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Archimede (1939)

1939 WORLD WAR 2

Archimedes (1939) History

The Archimedes was a diesel-electric attack submarine that served at the Regia dock in Italy during World War II. She was born in the Brin-class submarines, which included the Brin-class as the main ship of the class, as well as the Galvani, Guglielmotti and Torricelli sisters - all produced between 1938 and 1939. The Archimedes and Torricelli were secretly built to hide the submarines of the same name (Archimedes class) that were secretly handed over to the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). All Bollinger-class ships (excluding the Bollinger) were to be sunk by British and American forces before the end of the war - the Bollinger was officially surrendered in 1943 and scrapped in 1948.

Launched on March 5, 1939, Archimedes was named after the famous Greek inventor/engineer Archimedes. The ship's original home port was in Massawa, but was later moved to Bordeaux, France due to wartime circumstances.

Archimedes is a quintessential Italian design with wide beams and deep hulls, designed for deep water cruising and excellent range. The outstretched sails are located directly aft amidships and manage the collection of periscopes and communications equipment as well as the bridge. As originally planned, Archimedes was equipped with 2 x 100mm surface guns, although the second was removed some time later. The overall design is very streamlined and efficient, with four torpedo tubes in the bow and four additional tubes in the stern. This allows the crew to attack targets in front of and behind the ship without turning the entire ship around.

Power is obtained through the aforementioned diesel-electric configuration, where the diesel engine is used while cruising on the surface, while the electrical system provides power while the vessel is underwater. This forces the boat to repeatedly surface to recharge its batteries and oxygen supply as needed - this charging time is the most vulnerable part of a submarine's voyage. The powerplant provides the boat with a 3,200 hp diesel engine and a 1,200 hp electric configuration that can reach speeds of 17 knots (surface) and 8 knots (underwater) under ideal conditions. The engines drive a pair of propeller shafts mounted on the lower rear of the fuselage and feed directly into a pair of rudders.

Armament includes 8 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes with 14 airborne torpedo shells and 1 x 100mm deck gun along the rear of the conning tower. Up to 4 x 13mm heavy machine guns mounted on the sail for close combat - in Anti-air defense. The ship has 58 officers and sailors. Archimedes displaces 1,000 tons under standard load and 1,260 tons when fully loaded.

She has a barrel length of 72.5 meters, a beam of 6.7 meters, and a draft of 6.7 meters. 4.5 m

World War II began in September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Italy joined the Axis powers in June 1940, deploying its army, air force and navy in hopes of regaining its former Roman Empire glory - destined to control vital waterways in the Mediterranean and have colonies in Africa. Archimedes was entrusted to the Red Sea Fleet off the coast of Italy-controlled East Africa, making Massawa (present-day Eritrea) its home port. The Red Sea remained important to European interests, and British and Commonwealth troops waged an uphill battle to gain strategic control of East Africa in time. With their home port finally falling, Archimedes and her crew moved Axis-held Bordeaux along the western coast of France, arriving there on May 7, 1941.

She resumed patrol duties and eventually captured the Panamanian freighter Cardina in June. Tenth war patrol off the coast of Brazil on 15, 1942. A patrol that began on June 19 encountered serious technical problems with the onboard air conditioning system, poisoning the crew and killing four. This forced the Archimedes into the dock for necessary repairs, which continued until September. On October 8, 1942, as part of her 11th wartime patrol, she claimed the possession of the British warship SS Oronsay, an ocean liner converted off the coast of Liberia, killing six crew members.

Most of the surviving crew were recovered safely by HMS Brilliant within two weeks, the rest fell into the hands of Vichy French forces and were captured.

On her twelfth and final war patrol, the Archimedes will meet her unfortunate end. Pursued by U.S. Navy combined PBY Catalina airships, Archimedes was then attacked on April 15, 1943 and suffered catastrophic damagecompletely lost. An Italian sailor survived the ordeal and spent the next 29 days on a raft before being found and rescued.

During her brief wartime career, the Archimedes managed to sink 25,629 tons of Allied war materiel - although 20,000 tons of it were only sunk by the SS Oronsay.

Due to increasing casualties and civil unrest, the Italians finally surrendered to the Allies in September 1943 and declared war on their former allies Germany and Japan. During World War II, around 500,000 Italians were killed, their colonial aspirations shattered and the Italian monarchy abolished.

The dictator Benito Mussolini was arrested and killed, his body dismembered and publicly displayed. In addition, millions of dollars in reparations have been awarded to several countries, although none of their leaders have faced war crimes trials.