Platon Alexiades Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 Hello, I am repeating a post which I commented on the warsailors forum: At 1320/10 September 1942, the Greek submarine Papanicolis (Cdr Spanidis) sighted a convoy described as an 8000 ton tanker and two escorts coming from the westward 5 miles east of Piskopi (Aegean), range was over 10,000 metres and the submarine tried to close but the convoy passed at about 4,000 metres and torpedoes were not fired.Commander Spanidis could have closed at a faster speed but was reluctant to do so as he feared his higher speed would disclose his presence to the escorts. Because of this failure he was relieved from his command.The targets were probably the freighters Arsia (I believe she was the ex Irma Calzi, 668 GRT, built 1907) [not the same Arsia as the one torpedoed by HMS Unique in 1941) and Pola escorted by the auxiliary Orsini proceeding from Piraeus to Rhodes where they arrived at 1900/10 September. The description does not match closely with that of Spanidis but he probably used his periscope very sparingly and had only a quick look. The war diaries of the Italian Northern Aegean Command (Comando Gruppo Navale Italiano Egeo Settentrionale) does not reveal any other convoy that could have been the target of the Greek submarine.By a curious coincidence there was also a schooner Arsia (175 GRT) which was damaged by bomb at Tobruk on the same day. She was present during the failed raid on Tobruk (operation AGREEMENT). She managed to reach Tripoli and then Trapani on 2 December 1942. She was at Pola at the Italian Armistice. I would be interested in more details on these two Arsia as well as the freighter Pola and the auxiliary Orsini and their subsequent fate. Many thanks.Platon sandokan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 admeto Fiumana e SAIM erano la stessa cosa: un semplice cambiamento di ragione sociale. 23/12/2013 23:17dedomenico Piroscafo POLA (da non confondere con l'omonima motonave armata del 1941), costr. da STT a Trieste come NOVI nel 1908 per la Soc. Ungaro-Croata di Nav. Maritt. a Vapore di Fiume. Nel 1923 prima alla Jadranska Plovidba DD di Susak, poi come POLA alla Costiera SANM di Fiume, aprile 1932 all'Adriatica, genn. 1937 alla Soc. Fiumana di Nav. Nel sett. 1943 riesce a lasciare in tempo Rodi per Castelrosso e poi per Cipro, dove passa sotto il controllo britannico per servizi locali. April 1946 rest. all'Italia, ott. 1947 noleggiato alla Eolia SAN, maggio 1951 LORENZO MARCELLO di nuovo per la Soc. Fiumana (di Venezia). Apr. 1952 noleggiato alla SPAN di Napoli, maggio 1953 passa alla SAIM di Ancona restando a Napoli. Demolito nel 1956. 23/12/2013 22:06 Danilo Pellegrini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Ecco le foto del piroscafo POLA e del GIORGIO ORSINI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 According to our AIDMEN database, "Repertorio di Marina Mercantile", ARSIA only took that name in 1944 (miramar ship index says as late as in 1946), her previous names having been IRMA CALZI (1940) ex NERINA (1938) ex VITTORIA BERALDO (1937) ex PAOLA VIRGINIA (6.1934) ex French LE SCORFF, 665 grt, delivered 9.1907 by Scott & Sons at Bowling to her original owner, S.té Bois et Charbons F. Le Brise, Lorient. Her owner from 1940 was Calzi S.A. di Navigaz., Trieste, while her later owner as ARSIA was Raffaele Romano, Napoli.I took pains to check, and from the USMM volume "La difesa del traffico con l'Albania, la Grecia e l'Egeo", Rome 1965, it appears that our database and miramar are both in error. As a matter of fact, IRMA CALZI was engaged under that name in a shuttle service from Bari and Brindisi to Valona and Durazzo from 8 March 1941 to 26 October 1941, then her name disappears from the list, while ARSIA appears from 10 January 1942 on the same route, extended from February to Prevesa, Corfu, Piraeus, Rhodes, Leros, Souda Bay. So the change of name and owner must have taken place between October 1941 and January 1942, after the previous ARSIA of Raffaele Romano (owner since 1938, in 1940 escort vessel F 23 for the Regia Marina, 736 grt/1900) was lost at Lampedusa on 5 June 1941.On 9.9.1942 she sails from Piraeus for Rhodes with a cargo of 638 tons of gasoline in drums under the escort of the armed steamer GIORGIO ORSINI (F110), where F stands for "pilotaggio Foraneo", or offshore escort. Her latest mention is on 25 August 1943, a Monopoli to Durazzo trip under the escort of the destroyer LUBIANA. She fell into German hands in September 1943, but in October she was recaptured by the Allies in the Adriatic Sea. and returned to the Italian government for service under Allied control.Post-war, in 1950 she became ANGELA GARRE' and in 1956 PRIMA TOMEI for Umberto Tomei at Viareggio, and in 1961 PRIMA CARMELINA for Giuseppe Looz of Monte