Platon Alexiades Posted January 12, 2023 Report Share Posted January 12, 2023 Hello, I am looking for the exact positions of the six minefields laid off Tripoli by the minelayer MONTE GARGANO on 4 and 9 June 1940 (six sections with a total of 220 mines). Thank you. Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Mattesini Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Carissimo Platon, In questi ultimi tempi non ci siamo scritti molto Mi scuso per il ritardo per cui rispondo al tuo quesito. Riguardo al posamine MONTE GARGANO, dal mio elenco non risulta siano stati posati sbarramenti minati nel mese di giugno nella zona di Tripoli. Lo ha fatto NAVE BARLETTA che il 9 Giugno 1940 ha posato 200 mine tipo Harlé: sbarramenti da 1;AN a 5 AN .Il successivo sbarramento, S 1/AS, è stato posato , sempre dal BARLETTA, 70 mine tipo Bollo, il 5 marzo 1941. Se ai bisogno di altre informazioni sono, come sempre, a tua disposizione. Cordialissimi saluti FRANCO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted January 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Caro Franco, I hope you are well. The passing of our friend Francesco De Domenico has been a great shock and a great loss to our naval community. Thank you for your answer but I think your source (is it page 41 of "Sbarramenti di Torpedini ad Ancoramento" of the USMM?) is wrong. I believe the minelayer BARLETTA was at Brindisi on 9 June 1940 and could not have laid these mines at Tripoli (check the BARLETTA file). I suspect that 1 AN to 5 AN were laid by MONTE GARGANO (which is mentioned in Marilibia Cartella 35) but I am not absolutely sure. The minefield A 1/AS laid on 5 March 1941 was actually by the minelayer BRINDISI (70 928/125 Bollo mines), on this date BARLETTA was undergoing a refit at Brindisi. Take care. Cordialmente, Platon manuele and Luiz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Mattesini Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 Caro Platon Ci sono rimasto malissimo anche io per il decesso di Francesco. Non me lo aspettavo. Per quanri riguarda gli sbarramenti minati, il mio elenco da il BARLETTA. Se ai ragione tu, evidentemente é sbagliato. Tuttavia, a pagina 34 del libro LA GUERRA DI MINE, dell'USMM, si riporta che il BARLETTA, assieme al BARI, a posato 200 mine tipo Bollo ad Harlé, come io ti ho scritto. Carissimi saluti Franco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted January 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) Caro Franco, I think you misread the book "LA GUERRA DI MINE" (1966 edition). On page 34, it is mentioned that the cruiser TARANTO with the destroyers MIRABELLO and RIBOTY laid 200 mines off Barletta and Bari (therefore in the Adriatic not off Tripoli). The mention does not refer to the minelayer BARLETTA and the light cruiser BARI but to the towns of the same name. As I mentioned before, the minelayer BARLETTA was actually located at Brindisi on 9 June 1940 and carried out her first minelaying operation when she laid a field off Bari on 13 June 1940, she was escorted by the destroyer RIBOTY. The light cruiser BARI does not appear to have been used as a minelayer. She had been based in East Africa when she sailed for home on 15 May 1938. She arrived at Taranto on 23 May 1938 and remained there (I assume for a long refit) and carried out her first sortie in 1940 when she sailed for exercises on 18 July. I am attaching one of the pages of Comando Marina Tripoli (Marilibia Cartella 35) indicating MONTE GARGANO in June 1940 laid the minefields off Tripoli. No exact position given but I suspect these were the minefields erroneously attributed to BARLETTA. Finally, I think that the minelayer BARLETTA had a very interesting history and laid many minefields as well as carrying out convoy escort duty. Anyone ever wrote an article about there? Cordialmente, Platon Edited February 1, 2023 by Platon Alexiades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Mattesini Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) Cara Platon, chiedo scusa ma il BARLETTA non era a pagina 34 ma a pagina 35. Troverai che il BARLETTA ha posato quattro sbarrameneti a Zuara, Tripoli e Bengasi (?) In tutto a posato 380 mine tipo Harlè, Bolla e Elia, E' difficile che ci siano stati errori, perché corrisponde al mio elenco. Nell'indice del libro Guerra di mine, il MONTE GARGANO non si trova. Sul BARLETTA, nell'aprile 1939, durante lo sbarco in Albania, si trovava mio padre. Era stato richiesto dal Ministero della Guerra all'Istituto Geografico Militare di Fierenza, per compilare, sulle carte geografiche, i piani di sbarco, e poiché lo sbarco venne aanticipato, mio padre fu costretto, dal generale di corpo d'armata Giovanni Messe, Comandante della spedizione,j a partire, come suo tirapiedi, e completo i piani durante la notte nel corso della navigazione del Barletta, partito da Brindisi. IL BARLETTA era la Nave Comando nello sbarco a Durazzo. Mio padre mi disse che sul BARLETTA si vedeva la vernice che ricopriva la riparazione della falla causata da una bomba di aerei Repubblicani durante la guerra di Spagna, alle Baleari, nel maggio 1937. Cari saluti Franco Edited January 30, 2023 by Francesco Mattesini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted January 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 Caro Franco, Thank you for your reply and the interesting details about your father and BARLETTA. However, books can be in error, even official histories. How can you explain the Comando Marina Tripoli document from my previous posting? In the BARLETTA file, there is no mention of a trip to Libya in June 1940. It is just stated that she was requisitioned on 12 May 1940 and was at Brindisi on 11 June 1940. Marina Taranto also lists her at Brindisi on 10 June 1940 which makes laying mines at Tripoli on the previous day rather difficult. The minelayer MONTE GARGANO file shows she was at Tripoli in June 1940 making two sorties on 6 June and one on 10 June. Perhaps one can find the original report about the Tripoli minelaying in June 1940. Cordialmente, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Mattesini Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) Caro Platon, Io non ho i documenti su questi minamenti che mi ai descritto, e pertanto, molto dispiaciuto, non posso darti nessun altra informazione, non sapendo dove trovarla. Buona giornata Franco Edited January 30, 2023 by Francesco Mattesini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platon Alexiades Posted January 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 Caro Franco, Thank you just the same. Take care and I wish you good health. Cordialmente, Platon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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