Forum PAGES 14-18

On 25 May, 1915, nine (sic: ten) French trawlers of relatively recent (and mostly British) construction were transferred by France to the Regia Marina. This was just one day after Italy's entry into the war, so it is a fair assumption that it was something done to facilitate that event, Italy's ranging herself alongside the Intesa.

The boats were at first chartered or loaned to Italy by the Marine Nationale, which had requisitioned them (mostly at La Rochelle) for the express purpose of the Italian transfer; two years later, in 1917, they were stricken by the French Navy and sold outright to Italy.
This is also demonstrated by the fact that at first most of them in the Regia Marina took over names which were a simple (temporary) Italicisation of their French ones, and only after their purchase they changed them.


Let's now have a look at the list:

ANTIOCHE, Smith's Dock Co. Ltd, North Shields, no. 766, 1905, 249 grt, owner M.lle Astle (O. Dahl), La Rochelle, reqn French Navy 25.5.1915, to Italian Navy same day, in service 1.7.1915 as the vedette boat/tug ANTIOCHIA then NEMBO. Stricken by the MN 25.4.1917. On 9.9.1924 renamed CAMOGLI, sunk on 10. or 30.10.1943 by German air attack near Patmos, Aegean Sea. Raised post-war, NINA in 8.1951, CHRYSANTHI II then CHRYSANTI then MARIA K. in Greek service until 3.1970.


BAYARD, Mackie & Thomson Ltd, Glasgow, no. 383, 1908, 231 grt, owner Les Pécheries Rochelaises (A. Chargrasse), La Rochelle, reqn French Navy 19.5.1915, 25.5.1915 Regia Marina, in temporary RM service 1.7.1915 as the vedette/tug BAIARDO, 24.4.1918 stricken from the MN, 20.8.1918 renamed VALOROSO, sunk 5.6.1941 by HMS TAKU in the Syrtis Gulf.

DAUPHIN ex RUBY (H144), Mackie & Thomson Ltd, Glasgow, no. 28, 1891, 149 grt, owner Ch. E.P.B. Pupin, Arcachon, reqn Marine Nationale as DAUPHIN II on 18.4.1915 at Arcachon, Flotille de l'Atlantique, Verdon, 1.7.1915 in service with the Regia Marina as the vedette/tug DELFINO II, stricken from the MN 14.4.1917 and sold to Italy, 1917 renamed TUONO by the RM, stricken (condemned) 8.1. or 10.6.1920, 10. or 21.6.1920 to the Opera Nazionale Combattenti (the Veterans Support Organisation) at Naples, renamed FIUME, lost in 1923.

GERMAINE F, de la Brosse et Fouché, Prairie-au-Duc/Nantes, 1907, 224 grt, owner A. Fimbel, La Rochelle, reqn. French Navy 27.5.1915 as GERMAINE, 27.5.1915 to the Regia Marina, 1.6. or 1.7.1915 in service at Taranto as the vedette/tug GERMANA, 1.7.1917 renamed SCOLTA, stricken by the MN 27.1.1918, decommissioned 15.2.1919, 6.1921 to the Servizio Navigazione di Stato as a passenger vessel until 3.1926, stricken by the RM 1.2. or 1.3.1929.

GREBE ex LILY (FD 192), Earle's Co. Ltd, Hull, no. 431, 1898, 181 grt, owner S.té Immobilière du Moulleau et des Pécheries de l'Océan (M. Camproger), , Arcachon, reqn 6.8.1915 at Arcachon as GREBE II, to the Regia Marina 9.1915 as PINGUINO to 17.7.1919, derequisitioned by the MN 30.8.1919, later Italian mercantile GLORIA, requisitioned again in WWII.

MARTHE, Hall Russell & Co. Ltd, Aberdeen, no. 523, 1913, 262 grt, owner A. Cordebart, La Rochelle, reqn French Navy 26.5.1915, 26.5.1915 to the Regia Marina as the vedette/tug MARTA, in service 1.7.1915, 1.10.1915 to 27.5.1919 at Taranto, stricken Marine Nationale 25.3.1919, stricken Regia Marina 17.7.1919 and returned to France, by 1926 renamed PINGOUIN for the SA Chalutiers de la Rochelle, scrapped 1938/39


MAUMUSSON, Smith's Dock Co. Ltd, North Shields, no. 769, 1905, 249 grt, owner M.lle Astle (O. Dahl), La Rochelle, 20.5.1915 reqn Marine Nationale, 25.5.1915 to the Regia Marina as the vedette/tug MONSONE (i), in service 1.7.1915, sunk 25.2.1916 off Durazzo on a mine laid by UC 12 when still on loan: that's why the boat is included in the loss lists of both the RM and the MN

PELICAN II, Mackie & Thomson Ltd, Glasgow, no. 394, 1910, 264 grt, owner A. Brière, La Rochelle, reqn MN 28.7.1915, to the Regia Marina 25.5.1915 or 2.1916 as the vedette/tug PELLICANO then PELLICANO II (10.8.1916), on 1.4.1917 renamed GORGO, 12.4.1917 stricken by the MN and sold to Italy, in 1921 renamed GENERALE ARIMONDI, stricken 25.9.1934

PETREL, J. Duthie Torry SB Co., Aberdeen, no. 370, 1912, 265 grt, owner S.té de Pecheries Maritimes "Les Damiers", Nantes, reqn MN at Le Havre as PETREL III 15.5.1915, 1.7.1915 in service Regia Marina as the vedette/tug FALCO then FALCO II (3.1.1917) then ABISSO (31.1.1917). 25.1.1917 derequisitioned by the MN and sold to Italy. On 21.7.1921 renamed RICCARDO GRAZIOLI LANTE as a lighthouse vessel, sunk 24.8.1941 by air attack off Marsa el Awegia, Lybia

