italian tankers

daveh · Post by **daveh** » 07 Jul 2003 23:42

Can any one supply details of the numbers, names. losses and frequency of Italian tanker traffic from Romania to Italy.
What routes were used on exiting theBosphorus?
Were the vessels particularly targeted by the Allies.?
I know of 2 vessels lost in the Black Sea ( see WorldWar2 .ro )but that so far is it

Thanks in advance

gabriel pagliarani · Post by **gabriel pagliarani** » 09 Jul 2003 14:54

Turkey was neutral: no tankers thru Bosphorus. The route was long Danube, as natural way. There was a pipeline oil-terminal in Trieste. Also Drava and Sava rivers were connected to the routes of Danube.

Folgore · Post by **Folgore** » 10 Jul 2003 03:43

There was some italian traffic in the Black Sea, but it was local and regarded Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Danube and occupied URSS coasts. No tankers through Bosphorus because of turkish neutrality.
There was also some italian navy activity in the Black Sea: the "Colonna Moccagatta" of the "Decima Mas" Flotilla brougth through land (Balkans) some mini subs and torpedo boats to the Black Sea, these were based and operated from Costanza in Romania, and later from Sebastopol.
folgore!

Folgore · Post by **Folgore** » 10 Jul 2003 04:22

.... and during the final days of the siege of Sebastopol from those torpedo boats navy raiders with automatic rifles and explosives landed on the sea front of the forts, sabotaged soviet boats and captured hundreds of soviet soldiers which were tring to escape from the sea... while the torpedo boats intercepted and captured boats which were fleeing from the city. During the permanence of Decima Flottiglia Mas in the Black sea a certain number of soviet tankers a troop transports were sank (both by the mini subs and the torpedo boats). During the retreat in 1943 all materials and vessels were left to Romanians. But maybe this is another topic...
Folgore!

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 10 Jul 2003 05:50

gabriel pagliarani wrote: Turkey was neutral: no tankers thru Bosphorus. The route was long Danube, as natural way. There was a pipeline oil-terminal in Trieste. Also Drava and Sava rivers were connected to the routes of Danube.

Civilian ships could pass through the straits. Romanian destroyers escorted Italian tankers on many occasions to Istanbul and from Istanbul to Constanta. The Torchello was lost because it wandered off without escort and was sunk by a Soviet sub.

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 10 Jul 2003 08:42

Here is another one for you dave.
The Italian oil tanker Arca entered the Black Sea on 7 October 1942. On 16 October it left Constanta fully loaded and it was escorted by NMS Stihi and two German MFPs to Varna and from there by Bulgarian ships to the Bosphorus. It was sunk on 26 October in the Aegean by the HMS Taku,9 miles south of Kios isle.

daveh · Post by **daveh** » 10 Jul 2003 12:53

Once again many thanks Victor

In response to gabriel pagliarani and Folgore comments re no tankers through the Bosphorus:see Victor's comments on this post and

M A Bragadin : The Italian Navy in WW2; USNI, Annapolis 1957

An Italian Navy Headquarters was also established at Constaza, Roumania,to handle Italian shipping reaching the Black Sea through the Dardenelles

p 105

The occupation of Greece saw the beginning of tanker traffic with the Black Sea, bringing fuel supplies from Roumania to Italy via the Dardenelles. Because of the Montreux Convention, however, they could be escorted only up to the entrance of the Dardanelles.

p114

There was tanker traffic through the Dardanelles.

I wonder if the sinking of the Arca was deliberate ie part of a plan to disrupt oil supplies rather than a target happening to cross the subs patrol area.

Any further information on the Italian use of tankers to Roumania and anu Allied response would be most welcome