Daily Event for September 12, 2010

The Italian capitulation during World War 2 came on Sept. 8, 1943 and the Italian navy had been given orders to surrender their ships, but first they had to get out of Italy before the Germans captured them. The majority of the surface fleet sailed on Sept. 8 for the designated ports in North Africa and Malta, submarines at sea had to be contacted via radio and make to the port they were assigned to, they were also given instructions on what flag to fly and what recognition signals to make should they come under attack.

Topazio was one of the submarines at sea when the armistice was signed and she was ordered to Algeria, but she never arrived and to this day nobody knows what happened to her. The best evidence is that she was attacked and sunk by an RAF bomber on September 12, 1943 thirty or so miles southwest of Sardinia, but the bomber crew could not identify what boat they had attacked and since there were no survivors we can only assume that this attack caused the loss of Topazio. The submarine was supposed to be flying not only the Italian flag, but a black flag was to be flown from her periscope, the pilot of the attacking plane later stated that he saw no such flag. He also stated that he saw several crewmen abandon the boat, but none were ever found.
© 2010 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com



Roll of Remembrance
In memoria dei caduti equipaggio del sommergibile Topazio
"In memory of the fallen crewmen of submarine Topazio"

Name
Rate
Alberti, Sante
Comnue
Apostolico, Carmine
Sergente
Barra, Carmine
Sottocapo
Batazzi, Nicola
Guardiamarina
Battistini, Eugenio
Comnue
Bordoni, Wilson
Sergente
Boreanaz, Attilio
Comnue
Buha, Miro
Comnue
Cafagno, Andrea
Sergente
Casarini, Pier V.
Tenente di vascello
Commanding Officer
Catalano, Ignazio
Capo di Seconda Classe
Cesaria, Giuseppe
Comnue
Ciccarelli, Ludovico
Capo di Seconda Classe
Cipriani, Bruno
Tenente di vascello
Cosentino, Giuseppe
Comnue
Dalto, Bruno
Capo di Seconda Classe
Feruglio, Bruno
Comnue
Galdi, Gennaro
Sottocapo
Gambacurta, Emilio
Comnue
Gambarana, Giuseppe
Comnue
Gemellaro, Pietro
Tenente di vascello (E)
Giammanco, Marco
Sergente
Gioia, Vincenzo
Comnue
Guiducci, Pietro
Sottocapo
Lagomarsino, Aldo
Comnue
Lauro, Alberto
Cadetto
Laverso, Francesco
Capo di Seconda Classe
Lazzarini, Manrico
Comnue
Mamini, Eugenio
Sottocapo
Marino, Tommaso
Capo di Seconda Classe
Mascakdi, Aldo
Sottotenente di vascello
Milone, Gaetano
Comnue
Nicolai, Aldo
Capo di Prima Classe
Novellino, Luigi
Comnue
Parmeggiani, Fausto
Sergente
Piva, Giordano
Sottocapo
Quaglieri, Quirino
Sottocapo
Raffaele, Bartolomeo
Comnue
Romani, Rino
Comnue
Salzillo, Silvio
Sergente
Sblendorio, Giovanni
Comnue
Sgroi, Grazio
Comnue
Stefanelli, Umberto
Sergente
Stucci, Vito
Comnue
Tedesco, Bartolomeo
Comnue
Toniutti, Giacomo
Sottocapo
Tucci, Antonio
Comnue
Usai, Antonio
Sottocapo
Viola, Pietro
Capo di Seconda Classe


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