Italian submarine Enrico Toti

The R.Smg. Enrico Toti was a "Balilla" class Italian submarine laid down on January 261925 at the Odero-Terni-Orlando Naval Yard, located in Muggiano, La Spezia. She was one of four in her class, launched on April 141928 and commissioned on September 19. Her name pays homage to Major Enrico Toti, a First World War combatant posthumously awarded the Italian Gold Medal. The submarine is notable as being the only Italian submarine to have sunk a Royal Navy submarine during the Second World War.

The name "Enrico Toti" would later be used for new class of Italian submarine (Toti class submarine), with the S506 Enrico Toti being laid down in 1965, launched in 1967, decommissioned in 1992 and preserved as a museum ship in Milan.

ervice in the Second World War

During the Second World War the "Enrico Toti" was assigned to the Italian 4th Submarine Group’s 40th Squadron.

The sinking of HMS "Triad"

HMS "Triad" was a T class submarine of the Royal Navy that had set sail from Malta on October 9 1940 under the command of Lieutenant-Commander G.S. Salt. On the night of October 15 at 38.16N, 17.37E, off the Gulf of Taranto, she encountered the "Enrico Toti", commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Bandino Bandini.

Bandini, the officer on watch at the time, sighted the "Triad" on the surface at 0100hrs, and sounded battle stations on board the Italian submarine. Both submarines altered course until they were heading towards each other, with the Royal Navy submarine opening fire first with her deck gun.

Italian accounts record that the British submarine scored zero hits. HMS "Triad" also fired one torpedo, which the Italian ship turned to avoid.

Bandini’s vessel opened fire on the British deck guns with her four 13.2 mm machine guns, preventing the Royal Navy personnel from operating their deck gun and driving them below decks. Accounts show that the two submarines passed within four feet, with HMS "Triad" cutting across the stern of the Italian vessel.

The "Enrico Toti" opened fire with a torpedo, however the distance was such that the torpedo failed to arm in time prior to impact and caused no damage to the opposing submarine. At this stage, Lieutenant-Commander Salt began to dive his ship, however she was sunk during this manoeuvre by two direct shell hits and possibly a further torpedo from the "Enrico Toti". Time from first sighting until sinking was 30 to 45 minutes, there were no survivors picked up by the Italian submarine or any other vessels. For this action, the entire crew and their commander received an award.

The "Enrico Toti" subsequently became a training vessel, and was then used to transport supplies to Italian forces in North Africa. She was scrapped in 1943. Her commander, Bandini, retired from active service in 1949.

HMS "Rainbow"

It had been long believed that HMS "Triad" had been sunk by a mine, and that the ship sunk by the "Enrico Toti" was in fact HMS "Rainbow", which was patrolling nearby and had not been in contact. However, research in 1988 by the Royal Navy came to the conclusion that HMS "Rainbow" had in fact been sunk in an accidental collision with the Italian Merchant ship "Antonietta Costa" five days prior to the sinking of the "Triad", on October 10.

References

* [http://www.regiamarina.net/subs/submarines/toti/toti_us.htm Regia Marina article on the Enrico Toti, retrieved on March 10 2007]