Italian submarines in World War Two

Italian Commanders


Francesco Murzi

Born  18 Feb 1908Marciana Marina

Ranks

  C.C.Capitano di Corvetta

Decorations

9 Feb 1942 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare
22 Apr 1943 Medaglia di bronzo al valore militare

Career information

GIOVANNI BAUSAN (C.C. C.O.): from 26.12.1939 to 18.01.1941.
DES GENEYS (C.C. C.O.): from 19.01.1941 to 17.06.1941.
BARBARIGO (C.C. C.O.): from 28.06.1941 to 11.08.1941.
AMMIRAGLIO MILLO (C.C. C.O.): from 20.08.1941 to 29.11.1941 (Murzi was injured in a car accident at Tripoli).
AMMIRAGLIO MILLO (C.C. C.O.): from 14.12.1941 to 28.12.1941.
In 1942, became Head of 10° GRUPSOM (Augusta).
From 10.12.1942, served at MARICOSOM.
From 01.05.1943, served as Head of 7° GRUPSOM (Cagliari) and leader of 7° GRUPPO A.S.

Commands listed for Francesco Murzi


Submarine Type Rank From To
Giovanni Bausan (BN)Ocean goingC.C.26 Dec 193918 Jan 1941
Des Geneys (DN)Ocean goingC.C.19 Jan 194117 Jun 1941
Barbarigo (BO, I.15)Ocean goingC.C.28 Jun 194111 Aug 1941
Ammiraglio Millo (EM)Ocean goingC.C.20 Aug 194129 Nov 1941
Ammiraglio Millo (EM)Ocean goingC.C.14 Dec 194128 Dec 1941

Ships hit by Francesco Murzi


DateSubmarineShip hitTypeGRTNat.Loss type
1.25 Jul 1941BarbarigoMaconCargo ship5,141BritishSunk
2.27 Jul 1941BarbarigoHorn ShellTanker8,272BritishSunk

War patrols listed for Francesco Murzi

 SubmarineDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Giovanni Bausan (BN)30 May 19400802Augusta30 May 19401532Augusta7,5Exercises.

1.Giovanni Bausan (BN)11 Jun 19402045Augusta13 Jun 19400840Augusta230Patrolled in Sicilian Channel in 36°12'N, 14°46'E.
  13 Jun 19400800 approx.
(0) Off Cape San Croce (Augusta, Sicily)
A torpedo track was sighted and missed the submarine ten metres ahead. Possibly attacked by HMS Grampus which did not return from patrol or perhaps a porpoise was mistaken for a "torpedo".

Giovanni Bausan (BN)17 Jun 19401854Augusta17 Jun 19401954Augusta3Exercises.

2.Giovanni Bausan (BN)18 Jun 19401455Augusta26 Jun 19400828Augusta966Patrolled off Cerigotto in 35°20'N, 23°20'E. Uneventful.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)28 Jun 19400435Augusta28 Jun 19401156Messina75Passage Augusta-Messina.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)11 Jul 19400754Messina11 Jul 19401558Messina67Exercises.

3.Giovanni Bausan (BN)12 Jul 19401330Messina14 Jul 19401950Pantelleria614Patrolled off Pantelleria and Cape Bon in 36°55'N, 11°30'E. Patrol was cut short due to defects. Uneventful.

4.Giovanni Bausan (BN)19 Jul 19400509Pantelleria21 Jul 19401020Pantelleria614Sailed again for patrol in 36°55'N, 11°30'E but again cut short due of defects. Uneventful.

5.Giovanni Bausan (BN)22 Jul 19400345Pantelleria22 Jul 19401624TrapaniPassage Pantelleria-Trapani.

6.Giovanni Bausan (BN)23 Jul 19401400Trapani24 Jul 19400752Messina614Passage Trapani-Messina [mileage from 12th to 24th July].

