Tritone (TN)
Tritone

Type	Sea going
Class	Tritone (type I) (26)
Laid down	12 May 1941	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched	3 Jan 1942
Commissioned	10 Oct 1942
End service
Stricken
Loss date	19 Jan 1943
Loss position	37° 06'N, 5° 22'E
History
Fate	Scuttled on 19 January 1943 north of Bougie, Algeria in position 37°06'N, 05°22'E after being forced to surface by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Antelope and the Canadian corvette HMCS Port Arthur.

Commands

Commander	Date from	Date to	Command notes
C.C. Paolo Monechi	24 Jun 1942	19 Jan 1943

Ships hit

No ships hit by this submarine.

Patrols and events

	Commander	Date	Time	Port	Arr. date	Arr. time	Arr. port	Miles	Description
		16 Jun 1942		Monfalcone	16 Jun 1942		Monfalcone		Trials.
		19 Jun 1942	1200	Monfalcone	19 Jun 1942	1545	Monfalcone		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	30 Jun 1942	0930	Monfalcone	30 Jun 1942	1705	Pola		Passage Monfalcone-Pola.
	Monechi, Paolo	2 Jul 1942	0930	Pola	2 Jul 1942	1745	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	3 Jul 1942	0810	Pola	3 Jul 1942	1905	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	4 Jul 1942	0830	Pola	4 Jul 1942	2120	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	6 Jul 1942	0825	Pola	6 Jul 1942	2005	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	7 Jul 1942	0825	Pola	7 Jul 1942	1135	Pola		Trials, escorted by the torpedo boat T.3.
	Monechi, Paolo	8 Jul 1942	0915	Pola	8 Jul 1942	1455	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	9 Jul 1942	0840	Pola	9 Jul 1942	1510	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	10 Jul 1942	0910	Pola	10 Jul 1942	1635	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	15 Jul 1942	0930	Pola	15 Jul 1942	1500	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	17 Jul 1942	0525	Pola	17 Jul 1942	1825	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	18 Jul 1942	0925	Pola	18 Jul 1942	1055	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	19 Jul 1942	0825	Pola	19 Jul 1942	0915	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	21 Jul 1942	1120	Pola	21 Jul 1942	1855	Pola		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	22 Jul 1942	1010	Pola	22 Jul 1942	1445	Monfalcone		Passage Pola-Monfalcone.
	Monechi, Paolo	29 Sep 1942		Monfalcone	29 Sep 1942		Monfalcone		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	2 Oct 1942		Monfalcone	2 Oct 1942		Monfalcone		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	5 Oct 1942	Time?	Monfalcone	5 Oct 1942	1645	Monfalcone		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	6 Oct 1942	0845	Monfalcone	6 Oct 1942	1750	Monfalcone		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	7 Oct 1942	0845	Monfalcone	7 Oct 1942	1600	Monfalcone		Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	8 Oct 1942	0910	Pola	8 Oct 1942	1630	Pola		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	10 Oct 1942		Monfalcone	10 Oct 1942		Monfalcone		Entered service.
	Monechi, Paolo	24 Oct 1942	0730	Monfalcone	24 Oct 1942	1220	Venice	62	Passage Monfalcone-Venice.
	Monechi, Paolo	25 Oct 1942	0940	Venice	25 Oct 1942	1340	Venice	11,1	Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	26 Oct 1942	0925	Venice	26 Oct 1942	1232	Venice	11,5	Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	31 Oct 1942	0240	Venice	31 Oct 1942	0815	Pola	81,5	Passage Venice-Pola.
	Monechi, Paolo	4 Nov 1942	1346	Pola	4 Nov 1942	1637	Pola	3,6	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	5 Nov 1942	0537	Pola	5 Nov 1942	1805	Pola	130	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	7 Nov 1942	0746	Pola	7 Nov 1942	1740	Pola	9,3	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	8 Nov 1942	0811	Pola	8 Nov 1942	1530	Pola	19	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	13 Nov 1942	0602	Pola	13 Nov 1942	1625	Sussa	79,8	Passage Pola-Sussa.
	Monechi, Paolo	14 Nov 1942	0942	Sussa	14 Nov 1942	2055	Pola	82,5	Passage Sussa-Pola.
	Monechi, Paolo	20 Nov 1942	1915	Pola	22 Nov 1942	1556	Taranto	622,5	Passage Pola-Taranto.
	Monechi, Paolo	6 Dec 1942	0702	Taranto	6 Dec 1942	1535	Taranto	22,5	Depth trials to 130 meters.
	Monechi, Paolo	9 Dec 1942	2020	Taranto	12 Dec 1942	0745	Naples	528	Passage Taranto-Naples. Uneventful.
