Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Enzo Zanni
| Born | 10 Apr 1909 | Sassuolo (Modena) |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
From 23.04.1937, served on the staff of C.F. Francesco Padolecchia, acting as Grupsom Messina Uff. T.at 4° GRUPSOM (Taranto).NAIADE (T.V. C.O.): from 06.11.1940 to 08.11.1940.
MALACHITE (T.V. C.O.): from 18.11.1940 to 24.03.1942.
Promoted to C.C. in August 1942.
DANDOLO (C.F. C.O.): from 15.01.1948 to 31.03.1948.
Commands listed for Enzo Zanni
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naiade (NA) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 6 Nov 1940 | 8 Nov 1940 |
| Malachite (MH) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 18 Nov 1940 | 24 Mar 1942 |
Ships hit by Enzo Zanni
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Enzo Zanni
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naiade (NA) | 6 Nov 1940 | 1149 | Pola | 8 Nov 1940 | 1518 | Taranto | 516 | Passage Pola-Taranto. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 28 Nov 1940 | 0815 | Taranto | 28 Nov 1940 | 1513 | Taranto | 35 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 29 Nov 1940 | 0745 | Taranto | 29 Nov 1940 | 1815 | Taranto | 53 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 30 Nov 1940 | 1235 | Taranto | 1 Dec 1940 | 1655 | Augusta | 314 | Passage Taranto-Augusta. | ||
| 1. | Malachite (MH) | 15 Dec 1940 | 1213 | Augusta | 30 Dec 1940 | 1327 | Augusta | 1257 | Patrolled off Cyrenaica with Smeraldo, between 33°10'N and the Libyan coast, and between 22°00'E and 22°50'E. | |
| 15 Dec 1940 | 1515 ? (e) | 36° 00'N, 15° 36'E (0) 111° - Cape Murro di Porco - 14 miles. | At 1515 hours, a Blenheim bomber was sighted at a distance of 2,000 metres. It closed to 700 metres but did not drop any bomb as Malachite opened fire with her machine guns. This was actually Maryland 1 of Air Reconnaissace Flight 431 (Flying Officer Adrien Warburton) which strafed the submarine with its front machine guns. | |||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 1 Jan 1941 | 0050 | Augusta | 1 Jan 1941 | 0902 | Messina | 77 | Passage Augusta-Messina. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 20 Jan 1941 | 0805 | Messina | 20 Jan 1941 | 1645 | Messina | 62 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 23 Jan 1941 | 0800 | Messina | 23 Jan 1941 | 1630 | Messina | 47 | Exercises. | ||
| 2. | Malachite (MH) | 26 Jan 1941 | 1800 | Messina | 27 Jan 1941 | 1330 | Messina | 120 | Defensive patrol (hydrophone watch) north of the Strait of Messina. Uneventful. | |
| 3. | Malachite (MH) | 4 Feb 1941 | 1720 | Messina | 18 Feb 1941 | 1600 | Messina | 1563 | Patrolled off Cyrenaica within 60 miles from 33°10'N, 22°10'E. | |
| 14 Feb 1941 | 0106 | (0) Off Cyrenaica. | At 0106 hours, a dark silhouette, believed to be a cruiser or a destroyer, was sighted on an easterly course. Malachite attempted to close the range but, at 0100 hours on the 21st, the enemy vessel passed some 6 to 7,000 meters away and disappeared in the distance. | |||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 6 Mar 1941 | 0805 | Messina | 6 Mar 1941 | 1535 | Messina | 39 | Exercises, escorted by R.D.57. | ||
| 4. | Malachite (MH) | 9 Mar 1941 | 1800 | Messina | 24 Mar 1941 | 1540 | Leros | 1450 | Patrolled South of Crete within 20 miles from 33°30'N, 27°20'E on a NE-SW axis, then on 18 March shifted 235° - 50 miles and passage Messina-Leros. | |
| 19 Mar 1941 | 0109 | 33° 00'N, 26° 40'E | Since the previous evening, noises had been picked up by the hydrophones without resulting in any visual confirmation. At 0030 hours, hydrophone effects were picked up again. At 0055 hours, in heavy mist, a shadow was finally sighted,followed shortly after by another. They were believed to be a SOUTHAMPTON class cruiser and a destroyer steering 050°-040° at 18 knots At 0109 hours, Malachite fired two bow torpedoes from the surface, at a range of 2,500 metres, aimed at the cruiser. They missed. A third torpedo was about to be fired when the destroyer suddenly turned toward the submarine. Malachite crash-dived. Two depth charges were heard, followed by two more. The target was possibly the light cruiser HMS Gloucester escorted by the destroyer HMS Hasty on passage from Alexandria to Piraeus via the Kythera Channel and carrying General Blamey and 1,087 troops of the Australian corps. | |||||||
