Flutto (FL)
Flutto

Type	Sea going
Class	Tritone (type I) (26)
Laid down	1 Dec 1941	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched	19 Nov 1942
Commissioned	20 Mar 1943
End service
Stricken
Loss date	11 Jul 1943
Loss position	37° 34'N, 15° 43'E
History
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk on 11th July 1943 to the east of Sicily in position 37°34'N,15°43'E by the British motor torpedo boats MTB 640, MTB 651 and MTB 670.

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
C.C. Raffaello Allegri	20 Mar 1943	16 Jun 1943
T.V. Francesco Caprile	17 Jun 1943	11 Jul 1943

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
		4 Feb 1943	0935	Monfalcone	4 Feb 1943	1645	Monfalcone		Trials.
		6 Feb 1943	0925	Monfalcone	6 Feb 1943	1500	Monfalcone		Trials.
		8 Feb 1943	0900	Monfalcone	8 Feb 1943	1600	Pola		Passage Monfalcone-Pola.
		9 Feb 1943	0900	Pola	9 Feb 1943	1730	Pola		Trials.
		11 Feb 1943	0915	Pola	11 Feb 1943	1615	Pola		Trials.
		12 Feb 1943	0000	Pola	12 Feb 1943	1705	Pola		Trials.
		13 Feb 1943	0935	Pola	13 Feb 1943	1430	Monfalcone		Passage Pola-Monfalcone.
		23 Feb 1943	0900	Monfalcone	23 Feb 1943	1700	Monfalcone		Trials.
		24 Feb 1943	1530	Monfalcone	24 Feb 1943	1930	Monfalcone		Trials. The submarine entered service on 20th March 1943.
	Allegri, Raffaello	20 Mar 1943		Monfalcone	20 Mar 1943		Monfalcone		Entered service.
	Allegri, Raffaello	13 Apr 1943	1600	Monfalcone	13 Apr 1943	1806	Monfalcone	23	Trials.
	Allegri, Raffaello	19 Apr 1943	0725	Monfalcone	19 Apr 1943	1325	Venice	72,5	Passage Monfalcone-Venice.
	Allegri, Raffaello	20 Apr 1943	0850	Venice	20 Apr 1943	1235	Venice	12,5	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	21 Apr 1943	1305	Venice	21 Apr 1943	1645	Venice	13	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	22 Apr 1943	1401	Venice	22 Apr 1943	1620	Venice	8	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	23 Apr 1943	0807	Venice	23 Apr 1943	1020	Venice	12	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	23 Apr 1943	1255	Venice	23 Apr 1943	1500	Venice	10	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	26 Apr 1943	0853	Venice	26 Apr 1943	1550	Pola	84	Passage Venice-Pola.
	Allegri, Raffaello	30 Apr 1943	0740	Pola	30 Apr 1943	1510	Pola	26	Trials, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.
	Allegri, Raffaello	3 May 1943	0854	Castellammare di Stabia	3 May 1943	1746	Castellammare di Stabia	32	Trials.
	Allegri, Raffaello	6 May 1943	0815	Castellammare di Stabia	6 May 1943	1920	Castellammare di Stabia	13	Gyrocompass tests.
	Allegri, Raffaello	7 May 1943	2000	Castellammare di Stabia	9 May 1943	1125	Taranto	527	Passage Castellammare di Stabia-Taranto.
	Allegri, Raffaello	11 May 1943	0725	Taranto	11 May 1943	1208	Taranto	21,5	Trials.
	Allegri, Raffaello	15 May 1943	0815	Taranto	15 May 1943	1104	Taranto	19,5	Trials.
	Allegri, Raffaello	18 May 1943	1856	Taranto	18 May 1943	1940	Taranto	0,5	Changed anchorage.
	Allegri, Raffaello	26 May 1943	1848	Taranto	30 May 1943	0625	Naples	548	Passage Taranto-Naples. Uneventful.
	Allegri, Raffaello	31 May 1943	1848	Taranto	31 May 1943	0625	Castellammare di Stabia	13	Passage Taranto-Castellammare di Stabia.
	Allegri, Raffaello	2 Jun 1943	1335	Castellammare di Stabia	2 Jun 1943	1935	Castellammare di Stabia	33	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	3 Jun 1943	0835	Castellammare di Stabia	3 Jun 1943	1535	Castellammare di Stabia	36	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	4 Jun 1943	0830	Castellammare di Stabia	4 Jun 1943	1410	Castellammare di Stabia	29	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	5 Jun 1943	0842	Castellammare di Stabia	5 Jun 1943	1343	Castellammare di Stabia	23	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	7 Jun 1943	0625	Castellammare di Stabia	7 Jun 1943	0750	Naples	15	Passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples.
	Allegri, Raffaello	8 Jun 1943	1320	Naples	8 Jun 1943	1445	Castellammare di Stabia	15	Passage Naples-Castellammare di Stabia.
