Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Antonio Gherardi
| Born | 24 Jul 1919 | Brescia | |
| Died | 12 Jul 1943 | (23) | Killed in action |
| Ranks
Decorations
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Career information
BRONZO (S.T.V. First Officer): from 24.04.1942 to June 1942+.Promoted T.V. on ?
BRONZO (T.V. C.O.): from 08.07.1943 to 12.07.1943 (captured, Gherardi was killed).
Commands listed for Antonio Gherardi
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronzo (BZ) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 8 Jul 1943 | 12 Jul 1943 |
Ships hit by Antonio Gherardi
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Antonio Gherardi
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bronzo (BZ) | 10 Jul 1943 | 2230 | Pozzuoli | 12 Jul 1943 | 1326 | Syracuse (Captured) | She sailed for a patrol off eastern Sicily, east of 15°40' E and off Syracusa and Augusta, to attack the Allied invasion forces. She was reported at Point C at 2350 hours on 10th July, proceeding toward Messina and point M 3 at 12 knots. She carried six torpedoes (four G7e in the bow tubes and two Italian S.I.L. torpedoes in the stern tubes). Captured off Augusta and taken in tow to Syracuse by British minesweepers HMS Boston, HMS Cromarty, HMS Poole and HMS Seaham as she was not aware that the town had fallen. At 0007 hours on the 14th, MARICOSOM, unaware of her capture, ordered her to occupy the southern half of zone 80. Her captain and eight men were killed. | |
| 11 Jul 1943 | 1609 1605 (e) | (0) 30 miles south of Cape Vaticano | At 1609 hours, an enemy submarine was sighted and Bronzo made a signal to report her presence. This was HMS Unruly (Lieutennat J.P. Fyfe, RN). She had sighted the Italian submarine at 1550 hours and fired four torpedoes at 1605-1606 hours at a range of 3,000 yards. They all missed. | ||||||
| 12 Jul 1943 | 1050Z (e) | 37° 06'N, 15° 24'E | At 1050Z hours, the minesweeper HMS Seaham sighted a U-boat at a distance of 2,000 yards. This was Bronzo approaching Syracuse, unaware that the town had fallen. The minesweeper went full speed as the submarine crash-dived. HMS Seaham was in company with the minesweepers HMS Boston, HMS Cromarty and HMS Poole. At 1100 hours, the submarine re-surfaced and HMS Seaham opened fire with her 3" gun at a range of 200 yards and was soon imitated by HMS Poole and HMS Boston from about 900 yards. Seaham swept the submarine's deck with her 2-pdrs as she passed close on her port side and at 1112 hours, the submarine's crew waved the white flag. Nine had been killed including T.V. Antonio Gherardi. Bronzo was boarded and nineteen men were taken prisonners by HMS Seaham. Eleven were picked up by HMS Boston and another six by HMS Poole. Bronzo was taken in tow by HMS Seaham and brought to Syracuse. During the brief action, HMS Seaham had expended 4 3" (scoring 3 hits), 40 2-pdr, 650 0.5" MG and 12 20mm oerlikon rounds. HMS Boston fired 7 3", 50 2-pdr and 130 20mm oerlikon rounds. | ||||||
2 entries. 1 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 2 events.