Giovanni Bausan (BN)11 Aug 19400754Messina13 Aug 19401755Pola628Passage Messina-Pola.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)16 Aug 19400611Pola16 Aug 19401327Fiume68Passage Pola-Fiume, then refit.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)27 Nov 19400800Fiume27 Nov 19401423Fiume78Exercises.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)6 Dec 19400813Fiume6 Dec 19401414Fiume12Exercises.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)8 Dec 19400843Fiume8 Dec 19401648Pola62Passage Fiume-Pola.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)15 Dec 19400918Pola16 Dec 19400205Pola12Gyrocompass tests.
  15 Dec 19401019+
(0) Punta Val di Torre di Brioni Maggiore.
While proceeding for exercises the submarine ran aground in bad weather and suffered some damage. C.C. Murzi was reprimanded.

Giovanni Bausan (BN)16 Jan 19410552Pola16 Jan 19411707Pola113,3Trials, escorted by the tug Tenace.

Des Geneys (DN)19 Jan 19410951Pola19 Jan 19411940Pola101Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)20 Jan 19410800Pola20 Jan 19411738Pola73Exercises with the submarine Adua, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Des Geneys (DN)24 Jan 19410800Pola24 Jan 19411740Pola68Sailed with the submarine Adua, escorted by the auxiliary Laurana, for torpedo firing exercises with the torpedo boat Audace.

Des Geneys (DN)28 Jan 19411630Pola29 Jan 19410118Pola102Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)31 Jan 19410815Pola31 Jan 19411710Pola71Attack exercises on the torpedo boat Audace, escorted by the auxiliaries Jadera and San Giorgio.

Des Geneys (DN)5 Feb 19410827Pola5 Feb 19411754Pola39Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Des Geneys (DN)7 Feb 19410817Pola7 Feb 19411930Pola75Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)8 Feb 19410825Pola9 Feb 19410100Pola90Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)10 Feb 19410914Pola10 Feb 19411700Pola25Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Jadera.

Des Geneys (DN)14 Feb 19410823Pola14 Feb 19411717Pola63Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Des Geneys (DN)15 Feb 19410927Pola15 Feb 19412355Pola95Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)17 Feb 19410830Pola17 Feb 19411659Pola59Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Jadera.

Des Geneys (DN)26 Feb 19410814Pola26 Feb 19411700Pola57Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)28 Feb 19410815Pola1 Mar 19410229Pola115Exercises with the submarine Pisani, escorted by the auxiliary Laurana and later by San Giorgio, for night firing exercises with the torpedo boat Audace.

Des Geneys (DN)1 Mar 19412008Pola2 Mar 19410507Pola54Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)3 Mar 19412008Pola3 Mar 19410507Pola37Exercises with the submarine Pisani, escorted by the torpedo boat Audace and the auxiliaries San Giorgio, Jadera and Laurana.

Des Geneys (DN)6 Mar 19411730Pola7 Mar 19410025Pola63Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)17 Mar 19410810Pola17 Mar 19411612Pola52Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)19 Mar 19410820Pola19 Mar 19411726Pola46Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)21 Mar 19410815Pola21 Mar 19411643Pola42Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)24 Mar 19410820Pola24 Mar 19411750Pola48Exercises with the submarine Bausan, escorted by the auxiliaries San Giorgio, Jadera and Laurana.

Des Geneys (DN)25 Mar 19410815Pola25 Mar 19411449Pola46Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)27 Mar 19410821Pola27 Mar 19411815Pola12Exercises with the submarines Jalea, Medusa and Bragadino, escorted by the auxiliaries San Giorgio and Jadera.

Des Geneys (DN)28 Mar 19410824Pola28 Mar 19411618Pola50Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)31 Mar 19411320Pola31 Mar 19410025Pola102Exercises.

7.Des Geneys (DN)4 Apr 19411559Pola5 Apr 19410940Pola71,5Hydrophone watch with the submarine Pisani in 45°21'N, 13°13'E, to cover the passage of a convoy on the Venice-Trieste route. Uneventful.

8.Des Geneys (DN)17 Apr 19411555Pola18 Apr 19411015Pola70,2Hydrophone watch in 45°12'N, 12°57'E, to cover the passage of the battleship Roma. Uneventful.

Des Geneys (DN)6 May 19410749Pola6 May 19411910Pola67,5Exercises.

Des Geneys (DN)7 May 19410743Pola7 May 19411734Pola64,7Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Morrhua.