	Allegri, Raffaello	9 Jun 1943	0850	Castellammare di Stabia	9 Jun 1943	1600	Castellammare di Stabia	44	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	10 Jun 1943	0853	Castellammare di Stabia	10 Jun 1943	1207	Castellammare di Stabia	19	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	11 Jun 1943	0710	Castellammare di Stabia	11 Jun 1943	1343	Castellammare di Stabia	37	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	13 Jun 1943	0640	Castellammare di Stabia	13 Jun 1943	1930	Castellammare di Stabia	42	Exercises.
	Allegri, Raffaello	14 Jun 1943	1721	Castellammare di Stabia	14 Jun 1943	2040	Castellammare di Stabia	24	Exercises with the torpedo boat Ardimentoso.
	Allegri, Raffaello	16 Jun 1943	1630	Castellammare di Stabia	16 Jun 1943	2012	Castellammare di Stabia	19	Exercises.
	Caprile, Francesco	17 Jun 1943	1415	Castellammare di Stabia	17 Jun 1943	1750	Castellammare di Stabia	19	Exercises.
	Caprile, Francesco	18 Jun 1943	1433	Castellammare di Stabia	18 Jun 1943	1753	Castellammare di Stabia	18	Exercises.
	Caprile, Francesco	19 Jun 1943	0834	Castellammare di Stabia	19 Jun 1943	2122	Castellammare di Stabia	29	Exercises.
	Caprile, Francesco	29 Jun 1943	0816	Castellammare di Stabia	29 Jun 1943	1705	Castellammare di Stabia	29	Exercises.
	Caprile, Francesco	4 Jul 1943	0000	Naples	5 Jul 1943	0600	La Maddalena		Passage Naples-La Maddalena at 13 knots via 40°20'N, 11°40'E.
	Caprile, Francesco	7 Jul 1943	0509	Porto Palma (La Maddalena)	7 Jul 1943	0805	Bonifacio	21	Passage Porto Palma (La Maddalena)-Bonifacio.
1	Caprile, Francesco	10 Jul 1943	0500	Bonifacio	11 Jul 1943	2130	Sunk with all hands		Sailed via Cape Figari (ca. 41°00'N, 10°00'E) for patrol in area 171 [between 38°15'N and 38°25'N, and between 12°00'E and 12°20'E] [Velella and Argo were to patrol next to her in 172 and 173]. However, the same evening, she was ordered to proceed via 39°00'N, 15°00'E and Point M3 to area 84 [between 36°40'N and 36°50'N, and between 15°20'E and 15°40'E]. She was reported to have crossed the Strait of Messina at 1705 hours on the 11th. She had done about 400 miles in 40.5 hours. Probably sunk off off Catania by British motor torpedo boats MTB 640, MTB 651 and MTB 670 in 37°34'N, 15°43'E (six officers and forty-three ratings killed, no survivors). At 0007 hours on the 14th, MARICOSOM, unaware of her loss, ordered her to occupy the southern half of zone 81 [between 37°10'N and 37°15'N, and between 15°20'E and 15°40'E]. On 16th July, she was ordered to an area between 37°20 and 37°40'N, and between 15°40'E and the Sicilian coast. On 20th July, she was ordered to return to La Maddalena via the Strait of Messina with an ETA of 23rd July but failed to show up.
		11 Jul 1943	2130 (e)	(e) 34° 34'N, 15° 43'E	At 2130 hours, the British motor torpedo boats MTB 640 (Lt. R.R. Smith, RN), MTB 651 (Kenneth Horlock) and MTB 670 of the 32nd MTB Flotilla were carrying an offensive patrol off Catania, when a surfaced submarine was attacked. The submarine tried to fight off the attack and, according to the British eyewitnesses, she returned very effective fire with a machine gun on the conning tower before diving. She inflicted seventeen casualties on the MTBs. MTB-651 had one wounded (the coxwain), the distribution of casualties on the other two boats is not known. The MTBs fired torpedoes which missed and dropped depth charges. The submarine was believed to have been seriously damaged. Our thanks to Ken Gadsdon who served on MTB-651 and provided an eyewitness account to the action. This submarine could only be Flutto. She may have been sunk in this encounter as no subsequent news were received from her. T.V. Francesco Caprile, five officers and forty-three ratings perished, there were no survivors.
		11 Jul 1943	1510 1445 (e)	(0) 24° - Cape Peloro - 11 miles	At 1510 hours, a submarine was sighted and reported to MARICOSOM. This was HMS Ultor (Lieutenant G.E. Hunt, DSC, RN). She had sighted the Italian submarine, unescorted and steering 180° at 10 knots. The British submarine had instructions to reserve her torpedoes for cruisers and battleships in case the Italian Battle Fleet sailed to interfere with the landings in Sicily. She could only carry out a dummy attack on Flutto. For the Italian submarine, this was a reprieve of only a few hours.

47 entries. 46 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 2 events.

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