	Monechi, Paolo	14 Dec 1942	0805	Naples	14 Dec 1942	1645	Castellammare di Stabia	37	Exercises and passage Naples-Castellammare di Stabia.
	Monechi, Paolo	15 Dec 1942	0810	Castellammare di Stabia	15 Dec 1942	1645	Castellammare di Stabia	26	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	16 Dec 1942	0810	Castellammare di Stabia	16 Dec 1942	1532	Naples	25	Passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples.
	Monechi, Paolo	24 Dec 1942	0821	Naples	24 Dec 1942	1520	Naples	40	Trials.
	Monechi, Paolo	26 Dec 1942	0815	Naples	26 Dec 1942	1620	Castellammare di Stabia	33	Exercises and passage Naples-Castellammare di Stabia.
	Monechi, Paolo	27 Dec 1942	0803	Castellammare di Stabia	27 Dec 1942	1610	Castellammare di Stabia	27	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	28 Dec 1942	0820	Castellammare di Stabia	28 Dec 1942	1600	Castellammare di Stabia	33	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	29 Dec 1942	0817	Castellammare di Stabia	29 Dec 1942	1640	Castellammare di Stabia	36	Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	30 Dec 1942	0811	Castellammare di Stabia	30 Dec 1942	1615	Naples	33	Exercises and passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples.
	Monechi, Paolo	2 Jan 1943	1030	Naples	2 Jan 1943	1230	Naples		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	3 Jan 1943	0930	Naples	3 Jan 1943	1825	Naples		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	4 Jan 1943	1200	Naples	5 Jan 1943	1545	Naples		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	7 Jan 1943	1025	Naples	7 Jan 1943	1945	Naples		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	9 Jan 1943	0925	Naples	9 Jan 1943	1100	Naples		Exercises.
	Monechi, Paolo	13 Jan 1943	1853	Naples	14 Nov 1942	1945	Cagliari		Passage Naples-Cagliari.
1	Monechi, Paolo	17 Jan 1943	2355	Cagliari	19 Jan 1943	1530	Sunk		Sailed on first patrol off Bougie, between 37°20'N and the Algerian coast, and between 05°20'E and 05°40'E. Sunk in 37°06'N, 05°22'E by HMS Antelope and HMCS Port Arthur(escort of convoy MKS.6, which was on course 250°, 7 knots). According to her survivors, she carried two reload torpedoes forward and one aft.
		18 Jan 1943	1100 1112 (e)		At 1100 hours, Tritone was attacked by an American bomber which dropped a bomb. The submarine replied with her antiaircraft machine guns and escaped by diving. This was actually Hudson ' R' of 500 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer J.R. Pugh. It was flying at a height of 3,000 feet when a surfaced submarine was sighted at 1112 hours. The position was about 40 miles NNW of the attack carried out by Hudson ' 'J' of the same squadron the previous night and it was presumed that the submarine might be the same one (it was actually Nichelio). The aircraft released a 250lb A/S bomb from 1,300 feet. The Hudson circled the sub which remained on the surface and fired a signal cartridge. A Junker 88 shortly arrived on the scene and as the Hudson was getting short on fuel, it departed the area.
		19 Jan 1943	1413A (e)	(e) 37° 05'N, 5° 22'E	At 1413A hours, the corvette HMCS Port Arthur (Lieutenant E.T. Simmons, DSC, RCNVR) was zigzagging at 10 knots, screening the convoy MKS.6 from Philippeville to Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, when the ASDIC operator obtained an echo at 1,700 yards. At first, it was thought to be doubtful but a minute later it was confirmed to be a submarine. At 1418A hours, a pattern of ten depth charges was released and the explosion temporarily disable the ASDIC. Three minutes later two underwater explosions were heard. In the meantime, the destroyer HMS Antelope (Lieutenant Commander Sinclair, RN) joined the hunt. At 1423A hours, the submarine surfaced about 700 yards from the destroyer and appeared to be down by the stern. HMS Antelope opened fire with her 4.7" guns and smaller armament, scoring at least three 4.7" hits, two on the conning tower and one on the pressure hull. The destroyer closed to 30 yards and attempted to send a boarding party but the submarine sank in two minutes. This was Tritone. C.C. Paolo Monechi, three officers and twenty-two ratings were picked up by Antelope. Twenty-six men perished, including a civilian worker.

54 entries. 53 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 2 events.

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