Italian submarines in World War Two
Italian Commanders
Pier Vittorio Casarini
| Born | 2 Apr 1918 | Cremona | |
| Died | 12 Sep 1943 | (25) | Killed in action |
| Ranks
Decorations
|
Career information
ATROPO (S.T.V. resp.): from 29.12.1941 to 19.01.1942 (repairs at Taranto).ZOEA (S.T.V. resp.): from 01.01.1942 to 02.02.1942 (repairs at Taranto).
Promoted to T.V. on ?
TITO SPERI (T.V. resp.): from 29.06.1943 to 01.07.1943 (reserve in Taranto).
TOPAZIO (T.V. C.O.): from 02.07.1943 to 12.09.1943 (sunk, Casarini was killed).
Commands listed for Pier Vittorio Casarini
| Submarine | Type | Rank | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atropo (AT, N.51) | Minelaying | S.T.V. | 29 Dec 1941 | 19 Jan 1942 |
| Zoea (ZE) | Minelaying | S.T.V. | 20 Jan 1942 | 2 Feb 1942 |
| Tito Speri (TS) | Ocean going | T.V. | 29 Jun 1943 | 1 Jul 1943 |
| Topazio (TP) | Coastal / Sea going | T.V. | 2 Jul 1943 | 12 Sep 1943 |
Ships hit by Pier Vittorio Casarini
No ships hit by this Commander.War patrols listed for Pier Vittorio Casarini
| Submarine | Date | Time | Port | Arr. date | Arr. time | Arr. port | Miles | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atropo (AT, N.51) | 29 Dec 1941 | Taranto | 19 Jan 1942 | Taranto | At Taranto for repairs. | |||||
| Zoea (ZE) | 20 Jan 1942 | Taranto | 2 Feb 1942 | Taranto | Repairs at Taranto. Change in command. | |||||
| Tito Speri (TS) | 29 Jun 1943 | Taranto | 1 Jul 1943 | Taranto | In reserve at Taranto. | |||||
| Topazio (TP) | 29 Jul 1943 | 1320 | Castellammare di Stabia | 29 Jul 1943 | 1858 | Castellammare di Stabia | 26 | Trials and exercises. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 1 Aug 1943 | 0918 | Castellammare di Stabia | 1 Aug 1943 | 1635 | Castellammare di Stabia | 38 | Exercises. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 3 Aug 1943 | 1528 | Castellammare di Stabia | 3 Aug 1943 | 1751 | Naples | 12 | Passage Castellammare di Stabia-Naples. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 5 Aug 1943 | 1005 | Naples | 5 Aug 1943 | 1821 | Naples | 48 | Exercises. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 6 Aug 1943 | 0702 | Naples | 6 Aug 1943 | 0900 | Pozzuoli | 12 | Passage Naples-Pozzuoli. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 12 Aug 1943 | 0838 | Pozzuoli | 12 Aug 1943 | 1702 | Pozzuoli | 46 | Exercises. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 18 Aug 1943 | 0645 | Pozzuoli | 18 Aug 1943 | 2038 | Pozzuoli | 24 | Docked briefly in Naples and returned to Pozzuoli. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 19 Aug 1943 | 0645 | Pozzuoli | 19 Aug 1943 | 1920 | Naples | 15 | Docked in Naples. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 19 Aug 1943 | 2345 | Naples | 21 Aug 1943 | 1002 | La Maddalena | 250 | Passage Naples-La Maddalena. | ||
| Topazio (TP) | 30 Aug 1943 | 1402 | La Maddalena | 30 Aug 1943 | 1752 | Porto Palino | 16 | Passage La Maddalena-Porto Palino. | ||
| 1. | Topazio (TP) | 7 Sep 1943 | 1612 | La Maddalena | 12 Sep 1943 | Sunk with all hands | Sailed with Turchese until she parted on 10th September (she was also seen by Diaspro on the previous day), when on Anzio parallel, slightly east of 11°E. Part of a barrage line with Diaspro, Turchese and Marea in the Gulf of Salerno. On 8th September, she was ordered along with all other submarines, to dive to 80 meters then to surface only at 0800 hours on the 9th and display the Italian flag with a black flag of surrender. Then to proceed to Bone. At 1117 hours on the 12th, an RAF bomber (Bisley "J" of 13 Squadron) reported attacking a surfaced submarine. This was most likely Topazio. It is not clear if she was on her way to surrender. She disappeared without a trace (six officers, forty-three ratings missing). | |||
| 12 Sep 1943 | 1117 (e) | (e) 38° 39'N, 9° 22'E | At 1117 hours, a Bisley from 13 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer G.H. Finch when a submarine was seen slightly down by the stern and making less than 10 knots. Using the cloud cover, the aircraft surprised the submarine with a stick of four depth charges from 50 feet. One of the them exploded within 10 yards of the conning tower. The submarine attempted to make a recognition signal and was completely obscured by plumes and, when they cleared, she was gone. A growing oil slick was visible and some 15-20 men in the water were photographed by the aircraft. This submarine was initially believed to have been Turchese, who arrived later in Bone, but it was most probably Topazio. T.V. Pier Vittorio Casarini, five officers, and forty-three ratings perished. It was a tragedy that could have been avoided. | |||||||
14 entries. 14 total patrol entries (1 marked as war patrols) and 1 events.