Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Pasquale Beltrame
| Born | 5 Oct 1912 | Savona |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
ARADAM(S.T.V. First Officer): From 30.05.1939 to November 1940+.Promoted to T.V. on ?
GIOVANNI BAUSAN (T.V. C.O.): from 02.12.1941? to 17.01.1942.
ASTERIA (T.V. C.O.): from 24.06.1942 to 20.08.1942.
BEILUL (T.V. C.O.): from 24.08.1942 to 09.09.1943.
Commands listed for Pasquale Beltrame
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Bausan (BN) | Ocean going | T.V. | 2 Dec 1941 | 17 Jan 1942 |
| Asteria (AE) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 24 Jun 1942 | 20 Aug 1942 |
| Beilul (BU) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 24 Aug 1942 | 9 Sep 1943 |
Ships hit by Pasquale Beltrame
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Pasquale Beltrame
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Bausan (BN) | 1 Jan 1942 | Date??? | Fiume | 17 Jan 1942 | Fiume | Refit. | ||||
| Asteria (AE) | 29 Jun 1942 | 1330 | Messina | 29 Jun 1942 | 1815 | Messina | 34 | Trials. | ||
| 1. | Asteria (AE) | 2 Jul 1942 | 1900 | Messina | 21 Jul 1942 | 0700 | Messina | 2825 | Sailed escorted by the auxiliary Castiglia, which could only make 7 knots and was therefore left behind at 2000 hours on 2nd July, then patrolled between 33°40'N and 36°00'N, and between 32°00'E and the Syrian coast. | |
| 3 Jul 1942 | 0740 | At 0740 hours, two aircraft were seen at a distance of 5,000 metres, flying toward Asteria who dived. | ||||||||
| 3 Jul 1942 | 0830 | At 0830 hours, the Italian hospital ship Arno was sighted at a range of 10,000 metres. Asteria had been informed of her passage but the hydrophones did not detect her. | ||||||||
| 3 Jul 1942 | 0945 | At 0945 hours, an aircraft was seen at a distance of 4,500 metres and the submarine dived. | ||||||||
| 5 Jul 1942 | 1355 | At 1355 hours, an aircraft was seen at a distance of 4,000 metres and the submarine dived. | ||||||||
| 11 Jul 1942 | 0923 | 35° 17'N, 35° 28'E | At 0923 hours, a smoke was sighted on the horizon at a range of 14,000 metres. It turned out to be a patrol vessel, zigzagging, steering 320°, 16 knots and followed at a distance by two steamers. At 0955 hours, Asteria closed to a distance of 5,000 meters of the escort and at 1000 hours was still 9,500 meters from the steamers before breaking off the chase. | |||||||
| 11 Jul 1942 | 1025 | 35° 16'N, 35° 24'E | At 1025 hours, a steamer was sighted at a range of 6,000 metres. An escort was also sighted at 1,000 meters. The submarine attempted to close the steamer before losing contact at 1110 hours. | |||||||
| 14 Jul 1942 | 0208 | 33° 48'N, 34° 56'E | At 0205 hours, the mist on the horizon made it difficult to identify an indistinct shape sighted at a range of 1,500 metres. Asteria steered toward it and recognised it as a large destroyer. At 0208 hours, a single torpedo (533mm, S.I. 270 type with S.I.C. pistol) was fired at a range of 2,000 metres. The destroyer altered course to port, presenting her stern. At 0210.5 hours, a single torpedo (533mm, S.I. 270 type with S.I.C. pistol) was fired at a range of 2,500 metres. An explosion was heard after 151 seconds but the destroyer had disappeared in the dark side of the horizon. Both torpedoes apparently missed. This was possibly the armed whaler HMSAS Protea, detached to assist the Dutch tanker Odinda who had just been torpedoed by U-371. Other warships in the general vicinity were the corvette HMS Gloxinia and the escort destroyers HMS Croome and HMS Tetcott. No attack appears to have been reported. | |||||||