Des Geneys (DN)9 May 19410743Pola9 May 19411842Pola61,9Exercises with the submarine Pisani, escorted by the auxiliary Gigliola.

Des Geneys (DN)10 May 19411043Pola11 May 19410210Pola80Exercises with the submarine Pisani, escorted by the auxiliary Gigliola and then night torpedo firing exercises with torpedo boat Audace.

Barbarigo (BO, I.15)9 Jul 19410745Bordeaux9 Jul 19411138Le VerdonPassage Bordeaux-Le Verdon.

Barbarigo (BO, I.15)9 Jul 19411648Le Verdon9 Jul 19411919Le VerdonTrials.

Barbarigo (BO, I.15)10 Jul 19410830Le Verdon10 Jul 19411945La PallicePassage Le Verdon-La Pallice.

Barbarigo (BO, I.15)11 Jul 19411203La Pallice11 Jul 19411930La Pallice44Trials.

Barbarigo (BO, I.15)13 Jul 19411241La Pallice13 Jul 19411720La PalliceTrials in Le Pertuis d'Antioche.

9.Barbarigo (BO, I.15)13 Jul 19412059La Pallice11 Aug 19411303Bordeaux6234Sailed for patrol west of Gibraltar in 37°25'N, 15°25'W. On 21st July, was ordered to 34°00'N, 18°30'W and subsequently 32°00'N, 16°30'W. Murzi was on his first Atlantic patrol but was seconded by good officers (T.V. Rodolfo Bombig [later c.o. Ascianghi and Zoea], T.V. Roberto Rigoli [later c.o. of Platino, Barbarigo and S.3] and S.T.V. Angelo Amendolia [later c.o. of Bagnolini and S.4]).
  22 Jul 1941171834° 55'N, 18° 35'WAt 1818 hours, Barbarigo sighted a convoy steering 250° and trailed it. At 2130 hours, she had reported convoy in German Grid CF 8989 [34°51' N, 19°10' W] steering 330°, but lost contact at 2320 hours. U-203 and U-93 reported that they would intercept this convoy.
  25 Jul 19410112
2230 GMT (e)
32° 18'N, 26° 20'W
(e) 32° 48'N, 26° 12'W
At 1230 hours on 24th July, in 33°50' N, 24°55' W, a smoke was sighted on the horizon and Barbarigo altered course to intercept. The vessel was steering on a southerly course. The attack was carried out at 0112 hours on the 25th. A torpedo (450mm, type W 200) was fired at 1,000 metres, but missed due to an error in calculating the angle.

The target was the British Macon (5,141 GRT, built. 1919). After spending the past five months repairing her boilers, she had sailed from Ponto Delgada (Azores) for Freetown, carrying 3,800 tons of general cargo. Back in February 1941, she had been part of convoy O.B. 290, but had been diverted to the Azores due to her boiler problems. Barbarigo maneuvered to get a better position. At 0239 hours, a second torpedo (533mm, W 280 type) was fired from 700 metres and hit under the funnel. The vessel began to settle.

Between 0328 and 0430 hours, Barbarigo fired 49 100mm rounds in the helpless vessel and she finally sank the next day. Of the fifty men on board, twenty-one survivors were picked up by the sloop HMS Londonderry and landed at Freetown, another twenty-seven survivors were picked up by Clan Macpherson and landed at Capetown. Two were killed or missing and two later died of exposure.
  25 Jul 1941114032° 25'N, 24° 43'WAt 1140 hours, a silhouette resembling a submarine emitting smoke was seen.
  27 Jul 1941003733° 23'N, 23° 33'WAt 1240 hours on 26th July, in 33°22' N, 21°20' W, the masts and superstructure of a ship were sighted. Five minutes later, it was identified as a large tanker approaching rapidly and Barbarigo dived. However, range was more than 2,000 metres and the submarine was not at a favourable angle. She surfaced again at 1503 hours and maneuvered for an interception after dark.

At 0037 hours on 27th July, a torpedo (533mm, W 280 type) was fired from a bow tube at 3,100 metres and hit. The target was the British tanker Horn Shell (8272 GRT, built 1931), in ballast, bound from Gibraltar to Curacoa, zigzagging at 11,5 knots. She was struck in the engine room on the port side and began to sink by the stern.