| 5. | Malachite (MH) | 8 Apr 1941 | 1720 | Leros | 23 Apr 1941 | 0900 | Augusta | 1258 | Patrolled in 33°55'N, 31°20'E on a NE-SW axis and passage Leros-Augusta. | |
| 14 Apr 1941 | 2327 | 34° 55'N, 24° 44'E (0) Very approximately. | At 2327 hours, two liners (10,000 to 20,000 GRT), escorted by two destroyers, were sighted at 7,000 metres, steering 100°. Malachite could not close to the attack. | |||||||
| 15 Apr 1941 | 0110 | (0) 100 miles North of Sidi Barrani. | At 0110 hours, two steamers estimated at 3,000 to 5,000 GRT escorted by two destroyers were sighted at a distance of 5,000 metres, steering 100°. Again, Malachite could not close to the attack. | |||||||
| 17 Apr 1941 | 0149 | (0) Ca. 100 miles North of Sidi Barrani. | At 0149 hours, an enemy destroyer was sighted at a distance of 2,000 metres and she turned toward the submarine. Malachite crash-dived but the voice pipe had not been closed causing a large amount of water to penetrate the submarine. It was finally closed and the submarine went down to 80 meters and appeared to pick up sounds from a passing convoy on her hydrophones . She surfaced at 0212 hours but did not sight anything. | |||||||
| 17 Apr 1941 | 2000 | (0) Ca. 100 miles North of Sidi Barrani. | At 2000 hours, information was received of a large heavily escorted convoy. Malachite altered course to intercept but nothing was sighted or heard. | |||||||
| 18 Apr 1941 | 2000 | (0) Ca. 100 miles North of Sidi Barrani. | At 2000 hours, information was received of a large convoy steering 300°. Malachite steered west to intercept. Between 1700 and 1900 hours on the 20th, Malachite was on her way to Augusta when a series of distant explosions were heard. This was believed to be from a convoy under air attack, but nothing was sighted. | |||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 10 May 1941 | 0800 | Augusta | 10 May 1941 | 1215 | Augusta | 2 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 10 May 1941 | 1345 | Augusta | 10 May 1941 | 1815 | Augusta | 2 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 11 May 1941 | 0815 | Augusta | 11 May 1941 | 1025 | Augusta | 5 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 12 May 1941 | 0805 | Augusta | 12 May 1941 | 1215 | Augusta | 9 | Exercises with Smeraldo, escorted by a tug and MAS 529. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 17 May 1941 | 0915 | Augusta | 17 May 1941 | 1145 | Augusta | 7 | Exercises with MAS 528 and auxiliary motor sailing vessel V.68. | ||
| 6. | Malachite (MH) | 18 May 1941 | 2118 | Augusta | 5 Jun 1941 | 0842 | Augusta | 1780 | Patrolled in Eastern Mediterranean, within 20 miles from 33°10'N, 28°20'E on a NE-SW axis, On 28 May, patrol was shifted between Gaidaro and the Cretan coast (34°40'N, 25°30'E?). Uneventful. Heard only H.E. | |
| Malachite (MH) | 23 Jun 1941 | 0805 | Augusta | 23 Jun 1941 | 1111 | Augusta | 18 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 28 Jun 1941 | 1425 | Augusta | 28 Jun 1941 | 1715 | Augusta | 7,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 29 Jun 1941 | 0818 | Augusta | 29 Jun 1941 | 1118 | Augusta | 16 | Exercises by MAS 531. | ||
| 7. | Malachite (MH) | 30 Jun 1941 | 2030 | Augusta | 17 Jul 1941 | 0835 | Augusta | 1724 | Patrolled north of Ras Azzaz, between 32°25'N and 32°40'N, and between 24°40'E and 25°00'E. | |