| 14 Jul 1942 | 2245 2350 (e) | 33° 52'N, 34° 26'E | At 2245 hours, a submarine was sighted at a range of 1,000 metres and believed to be Italian. Prudently, Asteria turned to starboard at maximum speed to move away. This was actually HMS Turbulent (Commander J.W. Linton, DSC, RN) who, at about the same time, sighted a submarine for only about 50 seconds, before she dived and lost contact. | |||||||
| Asteria (AE) | 10 Aug 1942 | 0800 | Messina | 10 Aug 1942 | 1230 | Messina | 24 | Exercises. | ||
| 2. | Asteria (AE) | 11 Aug 1942 | 1200 | Messina | 17 Aug 1942 | 1810 | Trapani | 702 | Escorted by the auxiliary Mazzei until 2150 hours on the 11th, she sailed for a patrol west of Malta between 35°40'N and 36°00'N and between 13°20'E and 13°40'E. | |
| 14 Aug 1942 | 2056 | 35° 33'N, 13° 53'E | At 2056 hours, an aircraft was seen and Asteria dived. The submarine was at a depth of 29 meters when four groups of bombs (three or four each) were heard, but she escaped damage. The aircraft has not been identified. | |||||||
| 3. | Asteria (AE) | 18 Aug 1942 | 0110 | Trapani | 19 Aug 1942 | 0730 | Trapani | 183 | Sailed with Ascianghi and Alagi escorted by an R.D. (minesweeper) vessel until 0245/18. She was to patrol between 37°20'N and 37°50'N, and between 09°20'E and 10°20'E, north of Tunisia, but was recalled at 1300 hours on the 19th. | |
| Beilul (BU) | 1 Sep 1942 | 0813 | Monfalcone | 1 Sep 1942 | 1440 | Monfalcone | 30 | Trials. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 2 Sep 1942 | 1640 | Monfalcone | 2 Sep 1942 | 2038 | Monfalcone | 30,5 | Trials. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 4 Sep 1942 | 0650 | Monfalcone | 4 Sep 1942 | 1357 | Venice | 78 | Passage Monfalcone-Venice (one source gives the date as 3rd September). | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 5 Sep 1942 | 0925 | Venice | 5 Sep 1942 | 1125 | Venice | 15 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 7 Sep 1942 | 0715 | Venice | 7 Sep 1942 | 1728 | Pola | 88 | Passage Venice-Pola. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 9 Sep 1942 | 0607 | Pola | 9 Sep 1942 | 2102 | Pola | 129 | Exercises with torpedo boat Insidioso. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 10 Sep 1942 | 0930 | Pola | 10 Sep 1942 | 1934 | Pola | 11 | Gyrocompass tests. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 12 Sep 1942 | 1603 | Pola | 16 Sep 1942 | 0950 | Messina | 620,7 | Passage Pola-Messina. Uneventful. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 19 Sep 1942 | 0706 | Messina | 19 Sep 1942 | 1226 | Messina | 13,3 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 20 Sep 1942 | 0706 | Messina | 20 Sep 1942 | 1226 | Messina | 13 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 21 Sep 1942 | 1300 | Messina | 21 Sep 1942 | 1731 | Messina | 15 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 23 Sep 1942 | 0805 | Messina | 23 Sep 1942 | 1241 | Messina | 13 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 26 Sep 1942 | 0800 | Messina | 26 Sep 1942 | 1146 | Messina | 17 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 5 Oct 1942 | 1320 | Messina | 5 Oct 1942 | 1700 | Messina | 6 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 15 Oct 1942 | 0800 | Messina | 15 Oct 1942 | 1101 | Messina | 6 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 19 Oct 1942 | 1750 | Messina | 23 Oct 1942 | 1418 | Leros | 865 | Passage Messina-Leros. Uneventful. Sighted only an Italian convoy at 0730 hours on 23rd October. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 14 Nov 1942 | 0640 | Leros | 14 Nov 1942 | 1104 | Leros | 15,5 | Exercises. | ||
