 1940, in preparation for a human torpedo attack on the port of Alexandria, Egypt, "Iride" was performing a test in the Gulf of Bomba (Cyrenaica) with four human torpedoes of the "Calipso" with the support of the "Monte Gargano", when three Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber of the aircraft carrier HMS "Eagle" hit the submarine in shallow waters. Few crew members were rescued with the support of the human torpedoe operators, most died in the sinking.

There were three Swordfish pilots who attacked the Bay of Cyrenaica (Bomba) in this raid. They approached at sea level after a flight of several hours. They caught the Italian submarine "Iride" offshore together with the depot ship "Monte Gargano" and the torpedo boat Calypso at anchor.

The leader, Captain Ollie Patch, Royal Marines, sank the "Iride", while John Welham, with his observer, Petty Officer "Swampy" Marsh, and Lieutenant "Cheese" Cheesman attacked the others. The action resulted in the sinking of four ships with three torpedoes. Fact|date=April 2007

John Welham, low on fuel and wounded, returned to his desert base and was awarded the DSC.

ee also

* List of shipwrecks in 1940