di Procida. Wrecked on 5 December 1966 on the Porto Corsini (Ravenna) external barrier due to press of weather. (more) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted October 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Dear Francesco, You have come through as always! It clears all this up very nicely. Many thanks! All the best, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Mattesini Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Caro Platon. Nel mio brogliaccio sulle perdite e danneggiamenti di navi mercantili italiane ho trovato che il 9 settembre 1942 il motoveliero ARSIA, di 173 tsl, é stato lievemente danneggiato da bombe di aereo a Tobruk. Franco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 As regards the schooner ARSIA, all I have is that she was a goletta (ketch) with an auxiliary engine, built in 1941, 174 grt and 121 nrt, owner not known, sold in 1953 to Sante Lo Porto from Porto Empedocle and renamed ALBONA, still operating in 1961. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Fuller details on passenger steamer POLA: built 1908 by the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino at Trieste, delivered 7.1908 as NOVI to the S.A. Ungaro-Croata di Navigaz. Marittima a Vapore at Fiume, 21.6.1923 to the Jadranska Plovidba D.D. at Susak, but 8.1923 taken over as POLA by the Costiera S.A. di Navigaz. Marittima at Fiume, 254 grt, 150 nrt, triple expansion engine, one screw, 600 ihp, 14 knots, 289 deck passengers, service in the Quarnaro. 4.4.1932 to the Compagnia Adriatica di Navigaz., Venezia, 1.1.1937 to the Soc. Fiumana di Navigaz., Fiume, requisitioned 1942 for the Piraeus-Aegean Islands links. 11.9.1943 goes from Rhodes (escaping the island's surrender) to Castelorizo and then Famagusta, where she is taken under British control. Returned 4.1946. 10.1947 leased to the Eolia S.A. di Navigaz., 5.1951 renamed LORENZO MARCELLO (to avoid confusion with the modern passenger motorship POLA, on board which by the way I sailed in 1952-53) back to the Soc. Fiumana di Navigaz. but at Venezia for the Ancona-Trieste route. 4.1952 leased to the SPAN at Napoli, 5.1953 ownership switched to the SAIM of Ancona while staying at Napoli. Broken up 1956. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Details on GIORGIO ORSINI: a mixed (passenger/cargo) steamer built in 1931 by the Cantieri Navali Riuniti at Ancona, 220 grt, for the S.A. di Navigaz. Zaratina at Zara, 1932 to the Compagnia Adriatica di Navigaz., 1937 to the Soc. Fiumana di Navigaz., port of registry always Zara. Requisitioned 14 May 1940 by the Regia Marina at Fiume as the MAS support ship and offshore minesweeper F 110, fell into German hands at Piraeus on 9.9.1943, in 1948 AGHIOS NICOLAOS for I.Papazoglou, N.Kritikos & H.Messinis, Piraeus, in 1953 DODEKANISOS for S. Zikos & Co. at Rhodes, foundered off Cape Krios 23.3.1958.That's all, I think, unless someone else has more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted October 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Caro Platon. Nel mio brogliaccio sulle perdite e danneggiamenti di navi mercantili italiane ho trovato che il 9 settembre 1942 il motoveliero ARSIA, di 173 tsl, é stato lievemente danneggiato da bombe di aereo a Tobruk. FrancoCaro Franco, The schooner ARSIA was indeed damaged at Tobruk (see my first posting) on the night of 9/10 September 1942. Many thanks. Cordialmente, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted October 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Dear Francesco, Again many thanks for all these details! Sorry for the multi-postings to Franco but the "post" button did not seem to respond a couple of times, All the best, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 18, 2019 Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 Something more about GIORGIO ORSINI from Groener: 10.9.1943 in Kriegsmarine service as GA...(Griechenland, Attika Kuestenschutzflottille, Piraeus), number not known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted October 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 Thanks gain Francesco for this info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco De Domenico Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 A photo of ARSIA when still under the name NERINA at Ancona on 3 May 1939, from the Giorgio Spazzapan archives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted October 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Many thanks to Giorgio and Francesco! The photo is very interesting as one can understand how Commander Spanidis could have mistaken from a distance ARSIA to be a much larger tanker despite its relatively small size, All the best, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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