Comandante Faà di Bruno file photo [32470]

Comandante Faà di Bruno

CountryItaly
Ship ClassMarcello-class Submarine
Hull NumberFB
BuilderOdero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano, Liguria, Italy
Laid Down28 Apr 1938
Launched18 Jun 1939
Commissioned23 Oct 1939
Sunk6 Nov 1940
Displacement1,043 tons standard; 1,290 tons submerged
Length240 feet
Beam24 feet
Draft17 feet
MachineryTwo diesel engines (3,600bhp), two electric motors (1,100hp)
Speed19 knots
Range7,500nm at 19 knots surfaced, 120nm at 3 knots submerged
Crew58
Armament4x533mm bow torpedo tubes, 4x533mm stern torpedo tubes, 2x100mm/47 guns, 4x13.2mm machine guns
Submerged Speed8 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseItalian submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno was commissioned into service in Oct 1939. She embarked on two war patrols in the Mediterranean Sea, one war patrol that spanned the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and one patrol in the Atlantic Ocean, scoring no confirmed sinkings. During her fourth and final war patrol, she disappeared some time in early Nov 1940, and her commanding officer Aldo Enrici, six other officers, and 48 sailors were never seen again. She might have been pursuing Allied Convoy HX 84 when she was sighted, attacked, and sunk by Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottowa and British destroyer HMS Harvester in the afternoon of 6 Nov 1940 in the Atlantic Ocean.

ww2dbaseSources:
uboat.net
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jun 2023

Submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno (FB) Interactive Map

Comandante Faà di Bruno Operational Timeline

28 Apr 1938 The keel of Comandante Faà di Bruno was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando in Muggiano, Liguria, Italy.
18 Jun 1939 Comandante Faà di Bruno was launched by Odero-Terni-Orlando in Muggiano, Liguria, Italy.
23 Oct 1939 Comandante Faà di Bruno was commissioned into service with Aldo Enrici in command.
5 Jun 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 0420 hours, starting her first war patrol.
13 Jun 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno was attacked with 18 depth charges by an unidentified vessel in the Mediterranean Sea; the Italian submarine was able to escape.
16 Jun 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno experienced a fuel leak while on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea; the commanding officer decided to return to base.
20 Jun 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno arrived at La Spezia, Italy at 1845 hours, ending her first war patrol.
6 Jul 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 0855 hours for exercises, returning at 1210 hours.
9 Jul 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 0656 hours for exercises, returning at 1300 hours.
11 Jul 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 2200 hours, starting her second war patrol.
26 Jul 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno arrived at La Spezia, Italy at 0950 hours, ending her second war patrol.
14 Aug 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 0830 hours for exercises, returning at 1645 hours.
16 Aug 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 1325 hours for exercises, returning at 1838 hours.
21 Aug 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 1400 hours for exercises, returning at 1645 hours.
28 Aug 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed La Spezia, Italy at 0358 hours, starting her third war patrol.
8 Sep 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted a dark shadow on the starboard bow in the Mediterranean Sea shortly after midnight. At 0050 hours, the Italian submarine fired one torpedo from a bow tube, and a hit was heard after 3 minutes, but the hit could not be confirmed.
9 Sep 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted British tanker Auris on the horizon in the Mediterranean Sea. After closing in and unsure of the ship's identity, the Italian submarine fired a warning shot at 1126 hours, and the tanker responded with a gunshot while turning to escape. The submarine began firing on the tanker, but rough seas led to inaccurate gunnery. Auris would be able to escape successfully.
12 Sep 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted a ship on the horizon in the Mediterranean Sea at 0700 hours. The Italian submarine submerged at 0705 hours and attempted to gain an attack position, at 0840 hours she would surface again as she failed to close in. At 0918 hours, she submerged, but again failed to gain an attack position. She would eventually give up the target.
15 Sep 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted a ship in the Mediterranean Sea on the horizon at 0807 hours. She later recognized the ship as Portuguese, and the pursuit was abandoned.
19 Sep 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno sighted a freighter in the Mediterranean Sea on the horizon at 1720 hours. At 2045 hours, the Italian submarine fired a torpedo, and it missed. At 2053 hours, a second torpedo was fired, and scored a hit 2 minutes and 15 seconds later. The damaged target vessel would be able to escape from the submarine.
4 Oct 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno arrived at Pauillac, Aquitaine, France, ending her third war patrol.
5 Oct 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed Pauillac, Aquitaine, France in the morning and arrived at Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France at 1300 hours.
31 Oct 1940 Comandante Faà di Bruno departed Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France at 2000 hours, starting her fourth war patrol. She was escorted out of the port by German minesweepers M9 and M21.
6 Nov 1940 British freighter Melrose Abbey II of Allied Convoy HX 84 was pursued by a hostile submarine in the Atlantic Ocean starting around 0842 hours. At 1130 hours, British sloop HMS Deptford made ASDIC contact with a target and attacked it with depth charges; Canadian destroyers HMCS Skeena and HMCS St. Laurent later joined in; the target was not destroyed. At 1216 hours, Melrose Abbey II reported being pursued by a hostile submarine once again. At 1517 hours, Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottowa and British destroyer HMS Harvester hunted for the submarine, dropping a total of 88 depth charges through the night. The hostile submarine had not been identified, and it could have been Italian submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno, and the degree to which this hostile submarine was damaged was not known.
8 Nov 1940 At 1030 hours, the Italian submarine commanders at Bordeaux, France requested Italian submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno to provide her position, but the submarine failed to answer. At 2100 hours, the request was sent again, and there was still no reply.




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