At 0127 hours, the submarine fired a second torpedo (450mm, A 115 type) and it hit the tanker amidship on the starboard side.

Six minutes later, a third torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) hit the starboard no.2 tank.

Finally, at 0238 hours, a fourth torpedo (450mm, A 115 type) hit in the engine room on the starboard side and she sank. Of the crew of fifty-six, seventeen were killed or missing. Master and fourteen of her crew were picked up by the Brazilian Cuyaba and landed at Pernambuco, twelve were rescued by the Portuguese Africa Ocidental and nine by the Portuguese trawler Maria Leonor (eight were taken off by the escort destroyer HMS Avon Vale as the radio operator had died).
  30 Jul 1941163536° 45'N, 12° 49'WAt 1635, a German U-boat was encountered and recognition signals exchanged.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)31 Aug 19410634Monfalcone31 Aug 19411640Monfalcone69Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)5 Sep 19410930Monfalcone5 Sep 19411635Pola80Passage Monfalcone-Pola.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)8 Sep 19410613Pola8 Sep 19412227Pola169Diving trials.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)11 Sep 19410739Pola11 Sep 19411407Pola49Exercises with Ammiraglio Cagni and the torpedo boat Audace, escorted by the auxiliary Morrhua.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)12 Sep 19410830Pola12 Sep 19411713Pola5Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)16 Sep 19410636Pola16 Sep 19411728Fiume122,5Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)18 Sep 19411537Fiume18 Sep 19411920Fiume18Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)22 Sep 19411502Fiume22 Sep 19411815Fiume15Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)23 Sep 19411513Fiume23 Sep 19411756Fiume14Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)29 Sep 19411401Fiume29 Sep 19411845Pola56Passage Fiume-Pola.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)6 Oct 19410905Pola6 Oct 19412011Pola75Trials, escorted by the auxiliary San Giorgio.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)8 Oct 19410735Pola8 Oct 19411836Pola150Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)14 Oct 19411130Pola14 Oct 19411805Pola42,5Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)18 Oct 19411411Pola18 Oct 19411614Pola4,5Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)21 Oct 19410755Pola21 Oct 19411805Pola72Exercises.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)25 Oct 19410707Pola25 Oct 19411845Pola124Trials.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)26 Oct 19410836Pola26 Oct 19411518Pola56Trials escorted by the torpedo boat Audace and the auxiliary Grado.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)28 Oct 19410803Pola28 Oct 19411740Pola65Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Morrhua.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)29 Oct 19411253Pola29 Oct 19412113Pola79,5Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Grado.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)31 Oct 19410914Pola31 Oct 19411650Pola57Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary Morrhua.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)3 Nov 19412012Pola5 Nov 19411000Taranto514Passage Pola-Taranto.

Ammiraglio Millo (EM)20 Nov 19410715Taranto20 Nov 19411639Taranto30Exercises.

10.Ammiraglio Millo (EM)21 Nov 19411300Taranto23 Nov 19411815DernaSupply mission to Derna (138 tons of petrol in 7073 cans and 6.8 tons of ammunition in 325 boxes). Uneventful.

11.Ammiraglio Millo (EM)24 Nov 19410613Derna26 Nov 19411330Taranto1173Return trip from supply mission to Derna. The submarine received several signals from MARICOSOM reporting enemy forces but did not alter course [mileage is for round trip].

12.Ammiraglio Millo (EM)23 Dec 19411345Taranto25 Dec 19411212TripoliSupply mission to Tripoli (87 tons of petrol in 4376 cans, 61.3 tons of food supplies and 4.5 tons of ammunition). Uneventful.

13.Ammiraglio Millo (EM)25 Dec 19411930Tripoli26 Dec 19411252TripoliSailed from Tripoli and submerged in 32°59'N, 13°09'E as a precaution against night air raids and returned to complete the unloading. C.C. Murzi was injured in an automobile accident and was replaced by C.C. Zanchi. [Murzi became one of the Grupsom leaders in 1942].

84 entries. 80 total patrol entries (13 marked as war patrols) and 7 events.

Italian Commanders

Italian Submarines