Italian submarine Cappellini

The "Cappellini" was a World War II Italian sclass|Marcello|submarine, initially serving with the Italian Royal Navy ("Regia Marina") and later with the German Navy ("Kriegsmarine") and the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Cappellini was finally captured by and served with the U.S. Navy.

The "Cappellini" was launched in 1939 and differed from the first nine of the class only in her diesel engines, which were made by Fiat instead of CRDA.

Operational service

Italy

After an action with British ships near Madeira in June 1940, she sought refuge in the Spanish port of Ceuta, later escaping with vital information regarding British security measures at the Straits of Gibraltar through which she had passed safely twice.

In August 1940 she was sent, along with others of the class, to the Atlantic to operate from Bordeaux.

The "Cappellini" sank the armed steamship "Kabalo" with its deck gun on 15 October 1940. The 26 surviving crew were taken on board and disembarked at Santa Maria in the Azores.

On 5 January 1941 the "Cappellini" sank the British steamship "Shakespeare" after an artillery duel in which Sergeant Ferruccio Azzolin was killed. "Shakespeare"'s 22 surviving crew were taken on board and disembarked at Cabo Verde.

The "Cappellini" sank the armed steamship "Eumaeus" with torpedoes and its deck gun on 14 January 1941. The artillery duel lasted for two hours in which Sergeant Francisco Moccia, Common Giuseppe Bastino, and T.G.N. Danilo Stiepovich were killed. The submarine was damaged both in the duel and from bombs dropped by Allied aircraft, and the wounded were disembarked at the Spanish port of La Luz, in Gran Canaria.

The "Cappellini" sank the Swedish motor ship "Tisnaren" on 19 May 1942, all 40 crew being later rescued.

On 31 May 1942 the "Cappellini" torpedoed and sank the British fleet tanker "Dinsdale".

In the central Atlantic "Cappellini" took part in rescuing survivors from the British liner
"Laconia" which had been sunk by the German U-156 on 12 September 1942. This episode, known as the Laconia incident, changed the German attitude towards rescuing survivors of torpedoed ships.

In 1943, after actions in the Atlantic had caused further damage, the "Cappellini", along with six other Italian submarines, was converted into a transport submarine at the request of the Germans, in exchange for seven new Type VIIC U Boats. Her name was changed to "Aquilla III" at the same time. She sailed for Japan on 11 May 1943, reaching Sabang with its fuel tanks empty on 9 July, and Singapore the next day.

Germany

With the Italian surrender, the "Aquilla III" was captured by the Japanese on 10 September. The Japanese ceded the "Aquilla III" to the German Navy, which re-designated her "UIT-24" and re-armed her with a 4-inch deck gun. She was manned by a mixed German/Italian crew. After an aborted voyage back to Bordeaux, when the refuelling U-boat was sunk, the "UIT-24" was used for supply runs between Southeast Asia and Japan.

Japan

In May 1945, with the surrender of Germany to the Allies, the "UIT-24" was incorporated into the Imperial Japanese Navy and re-designated "I 503". With the surrender of Japan in 1945, the "I 503" was captured by the U.S. Navy, and was scuttled in deep water off Kobe on 16 April 1946.

Commanding Officers

* UNAVAILABLE - 10 May 1945—15 July 1945
* Lt. Hideo Hirota - 15 July 1945—15 August 1945

References

* Erminio Bagnasco, "Submarines of World War Two", Cassell & Co, London. 1977 ISBN 1-85409-532-3

External links

* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-503.htm Sesuikan]
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-503.htm Combined Fleet]
* [http://regiamarina.net/subs/submarines/marcello/marcello_us.htm Regia Marina]