Italian submarine ''Uebi Scebeli'' was an built for the

Royal Italian Navy The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' (" ...

(''Regia Marina'') during the 1930s. It was named after Shebelle River in Ethiopia.

Design and description

The ''Adua''-class submarines were essentially repeats of the preceding . They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long, had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draft of .Chesneau, pp. 309–10 For surface running, the boats were powered by two

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

s, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the ''Adua'' class had a range of at , submerged, they had a range of at .Bagnasco, p. 154 The boats were armed with six internal

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s, four in the bow and two in the stern. One reload torpedo was carried for each tube, for a total of twelve. They were also armed with one deck gun for combat on the surface. The light anti-aircraft armament consisted of one or two pairs of machine guns.

Construction and career

''Uebi Scebeli'' was built at the Tosi shipyard at

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

. She was launched on 3 October 1937 and commissioned on 21 December the same year.Chesneau, pp. 309–10 After delivery, ''Uebi Scebeli'' was assigned to 43rd Squadron based at

. In 1938 she was reassigned to

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...

but returned to Taranto by the end of 1939 and was assigned to the 46th Squadron (IV Submarine Group). On 10 June 1940, after the declaration of war, ''Uebi Scebeli'' was sent out to patrol off

Cerigotto Antikythera or Anticythera ( ) is a Greek island lying on the edge of the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Peloponnese. In antiquity the island was known as (). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Kythira isla ...

but returned to the base five days later on 15 June 1940 without encountering any traffic. On her second mission ''Uebi Scebeli'' was sent out to a defensive patrol in the

Gulf of Taranto The Gulf of Taranto ( it, Golfo di Taranto; Tarantino: ; la, Sinus Tarentinus) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy. The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the ...

. Her third and last mission started on 27 June 1940, when she left Taranto under the command of Capt. Bruno Zani, heading to her assigned area of operation, approximately 35 miles northeast of Derna. At 6:30 on 29 June 1940, while cruising surfaced on her way to the assigned area of operation, ''Uebi Scebeli'' had spotted three British destroyers , and , part of a screening "Force C" during the English operation "MA3" (protection for British convoy traffic from Malta and Greece to Egypt). ''Uebi Scebeli'' had to make a quick dive to a periscope depth, and tried to launch an attack, but it was detected by the British destroyers, and was heavily bombarded with depth charges that caused serious damage. Two other destroyers , and from "Force C" joined in. Due to sustained heavy damage, the crew had to scuttle the submarine at approximately 7:00 in the position . The crew managed to throw overboard most of the secret documents, but some of them were retrieved by the British, including a copy of the Sommergibili Italiani SM 19/S code book.Rohwer, p. 30 All crew members were rescued and captured by the British.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uebi Scebeli Adua-class submarines World War II submarines of Italy Lost submarines of Italy Maritime incidents in June 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea 1937 ships Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto Ships built in Taranto Submarines sunk by British warships