| 4. | Beilul (BU) | 15 Nov 1942 | 0706 | Leros | 30 Nov 1942 | 1310 | Leros | 1625 | Sailed for patrol near Rhodes. MAS 542 escorted her only until 0930 hours on the 15th as the bad weather forced her to turn back. An aircraft escorted her until 1130 hours on the 15th. | |
| 19 Nov 1942 | 2040 | At 2040 hours, an aircraft was seen at a distance of 1,000 metres. It made a green signal. Beilul dived. | ||||||||
| Beilul (BU) | 28 Dec 1942 | 0805 | Leros | 28 Dec 1942 | 1140 | Leros | 7 | Exercises. | ||
| 5. | Beilul (BU) | 7 Jan 1943 | 1200 | Leros | 23 Jan 1943 | 0450 | Leros | 1519 | Patrolled south of 34°00'N, between 21°30'E and 22°00'E. Uneventful. Heard only H.E. | |
| 17 Jan 1943 | 2258 | 33° 14'N, 21° 52'E | At 2258 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived. | |||||||
| 18 Jan 1943 | 0257 | 33° 14'N, 21° 36'E | At 0257 hours, an aircraft was seen and the submarine dived. | |||||||
| Beilul (BU) | 6 Feb 1943 | 0218 | Leros | 6 Feb 1943 | 0645 | Stampalia | Passage Leros-Stampalia. | |||
| Beilul (BU) | 9 Feb 1943 | 0803 | Leros | 9 Feb 1943 | 1116 | Leros | 12,5 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 16 Feb 1943 | 0930 | Leros | 16 Feb 1943 | 1202 | Leros | 10,5 | Exercises. | ||
| 6. | Beilul (BU) | 25 Feb 1943 | 0800 | Leros | 12 Mar 1943 | 1240 | Leros | 1487 | Patrolled west of Cyprus between 35°00'N and 36°00'N, and between 30°00'E and 30°40'E. Uneventful. Heard only H.E. | |
| Beilul (BU) | 30 Mar 1943 | 0936 | Leros | 30 Mar 1943 | 1205 | Leros | 8 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 1 Apr 1943 | 0908 | Portolago (Leros) | 1 Apr 1943 | 1055 | Parteni (Leros) | 5,8 | Passage Portolago-Parteni (Leros). | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 7 Apr 1943 | 0903 | Parteni (Leros) | 7 Apr 1943 | 1032 | Portolago (Leros) | 6,2 | Passage Parteni-Portolago (Leros). | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 13 Apr 1943 | 0836 | Leros | 13 Apr 1943 | 1147 | Leros | 19 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 20 Apr 1943 | 1004 | Leros | 20 Apr 1943 | 1200 | Leros | 6 | Exercises. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 1 May 1943 | 0856 | Leros | 1 May 1943 | 1056 | Leros | 9 | Exercises. | ||
| 7. | Beilul (BU) | 26 May 1943 | 1545 | Leros | 15 Jun 1943 | 1820 | Leros | 1297 | Sailed escorted by a MAS until 1705 hours on the 26th, via 34°28'N, 26°20'E for a patrol in Gulf of Sirte in area bounded by the African coast and 34°00'N, and the parallels 14°00'E and 20°00'E. | |
| 28 May 1943 | 0844 0955 (e) | 34° 00'N, 24° 00'E (0) Submarine position is approximate. | At 0844 hours, two Blenheim bombers were sighted at a distance of 4-5,000 metres, flying toward the submarine at an altitude of 500 metres. There was no time to crash-dive and, when when range was 1,200 metres, the submarine opened fire with her machine-guns. The two aircraft did not drop any bomb but attacked with cannon fire. As soon as they were over the submarine, T.V. Pasquale Beltrame seized the opportunity to order the crash-dive. Beilul was undamaged. These aircraft were actually Beaufighters from 227 Long Range Fighter Squadron (201 Group) piloted by Flight Lt. M.B. Curtis and Flight Officer M.B.E. Amos. They had apparently already expended their bombs in an attack on a caique earlier in the morning. | |||||||
| 31 May 1943 | 2252 | Two small warships were sight at respectively 600 and 800 metres. Beilul dived. | ||||||||
| 13 Jun 1943 | 0200 | At 0200 hours, information was received from SUPERMARINA of five enemy vessels near Ras-El-Tin (Libya), course and speed were not given. It was believed this was a convoy earlier reported and was probably steering toward Benghazi. Beilul moved southward to be in a position to intercept. | ||||||||
