R.Smg. RUBINO

by Admiral (ret) Attilio Duilio Ranieri
Italian Navy

Personnel lost aboard the RUBINO

Italian Submarines Class "600"
The submarine RUBINO was part of the series SIRENA of the class “600”. The 12 boats of this series were built between 1931 and 1934 by various shipyards: C.R.D.A. of Monfalcone, Gorizia (6), TOSI of Taranto (2), Quarnaro of Fiume (2), and OTO of Muggiano (2). The RUBINO was one of the boats built in Fiume. It was laid down on September 26th, 1931, launched on March 29th, 1933 and delivered to the Regia Marina on March 21st, 1934.

Operational Life
Upon entering service in March 1934, the RUBINO was deployed in La Spezia and assigned to the 3rd Squadron. First it completed training activity in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and later in 1938, having moved to the 13th Squadron also in La Spezia, completed cruises in the Adriatic Sea, the Dodecanese, and North Africa.

During the Spanish Civil War, from August 27th to September 4th, 1937, the RUBINO under the command of Lieutenant Paolo Comel completed a patrol in the waters off Tunisia near Galite, but without any result.

The RUBINO in the early days.
(Photo courtesy Erminio Bagnasco and Achille Rastelli)
Upon Italy’s entry into the war (June 10th 1940), the RUBINO was assigned to the 47th Squadron of the 4th Submarine Group based in Taranto. From here, under the command of Leiutenant Luigi Trebbi, the boat left port on June 18th to reach Tobruk for its first and last war patrol. The area assigned to the submarine was about 20 miles west of Alexandria and it reached it on the 21st. Those days, in preparation for the transit of a large convoy, “MA.3”, the British were conducting an antisubmarine sweep in the waters between Alexandria and Tobruk with 5 ships and several reconnaissance airplanes.

The RUBINO was located, and almost immediately underwent an intense hunt with depth charges, but it escaped with little damage. It decided to change area and moved to a point 40 miles more to the north of the previous one where it arrived on the 25th. The same night, MARICOSOM, by then aware of the British operation taking place, ordered the RUBINO and other submarines in the area to abort the mission and return to base.

A good picture of the early cunning tower.
(Photo Turrini)

On the way back, while navigating on the surface toward Taranto, and almost in proximity to the Italian coast, the RUBINO sighted at around 13:00 on the 29th an airplane which went away without attacking. This behavior made the crew believe that it was an Italian airplane, thus the RUBINO continued on the surface without interruption.

It was a fatal mistake! The plane was part of a screen of 14 antisubmarine flying boats type “Sunderland”, which,from Malta were patrolling the Ionian coast while protecting the already mentioned convoy “MA.3”. Thus, one hour later, in position, 39°10’N, 18°49’E, about 45 miles for 150° from Cape Santa Maria di Leuca, the “Sunderland” L 5804 attacked the RUBINO, hitting it with two bombs aft of the cunning tower.

The sinking was almost immediate. Only four people survived, amongst them the second in command, Lieutenant Bracco, who was rescued along with the others by the British plane which had immediately landed.

 

Translated from Italian by Cristiano D'Adamo

 

© 1996-2007 REGIAMARINA (TM) - Terms and Conditions