Michele Bianchi was a Marconi-class submarine of the Italian Regia Marina that saw action in the Second World War. The submarine, (pennant number BH), was launched on 3 December 1939.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Italy | |
| Name | Michele Bianchi |
| Builder | CRDA (Monfalcone, Italy) |
| Launched | 3 December 1939 |
| Fate | Sunk on 5 July 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Marconi-class submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 76.5 m (251 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 6.81 m (22 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 57 |
| Armament |
|
Her first war patrol was in the Mediterranean Sea from 15 August to 3 September 1940. Michele Bianchi sailed on 27 October 1940 and reached the Strait of Gibraltar on 3 November. Her attempted transit to the Atlantic was detected by Royal Navy forces, and Michele Bianchi took refuge in the neutral port of Tangier. Michele Bianchi left Tangier on 12 November and reached Bordeaux on 18 December 1940.
Michele Bianchi sank four ships on her first BETASOM patrol from Bordeaux; but the next patrol from 30 April to 30 May 1941 was unsuccessful. After sailing from Bordeaux on 4 July 1941, Michele Bianchi was torpedoed and sunk with all hands by HMS Tigris on 5 July.[1]
| Patrol | Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | 14 February 1941 | Belcrest |  United Kingdom
|
4,517 | Freighter from Convoy SC 21; no survivors |
| 4th | 15 February 1941 | Alnmoor | United Kingdom
|
6,573 | Steam merchant from Convoy SC 21; no survivors |
| 4th | 24 February 1941 | Huntingdon | United Kingdom
|
10,946 | Freighter from Convoy OB 288; no casualties |
| 4th | 27 February 1941 | Baltistan | United Kingdom
|
6,803 | Freighter; 18 survivors from a crew of 69 |
| Total: | 22,266 | ||||
References
editExternal links
edit- Michele Bianchi Marina Militare website
