Italian submarines in World War Two

Italian Commanders


Giorgio Bernabò

Born  25 Dec 1906La Spezia

Ranks

  C.C.Capitano di Corvetta

Decorations

Career information

ZOEA (C.C. C.O): from 01.06.1940 to 18.12.1940.
From 20.12.1941, served at MARISTAT (stato maggiore della Marina or Naval Headquarters).

Commands listed for Giorgio Bernabò


Submarine Type Rank From To
Zoea (ZE)MinelayingC.C.1 Jun 194018 Dec 1940

Ships hit by Giorgio Bernabò

No ships hit by this Commander.

War patrols listed for Giorgio Bernabò

 SubmarineDateTimePortArr. dateArr. timeArr. portMilesDescription
Zoea (ZE)9 Jun 19401037La Spezia9 Jun 19401055La Spezia2Moved from the Arsenal to Le Grazie.

Zoea (ZE)12 Jun 19400800La Spezia12 Jun 19401400La SpeziaExercises with the submarine Iride.

Zoea (ZE)14 Jun 19402120La Spezia16 Jun 19401210Naples335,5Passage La Spezia-Naples.

1.Zoea (ZE)18 Jun 19401645Naples21 Jun 19401300Tobruk805Supply mission to Tobruk (49 tons of ammunition in 1,225 boxes).

2.Zoea (ZE)22 Jun 19402027Tobruk24 Jun 19402215Taranto616Return trip from supply mission to Tobruk.

3.Zoea (ZE)29 Jun 19402300Taranto17 Jul 19401320Taranto2223Minelaying mission off Ras El Kenayis, in 31°17.5'N, 27°52'E to 31°18'N, 27°53.52'E between Mersa Matruh and El Alamein, then patrolled from point 34°22'N, 26°20'E on axis 290°-110°.
  30 Jun 1940061539° 50'N, 18° 00'E
(0) Approximately.
At 0615 hours, the torpedo-boat Pallade was sighted and exchanged recognition signals.
  30 Jun 19400720
(0) Off Cape Santa Maria di Leuca.
At 0720 hours, the torpedo boat Pallade was again sighted, this time in company with a submarine (doubtful).
  4 Jul 19400814-082231° 17'N, 27° 52'EAt 0814 hours, Zoea began laying mines. This should have been a line of 36 mines from 31°17.5' N, 27°52' E to 31°18' N, 27°53.52' E. At 0822 hours, after the 8th mine had been laid an explosion occurred and the minelaying was stopped. A later examination concluded that it was probably not one of the submarine's mines but an enemy one or an aircraft bomb.

It would take the accident that occurred with Atropo and the disappearance of Foca in October 1940, for Italian submarine minelaying operations to be withheld indefinitely.
  8 Jul 19400634
0640 (e)
34° 22'N, 26° 20'EAt 0550 hours, hydrophone effects were heard, but an examination through the periscope revealed nothing.

At 0630 hours, the submarine surfaced to have a better look but sighted a large aircraft and had to crash-dive. She had reached a depth of 10-12 metres when two bombs exploded at 0634 hours. They caused some damage to the hull in the bow section, but Zoea continued her patrol.

This was a Swordfish (Lieutenant (A) P.S. Touchbourne, RN) from 824 Squadron (HMS Eagle) flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet. A submarine similar to the ARGO class was sighted at a distance of 5-6 mile. It had a heavily camouflaged conning tower and was steering 035°. The aircraft dropped six 100 lb bombs of which only four exploded.

Zoea (ZE)24 Aug 19400850Taranto24 Aug 19401545Taranto51Exercises.

Zoea (ZE)28 Aug 19400801Taranto28 Aug 19401152Taranto28Exercises.

Zoea (ZE)3 Sep 19400804Taranto3 Sep 19401154Taranto33Exercises.

4.Zoea (ZE)22 Sep 19402150Taranto23 Sep 19401004Taranto80,5Defensive patrol (hydrophone watch).

Zoea (ZE)27 Sep 19400650Taranto27 Sep 19401255Taranto24Exercises.

5.Zoea (ZE)7 Oct 19401809Taranto22 Oct 19401715Taranto2374Minelaying mission through (1) 34°00'N, 23°30'E and (2) 33°30'N, 30°00'E to lay a minefield off Jaffa. Captain A.N. Bencivenni came along to check the mines.
  10 Oct 1940123033° 50'N, 25° 24'EAt 1230 hours, Zoea was on her way to her minelaying mission, when she received a signal informing her of a large vessel in the Grid square between 33°40' N and 33°50' N and 23°40' E and 24°00' E, steering 105° at 13 knots. The submarine steered 180°, proceeding on the surface for 20 minutes to intercept then dived to listen with the hydrophones, but nothing was detected.
  14 Oct 19402029-215132° 00'N, 34° 33'EBetween 2029 and 2151 hours, Zoea laid a minefield of 20 mines off Jaffa.

(1) 32°00.5' N, 34°33.8' E to 32°32' N, 34°34' E (8 mines)
(2) 31°59' N, 34°34.4' E to 31°58.5' N, 34°34.5' E (6 mines).
(3) 31°58.3' N, 34°34.7' E to 31°58' N, 34°35' E (6 mines).

One of the mines may have damaged the Hellenic destroyer Spetsai at 0315 hours, on 21st February 1943, in 32°10.5' N, 34°30' E.
  21 Oct 1940203038° 40'N, 17° 43'EAt 2030 hours, two lookouts reported sighting a submarine submerging at a distance of 500 metres.

This was HMS Parthian (Lieutenant Commander M.G. Rimington, RN). At 2025 hours, a submarine was sighted 20° on the port bow at a distance of 500 yards, steering 360°. HMS Parthian was steering 130° and attempted to ram, but missed her opponent's stern by only a few yards. The officer of the watch was certain the submarine was British.

Zoea (ZE)24 Oct 19400818Taranto24 Oct 19401130Taranto19Exercises.

Zoea (ZE)12 Dec 19400835Taranto12 Dec 19401555Taranto25Exercises.

Zoea (ZE)18 Dec 19400840Taranto18 Dec 19401710Taranto18Exercises.

20 entries. 15 total patrol entries (5 marked as war patrols) and 7 events.

Italian Commanders

Italian Submarines