''Brin'' was a built for and operated by Italy's ''
Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the Italian constitutional referendum, 1946, birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' ch ...
'' during World War II.
History
When Italy declared war in June 1940, ''Brin'' was the sole vessel in the 42nd Squadron of the Italian submarine fleet.
At the end of 1940, ''Brin'', captained by Luigi Longanesi-Cattani, became one of several Italian submarines that operated in the Atlantic, based in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
(
BETASOM
BETASOM (an Italian language acronym of ''Bordeaux Sommergibile'' or ''Sommergibili'') was a submarine base established at Bordeaux, France by the Italian '' Regia Marina Italiana'' during World War II. From this base, Italian submarines participa ...
) under German command. In the early hours of 18 December 1940 she was attacked by the British submarine with torpedoes and gunfire in the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
, about east of the
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
estuary. ''Brin'' was undamaged and escaped.
On 13 June 1941 she made three torpedo attacks on convoy SL75, succeeding in sinking two ships, the Greek ''Eirini Kyriakides'' (3,781 tons) and the British ''Djurdjura'' (3,460 tons).
She performed five patrols from Bordeaux, sinking over 7,200 tons of allied shipping.
In August 1942 ''Brin'' contributed to the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
opposition to the
''Pedestal'' convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
. During the action she brought down an
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East ...
flying boat. While in the Mediterranean, she performed 17 patrols.
At the
Italian armistice
The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II.
It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brigad ...
, ''Brin'' was part of the Italian Fleet that surrendered to the Allies in 1943. She was subsequently used on training operations in the Indian Ocean for the remainder of the war.
Notes
References
* Bagnasco, Erminio (1977) ''Submarines of World War Two'', Cassell & Co, London.
*
External links
Brin (1938)Marina Militare website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brin
Brin-class submarines
Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto
Ships built in Taranto
1938 ships
World War II submarines of Italy