Italian Submarine " GEMMA "
(translation by the courtesy of Mr. D'Adamo - www.regiamarina.net)
The submarine GEMMA was one of the 10 boats of the “PERLA” series, part of the class “600” of costal submarines.
This successful series, just like whole class “600”, was build by the C.R.D.A. shipyard (6 units) of Monfalcone (Gorizia) and O.T.O. (4 units) of Muggiano (La Spezia) between 1935 and 1936.
The GEMMA belonged to the Monfalcone’s group and was laid down on September 7th, 1935, launched on May 21st, 1936 and delivered to the Regia Marina on July 8th of the same year.
Technical specifications:
– Hull: "Bernardis" Design - Single Hull
– Max Diving Depth.: 80 m (safety factor 3)
– Displacement: 697 t (surfaced) - 856 t (submerged)
– Dimensions: 60,18 m (Lenght) - 6,45 m (Beam) - 4,71
m (Draft)
– Engines Power: 1400 HP (diesel) - 800 HP (electric)
– Max speed: 14 kts (surf.) - 7,5 kts (subm.)
– Range: 5200 NM at 8 kts - 2500 NM at 12 Kts (surf.);
74 NM at 4 kts - 7 NM at 7,5 kts (subm.)
– Armament: 6 x 533 mm torp. tubes (4 bow and 2 aft);
1 deck gun 100 mm / 47 cal. ; 2 Anti-Aircraft guns -13,2 mm
– Crew: 44 ( 4 Officers)
Operational Life
Upon entering service, the GEMMA was assigned to the 35th Squadron, based in Messina. From here, it completed a long cruise of the Italian islands in the Aegean Sea, repeating it in 1937.
Under the command of Lieutenant Carlo Ferracuti, the GEMMA participated to the Spanish Civil War with a patrol off the Sicilian coast lasting nine days, from August 27th to September 5th, 1937.
In 1938, the GEMMA was assigned to the Red Sea, in Massaua. From this base, along with the PERLA, in spring of 1939 it completed long cruises in the Indian Ocean to test, during the monsoon, the sea worthiness and operation of the boat. From the mission reports, in addition to the navigational issues (sea force 9, inability to use the weapons or keep periscope depth), surfaced the danger of the air conditioning systems. The gas used, methylchlorid, was found to be toxic and would cause great problems with the boats so equipped.
Having returned to Italy toward the end of 1939, the GEMMA was assigned to the 14th Squadron, 1st GRUPSOM based in La Spezia. After Italy’s entry into the war (June 10th, 1940), while still part of the 1st GROUPSOM, the boat was transferred to the 13th Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Commander Guido Cordero di Montezemolo and relocated to Leros, the Italian naval base in the Aegean Sea.
The initial fruitless missions took place:
From June 10th to the 15th of June 1940, in the water off Khios.
From June 30th to July 8th, 1940 off Sollum, along the Egyptian coast
From the 7th to the 16th of August, 1940 north of Crete
On September 30th, the GEMMA left for the forth war mission with the assignment of patrolling, from the 1st to the 8th of October along with the AMETISTA and TRICHECO, the Kassos Channel (East of the Island of Crete).
The area of the passage was divided into three areas – north, center, and south – assigned in the same order to the GEMMA, AMETISTA, and TRICHECO. After two fruitless days, on the 3rd only the GEMMA was ordered to the east to patrol the area between Rhodes and Scarpanto (Karphatos) (to be more precise in the square defined by the Island of Seria and Cape Monolito (Rhodes), Cape Prosso (southernmost point of Rhodes), Cape Castello (southernmost point of the island of Scarpanto), until the evening of the 8th. It was precisely in this area that the night of the 7th a tragedy took place.
The night of the 7th, the TRICHECO (Lieutenant Commander Alberto Avogadro di Cerrione), a day before completing its patrol, had left its assigned area south of the Island of Kassos because of a wounded person aboard, and it was navigating along the western coast of Scarpanto, thus in the area occupied by the GEMMA.
Due to a fatal mishap with radio communication, neither the GEMMA, nor the TRICHECO were informed of each other’s movements. In addition, a message in cipher dated the 6th in which Leros, via SUPERMARINA, ordered the GEMMA to immediately return to base, was never transmitted by the central operating office.
Around 1:15 on the 8th, the TRICHECO sighted a profile of a submarine and, unaware of the presence of an Italian boat in that area, and assuming that such a presence would have been signaled, believed it was an enemy submarine. This situation, with the equipment available at the time, did not leave time to attempt recognition: only the submarine that fires fist survives.
Thus, around 1:21, the TRICHECO launched two torpedoes. The distance was close:
impossible to miss the target. The GEMMA, hit mid ship sank immediately in
position 35 30’N, 27 18’E, three miles for 078 off Kero Panagia,
not too distant from the City of Scarpanto. No one survived.
The opposite could have taken place if the GEMMA had sighted the other submarine first. These are accidents that, unfortunately, take place in all war and all Navies.
Anyway, such danger for the Italian Navy was very limited. As a matter of fact, Italian naval doctrine was based on the concept of “ambush war” and each boat was assigned a small square of sea from which it was absolutely not allowed to trespass, remaining in waiting for enemy ships. This tactic, inherited from the experience of WW I, proved unsuccessful.
The Germans, on the other hand, since the beginning adopted a method, which we could describe as “guerre de corse”: the area assigned to each boat was relatively large and they would pursue ships. After a sighting, all the boats within reach were called to concentrate on the target (often a convoy), forming a “wolf pack”. Operating in this way, the risk of friendly fire was high, but the Germans kept it into consideration.
The 44 crewmembers lost with the GEMMA were:
- C.C. Guido CORDERO di MONTEZEMOLO, Comandante (CO)
- S.T.V. Oscar CULOTTA, Ufficiale in 2ª (XO)
- Ten.GN Luigi VADO (o VADA), Direttore di Macchina (CE)
- G.M. Giuseppe FERRO
- G.M. Liborio SAVARESE
- C°2ª Giuseppe SOMMELLA
- C°3ª Francesco SCELZO
- 2°C° Cesare GHINAMO
- 2°C° Fabio LUISI
- 2°C° Achille OPULENTE
- 2°C° Aroldo PIERATTINI
- 2°C° Antonio SCALCO
- 2°C° Alfredo TITONEL
- Sgt. Danilo BENEDET
- Sgt. Vittorio BRAGONI
- Sgt. Guerino COSTANTINI
- Sgt. Giacomo ROSSI
- Sc. Giuseppe CATINO
- Sc. Aniello COZZOLINO
- Sc. Felice DEIDDA
- Sc. Bruno GIORDANI
- Sc. Pasquale MEOLA
- Sc. Angelo MONZO
- Sc. Gaetano RUBERA
- Sc. Egidio TRANFA
- Sc. Pasquale VACCARI
- Com. Bruno ALAMPI
- Com. Pietro CAMURRI
- Com. Stelio COACCI
- Com. Giuseppe DE SALVO
- Com. Fabio FISSI
- Com. Luigi GATTABUGI
- Com. Antonino GIUSTOLISI
- Com. Bruno GRAZIANO
- Com. Salvatore IACOMINO
- Com. Giuseppe INFANTINO
- Com. Francesco MALASPINA
- Com. Narciso MARANGON
- Com. Pietro MOLOGNI
- Com. Vittorio PASQUINI
- Com. Damiano PELUSO
- Com. Oreste RAVECCA
- Com. Stefano ROMEO
- Com. Fortunato VERMA
Honour to Them !
