Italian Submarines
Class "600"

by Cristiano D'Adamo
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Weapons

Torpedoes
All “600”excluding some of the latest “Platino” were fitted with two torpedo tubes aft and four forward. The Bronzo, Volfamio and Argento had four aft tubes. All tubes were loaded before leaving port and six extra torpedoes were stowed aboard giving the “600” a total of 12 torpedoes, while the latest series had 8 or 10. Torpedoes were loaded through a special hatch and the operation was very laborious. Once at sea, torpedoes could be removed from the tubes for limited maintenance (fuel topping).

The forward torpedo room of the GIADA (the picture
was taken after the war). Space was scarce.
(Photo Turrini Collection)

Range, speed and direction of the weapons could be configured while they were inserted in the tubes. The tubes, produced by Tosi of Taranto (and probably other manufacturers), could take a variety of 21’ (533 mm) torpedoes produced both by Whitehead and “Silurificio Italiano”. Similar to the Royal Navy, the Regia Marina did not experience the kind of massive torpedo failure which plagued the U.S. Navy and the Kriegsmarine. Italian weapons were reliable, but left a visible trail thus making them easy to spot. Only the last series, the “Platino”, received a German made launch control system. Toward the end of the war (1943), the “600” received electric torpedoes from the Germans which proved quite effective.

Smaller Weapons
Each boat was equipped with a small armory containing rifles and side arms and located in the hydrophone room.

Deck Guns
The first “600” series was fitted with a 4” (102) mm deck gun caliber 35. These guns had a maximum range of 15,000 meters, but the practical range, due to the simplicity of the optical range finder, was much lower. Later classes were fitted with the newer 100 mm caliber 47, The “600”carried from 152 to 144 shells. A well-trained gunnery team could fire eight shells per minute.

The 100/47 mm deck gun of the Smg. PORFIDO
(Photo Turrini Collection)

The “600” had a single gun mounted forward of the cunning tower. Shells were loaded from the stowage area below onto the main compartment and from there pushed up to the deck through a tube. Since there are no specifications for a mechanical or hydraulic hoisting system, it is assumed that the shells were pushed by hand. The gunners also had access to a ready storage area built into the cunning tower and secured by a watertight hatch. The ammunition stowage was located on the lower deck between the forward battery hold and the quick dive tank.

Due to the nature of the conflict in the Mediterranean, the deck gun of the “600” was of very limited use.

 

Machine Guns

 
All “600”were equipped with the famous Breda Model 1931 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. These guns were mounted on a single support on the early series and on double mounts on later ones. On the “Platino”, probably one of the best Italian submarines ever built, the guns were installed on a retractable mount, which would recede into a water-tight tube protected by a small hatch. Upon emerging, the gunners had to simply release the hatch, lift the guns out of the enclosure, and install the clip and fire. Each clip contained 30 rounds and the gun could fire up to 400 rounds per minute at a range of 2,000 meters. The “Argonauta” had a reserve of 6,000 rounds, later increased to 10,000. As with all Italian submarines, toward the end of the conflict it was discovered that the 13.2 mm guns were insufficient in downing large American bombers protected by a thick armor.

The submarine GONDAR in September 1940. The cylinders used to transport the assault weapons of the Xa MAS (10th Light Flotilla) are clearly visible.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)

Other Weapons
In August 1940, units of the ADUA series underwent important structural modifications for the installation of cylindrical containers for the transport of sub-attack crafts S.L.C. (Siluro a Lenta Corsa), the famous "maiale" .

Later, the conning tower was modified similarly to the German U-Boots, removing the highly visible enclosed deck and lowering the periscopes' sleeves. The 100/47 gun was removed and a new A.A. machine gun added. The units were fitted with three cylinders, one forward and two aft. Each cylinder could carry a single S.L.C. The Scirè and the Gondar were almost identical, but the forward cylinder of the latter did not have reinforcement rings thus allowing for the two units to be properly identified. Despite her notoriety, there actually are very few pictures of the Scirè, and of the few, many were manually retouched.

 

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