THAIS, J. Duthie Torry SB Co., Aberdeen, no. 351, 1911, 242 grt, owner Georges Chauvet, La Rochelle, reqn MN 18.5.1915, delivered to the Regia Marina at Taranto 20.6.1915, in temporary Regia Marina service 1.7.1915 as the vedette/tug TAIDE then RONDINE, 14.4.1917 sold to Italy, 12.5.1917 derequisitioned by the MN. Stricken 15.7.1923 by the Regia Marina and sold as a fishing vessel: RONDINE then GIOVANNA then TAURINIA then AXUM, sunk at Bardia (Lybia) by air attack 6.7.1940

Finally, there is a small French harbour tug (or Sète fishing vessel) named ESPRESS N°1 of 1892, 84 t displacement, acquired by the RM on 1.3.1916, in service as OGLIASTRA 22.3.1916 and stricken 10.5.1920, of which I lack any other information.

A photo of ABISSO ex PETREL from the Marcello Risolo collection

From further research conducted on original Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare archival documents, the chalutiers chartered to Italy in May-July 1915 were 10 (as seemed logical) and not 9.
- ANTIOCHE renamed ANTIOCHIA then NEMBO
- BAYARD renamed BAIARDO
- DAUPHIN II renamed DELFINO
- GERMAINE renamed GERMANA then SCOLTA
- GREBE renamed PINGUINO
- MARTHE renamed MARTA
- MAUMUSSON renamed MONSONE I, lost
- PELICAN II renamed PELLICANO then PELLICANO II then GORGO
- PETREL III renamed FALCO then FALCO II then ABISSO
- THAIS renamed TAIDE then RONDINE

The tenth chalutier, GREBE, was probably GREBE II, requisitioned 6.8.1915 at Arcachon, in Regia Marina service 2.1916 to 17.7.1919, derequisitioned by the MN 30.8.1919.

I found at the Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare the original document, dated 11 May 1915 (13 days before the Italian entry into the war), in which vice-amiral E. de Jonquières, Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, accepts the Italian request for minesweeping chalutiers, promising 19 chalutiers in all. Only 10 however were actually delivered, since the Italian naval Chief of Staff admiral Thaon de Revel later had second thoughts, doubting the compatibility of their draught with the the low waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Very interesting work Francesco, thank you.
Concerning ANTIOCHE

ANTIOCHE, Smith's Dock no. 766, 1905, 249 grt, owner O. Dahl, La Rochelle, reqn French Navy 25.5.1915, to Italian Navy same day, in service 1.7.1915 as the vedette boat/tug ANTIOCHIA then NEMBO. Stricken by the MN 25.4.1917. On 9.9.1924 renamed CAMOGLI, sunk on 10. or 30.10.1943 by German air attack near Patmos, Aegean Sea. Raised post-war, NINA in 8.1951, CHRYSANTHI II then CHRYSANTI then MARIA K. in Greek service until 3.1970.

I upload a postwar photo of the ship when she operated as the motorship NINA

source www.nafpigika.gr/files/appendix3d-3.pdf

Her Greek story officially starts in August 1951 when she was sold by the municipality of Patmos to M.Tzonis and refitted as the cargo motorship NINA.
She was renamed CHRYSANTI in July 1955 and MARIA K. in June 1968. In March 1970 she was sold to foreign buyers and deleted. If anyone finds her final fate please let the rest of us know.

Erratum: OGLIASTRA was not a harbour tug, she was the small passenger steamer EXPRESS I, ex Dutch HEERENVEEN, 344 grt & 213 nrt, built 1901 by J.& K. Smit at Krimpen an der Lek, owners P. de Vauréal & F. de Chevigné, Paris, porte d'armement Constantinople.

Some good pictures of the Italian chalutiers. All of them come from the Giorgio Spazzapan collection.
CAMOGLI ex NEMBO ex ANTIOCHIA ex ANTIOCHE
GERMANA ex GERMAINE
RICCARDO GRAZIOLI LANTE ex ABISSO ex FALCO II ex FALCO ex PETREL
NEMBO ex ANTIOCHIA ex ANTIOCHE
VALOROSO ex BAIARDO ex BAYARD

GORGO ex PELLICANO II ex PELICAN II
Photo by Guido Alfano, from naviearmatori

Erratum: OGLIASTRA was not a harbour tug, she was the small passenger steamer EXPRESS I, ex Dutch HEERENVEEN, 344 grt & 213 nrt, built 1901 by J.& K. Smit at Krimpen an der Lek, owners P. de Vauréal & F. de Chevigné, Paris, porte d'armement Constantinople.

Hello Francesco. EXPRESS I (ex-HEERENVEEN, built 1900) was sold in 1920 to 1920 to H.O. Paterson, İzmir and renamed CLEO. Again she was sold in 1931 to S.Victoros, Greece and renamed CLEO V and in 1937 to A.Togias and renamed MOSCANTHI. She was used in 1940-41 as a hospital ship until sunk on 25.4.41 by German air attack in shallow water near Patras.
I was not aware that she served in the RM as OGLIASTRA.

There some photos of HEERENVEEN at: http://www.maritiemdigitaal.nl/index.cf ... =101075876

Des photos en plus ou en meilleur resolution:
http://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de ... _value=338