| 13 Jun 1943 | 1440-1517 | At 1233 hours, Beilul initiated her return trip. At 1440 hours, a depth-charge exploded near the submarine. No enemy craft had been heard approaching. At 1450 hours, a second explosion occurred, followed by two more at 1457 hours and another two at 1459 hours. At 1501 hours, noises from a vessel nearing the submarine were heard. More followed until 1517 hours. | ||||||||
| 8. | Beilul (BU) | 25 Jun 1943 | 2000 | Leros | 17 Jul 1943 | 0800 | Taranto | 1760,5 | Patrol and passage Leros-Brindisi via Rhodes. Patrolled in 32°15'N, 25°55'E. From 1st July, patrolled between 34°00'N and the African coast, and between 23°40'N and 27°00'E. Ordered to Pola on 9th July. On 10 July was ordered to proceed to 37°00'N, 16°00'E (east of Syracuse). Ordered to leave patrol on 14th July. | |
| 28 Jun 1943 | 1504 | 32° 00'N, 26° 00'E (0) Approximate position. | At 1504 hours, Beilul was submerged when she was shaken by a loud explosion, followed minute later by another one. The submarine was undamaged. | |||||||
| 2 Jul 1943 | 0613 | At 0613 hours, after noises were detected with the hydrophones, five explosions were heard near Beilul. The noises were heard off and on. At 1651 hours, another five depth charges exploded near her. | ||||||||
| 12 Jul 1943 | 2155 | 36° 54'N, 15° 35'E | At 2143 hours, the forward lookout noticed the shadows of two vessels. A minute and a half later, three destroyers of the JERVIS class could be made out. At 2155 hours, three torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes (a fourth misfired) at a range of 1,500 metres. Shortly after, two explosions were heard 3 seconds apart. There is no evidence that the attack was successful. The targets were possibly the light cruisers HMS Cleopatra and HMS Euryalus screened by the destroyers HMS Ilex and HMS Echo. They had sailed from Malta at 1600 hours for a patrol off the East Sicilian coast. | |||||||
| 16 Jul 1943 | 2234 2247 (e) | (0) 304° - Punta Alice - 24 miles. | At 2234 hours, a dark shadow was sighted but could not be identified. This was actually the submarine HMS United (Lieutenant John Charles Young Roxburgh, DSC, RN) who observed a submarine generating a great deal of smoke, but this suddenly stopped. Beilul's diesels were indeed produced a great deal of smoke and when the shadow was seen, T.V. Beltrame prudently ordered the crew to shut down the main engines, switch to the electric motors and, take avoiding action. HMS United (who had sunk Remo the previous day) refrained from attack as British submarines were operating in the adjacent areas. | |||||||
| Beilul (BU) | 22 Jul 1943 | 1030 | Taranto | 25 Jul 1943 | 0704 | Pola | 536 | Passage Taranto-Pola. Uneventful. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 27 Jul 1943 | 0454 | Pola | 27 Jul 1943 | 1138 | Monfalcone | 68 | Passage Pola-Monfalcone. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 31 Jul 1943 | 0910 | Monfalcone | 31 Jul 1943 | 1155 | Monfalcone | 4 | Trials. | ||
| Beilul (BU) | 9 Sep 1943 | Monfalcone | 9 Sep 1943 | Monfalcone | Beilul could not sail because she lacked part of her machinery. She was to have been sunk on 11th September 1943, after the submarine Argo was scuttled, but her C.O. T.V. Beltrame reported receiving orders to surrender the submarine to the Germans. Seized by the Germans, but was in need of a major overhaul. In February 1944, she was mentioned as ceded to the Decima Flottiglia MAS and transformed as a special operation submarine. | |||||
56 entries. 42 total patrol entries (8 marked as war patrols) and 20 events.