Italian submarine Barbarigo

Barbarigo
History
Italy
Name: Barbarigo
Builder: CRDA
Launched: 12 June 1938
Commissioned: 19 September 1938
Fate: Presumed sunk, c. 16 June 1943
General characteristics
Class and type: Marcello-class submarine
Displacement:
  • 1,060 long tons (1,080 t) surfaced
  • 1,313 long tons (1,334 t) submerged
Length: 73 m (239 ft 6 in)
Beam: 7.19 m (23 ft 7 in)
Draught: 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 17.4 knots (20.0 mph; 32.2 km/h) surfaced
  • 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) submerged
Complement: 58
Armament:
  • 8 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 4 stern)
  • 2 × 100 mm (3.9 in)/47 guns
  • 4 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns

Barbarigo was a World War II Italian Marcello-class submarine built for the Italian Royal Navy (Italian: Regia Marina). She was responsible for the first Brazilian war action of World War II. After failing to sink the Brazilian merchant ship Comandante Lyra on 18 May 1942 she was chased by Brazilian aero-naval forces for five days. The submarine managed to escape two attacks by Brazilian B-25 aircraft.[1]
A curious fact is that the submarine's commander at the time, Enzo Grossi, had been born in São Paulo, Brazil. Used as a "poster boy" by Fascist Italy, he was later relieved of his command and demoted to foot soldier due premeditated error in the identification of ships sunk by him.[2]

After a period of time for repairs, as well as some replacements and retraining of crew, the submarine was converted into a transport to carry materiel between Germany and Japan in 1943, but disappeared on her first mission in that capacity.

The Italian government issued a 5 Lira red adhesive revenue stamp featuring Barbarigo. Inscription on the vertical stamp is "Sommergibile BARBARIGO/ INA GIL". The exact purpose of this stamp is uncertain but may have been a tax or a charge for mail carried on board the vessel.

Notes

  1. ↑ Barone, 2013. Section "Amigos, amigos, guerra à parte (War is war)".
  2. ↑ Ibidem, Barone 2013.

References

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