In January 1941, after consulting the German Navy, the General Staff ordered the mobilization of two different kinds of submarine chasers.
One of 600 t. tonnage, to be used in open sea, mostly by day against submarines under water, the other with a tonnage of 100 t. to be used mostly by night against submarines in surfacing in the coastal waters.
So the antisubmarine patrol motorboats were born. (VAS)
In the same year's spring, the Cantieri Baglietto of Varazze designed a submarine chaser of about 68 t. This idea was clearly taken from the torpedo boat "Orjen" taken in Jugoslavia which were built on a German project. It had a tonnage of roughly 90 t., length 34 metres, width 5 metres and it could reach the speed of about 20 knots, and 26 members of the crew.
It had strong number of jet sumarine bombs, omnidirectional hydrophonic apparatus and two 450 mm. torpedo tubes. In addition in the forward part it had 6.5 mm. machine gun.
The wreck is in navigation trim and, considering its limited dimensions, the direct descent in the blue makes it totally visible already at 30 metres. Once on the deck we can begin our inspection tour towards the part of the pierced stem which sunk is in the sand. We can still see the disordered rests of the small stem gun protections and of the depth bomb now flooded, menacingly placed on the starboard side, as it had to be ready for the release. Nearby the rest of the supports for the salvage boats are clearly visible. Two proud scorpion fishes guard and protect it.
One of 600 t. tonnage, to be used in open sea, mostly by day against submarines under water, the other with a tonnage of 100 t. to be used mostly by night against submarines in surfacing in the coastal waters.
So the antisubmarine patrol motorboats were born. (VAS)
In the same year's spring, the Cantieri Baglietto of Varazze designed a submarine chaser of about 68 t. This idea was clearly taken from the torpedo boat "Orjen" taken in Jugoslavia which were built on a German project. It had a tonnage of roughly 90 t., length 34 metres, width 5 metres and it could reach the speed of about 20 knots, and 26 members of the crew.
It had strong number of jet sumarine bombs, omnidirectional hydrophonic apparatus and two 450 mm. torpedo tubes. In addition in the forward part it had 6.5 mm. machine gun.
The wreck is in navigation trim and, considering its limited dimensions, the direct descent in the blue makes it totally visible already at 30 metres. Once on the deck we can begin our inspection tour towards the part of the pierced stem which sunk is in the sand. We can still see the disordered rests of the small stem gun protections and of the depth bomb now flooded, menacingly placed on the starboard side, as it had to be ready for the release. Nearby the rest of the supports for the salvage boats are clearly visible. Two proud scorpion fishes guard and protect it.