| 3 Jul 1941 | 2007 2110 (e) | (0) Off Ras Azzaz (UK: off Mersa Matruh). | At 1937 hours, Malachite was submerged when noises were picked up with the hydrophones. Nothing could be observed with the periscope, so she surfaced at 1946 hours. At 1947 hours, two destroyers were sighted zigzagging and firing at aircraft at a distance of 6-7,000 metres. As they were closing toward the submarine, Malachite submerged at 1957 hours, but again nothing could be observed through the periscope. Surfacing at 2004 hours, she immediately sighted a DIDO class cruiser with two destroyers. At 2107 hours, a single torpedo was fired from a bow tube at a distance of 2,500 metres aimed at the cruiser and the submarine crash-dived. Two torpedoes were intended, but the first had misfired. After 150 seconds, a loud explosion was heard and it was believed that the cruiser had been hit. These were actually the destroyers HMS Defender, HMAS Stuart and HMAS Vendetta on their way to Tobruk. HMS Defender sighted the torpedo track and avoided it. HMAS Stuart sighted the submarine's conning tower and rushed to the attack, dropping two depth charges. HMS Defender hunted the submarine without success. Italian Naval Intelligence had intercepted a signal from the light cruiser HMS Phoebe reporting an attack (she was actually operating off the Syrian coast) and deduced that she was undamaged but that possibly one of the destroyers had been hit. | |||||||
| 6 Jul 1941 | 2046+ | (0) Off Ras Azzaz. | At 1943, hydrophones detected noises and Malachite steered toward them. At 2046 hours, a destroyer was sighted at a distance of 7,000 metres, steering 250° at 30 knots. The submarine could not gain an attacking position. | |||||||
| 8 Jul 1941 | 0020 | (0) Off Ras Azzaz. | At 0020 hours, the submarine Tembien was sighted at 2,000 metres. Malachite dived to avoid a case of mistaken identity. | |||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 21 Jul 1941 | 0830 | Augusta | 21 Jul 1941 | 1550 | Messina | 74 | Passage Augusta-Messina. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 20 Aug 1941 | 0815 | Messina | 20 Aug 1941 | 1645 | Messina | 25 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 23 Aug 1941 | 0837 | Messina | 23 Aug 1941 | 1715 | Messina | 27 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 25 Aug 1941 | 0800 | Messina | 25 Aug 1941 | 1615 | Messina | 32 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 29 Aug 1941 | 0805 | Messina | 29 Aug 1941 | 1645 | Messina | 35,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 30 Aug 1941 | 0903 | Messina | 30 Aug 1941 | 1245 | Messina | 28 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 31 Aug 1941 | 2306 | Messina | 1 Sep 1941 | 0650 | Augusta | 70 | Passage Messina-Augusta. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 6 Sep 1941 | 0815 | Augusta | 6 Sep 1941 | 1210 | Augusta | 18 | Exercises, escorted by the auxiliary minesweeper Tea. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 10 Sep 1941 | 0815 | Augusta | 10 Sep 1941 | 1145 | Augusta | 21 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 18 Sep 1941 | 0815 | Augusta | 18 Sep 1941 | 1200 | Augusta | 15 | Exercises. | ||
| 8. | Malachite (MH) | 22 Sep 1941 | 2115 | Augusta | 8 Oct 1941 | 0915 | Augusta | 1383 | Patrolled 20 miles north of Ras Amer on a patrol line with Tricheco. Uneventful. | |
| Malachite (MH) | 11 Oct 1941 | 0025 | Augusta | 14 Oct 1941 | 1600 | La Spezia | 630 | Passage Augusta-La Spezia. Sighted only Italian vessels. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 17 Oct 1941 | 0830 | La Spezia | 17 Oct 1941 | 1730 | La Spezia | 36 | Exercises with Veniero and Platino, escorted by MAS 572 and the auxiliary Capodistria. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 19 Oct 1941 | 0730 | La Spezia | 19 Oct 1941 | 1230 | La Spezia | 37 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 6 Dec 1941 | 0845 | La Spezia | 6 Dec 1941 | 1510 | La Spezia | 36 | Exercises, escorted by the auxiliaries San Marco, Crotone, Capodistria and Giasone. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 11 Dec 1941 | 0800 | La Spezia | 11 Dec 1941 | 1500 | La Spezia | 36 | Exercises, escorted by MAS 510. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 19 Dec 1941 | 0845 | La Spezia | 19 Dec 1941 | 1730 | La Spezia | 62 | Exercises with the submarines Da Procida and H.1, escorted by the auxiliaries Porto Sdobba, Crotone and Capodistria, MAS 507 and MAS 510. . | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 21 Dec 1941 | 0830 | La Spezia | 21 Dec 1941 | 1245 | La Spezia | 24 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 22 Dec 1941 | 0805 | La Spezia | 22 Dec 1941 | 1730 | La Spezia | 40 | Exercises with the submarine Platino, escorted by the auxiliaries Porto Sdobba, Capodistria and Favignana. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 29 Dec 1941 | 0940 | La Spezia | 29 Dec 1941 | 2125 | La Spezia | 55 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 31 Dec 1941 | 0835 | La Spezia | 31 Dec 1941 | 1710 | La Spezia | 26 | Exercises with the submarine Colonna, escorted by the auxiliaries Capodistria and Crotone. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 3 Jan 1942 | 1325 | La Spezia | 3 Jan 1942 | 1840 | La Spezia | 27 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 6 Jan 1942 | 0900 | La Spezia | 6 Jan 1942 | 1810 | La Spezia | 21 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 7 Jan 1942 | 1705 | La Spezia | 7 Jan 1942 | 2110 | La Spezia | 3 | Exercises. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 10 Jan 1942 | 1705 | La Spezia | 10 Jan 1942 | 2110 | La Spezia | 25 | Exercises with the submarine H.6, escorted by the torpedo boat La Masa. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 12 Jan 1942 | 1700 | La Spezia | 12 Jan 1942 | 2140 | La Spezia | 25 | Exercises, escorted by the torpedo boat La Masa. | ||
| Malachite (MH) | 14 Jan 1942 | 2330 | La Spezia | 17 Jan 1942 | 1600 | Augusta | 625 | Passage La Spezia-Augusta. Uneventful. | ||
| 9. | Malachite (MH) | 20 Jan 1942 | 1815 | Augusta | 31 Jan 1942 | 0945 | Messina | 1170 | Patrolled north of Cyrenaica between 33°00'N and 33°40'N and 21°20'E and 21°40'E in Italian Grids 9146 and 1546. On 16th January, she was ordered to Grids 7927 and 3327 or 31°20'N and 31°40'N?). Uneventful. Heard only H.E. Then short refit. | |
| 20 Jan 1942 | 0241 | 36° 30'N, 16° 30'E (0) Approximately. | At 0241 hours, a submarine was sighted steering 320°. Malachite altered course away. This was Menotti returning to Augusta from a supply mission to Tripoli. | |||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 8 Feb 1942 | 0845 | Messina | 8 Feb 1942 | 1040 | Messina | 6,6 | Trials. | ||
| 10. | Malachite (MH) | 10 Feb 1942 | 1640 | Messina | 26 Feb 1942 | 0910 | Messina | 1762 | Was supposed to sail for exercises with patrol-boat Marzano (A.S. 67), but instead sailed for patrol north of Cyrenaica on the meridian within 8 miles from 34°00'N, 20°00'E on a patrol line with Topazio, Tricheco and Perla. On 13th February, she was moved 20 miles south. At 2000 hours on the 15th, following orders from MARICOSOM, she proceeded to a new position at 148° - 98 miles. | |
| 11 Feb 1942 | 0029 0043B (e) | At 0029 hours, a submarine was sighted on an opposite course, at a distance of 1,200 metres. This was HMS Upright (Lieutenant J.W.D. Coombe, RN) who sighted Malachite at just 300 metres and immediately dived. Neither submarine could regain contact. | ||||||||
| 11 Feb 1942 | 2147 | At 2147 hours, a submarine was sighted at a distance of 2,000 metres. Malachite turned away. Perhaps this was HMS Tempest who was lost two days later. | ||||||||
| 17 Feb 1942 | 0620 | At 0620 hours, a derelict mine was sighted 200 metres away and was sunk by machine gun fire. It was not of Italian manufacture. | ||||||||
| Malachite (MH) | 17 Mar 1942 | 1407 | Messina | 17 Mar 1942 | 1700 | Messina | 13 | Trials, escorted by the auxiliary Marras. | ||
62 entries. 54 total patrol entries (10 marked as war patrols) and 15 events.