Luigi Durand De La Penne
Encyclopedia
Luigi Durand de la Penne (11 February 1914 – 17 January 1992) was an Italian naval diver
in Decima MAS
during World War II
. De la Penne was born in Genoa
, where he also died.
De la Penne graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934. He joined Decima MAS in 1935.
, an Italian submarine Iride, being a "human torpedo" carrier, was sunk by a torpedo released by a British Fairey "Swordfish" plane. The air attack happened during an exercise, in shallow water, when four "human torpedo" squads were around, including Teseo Tesei and Luigi Durand de la Penne. The divers were able to make an immediate rescue action. Of the 12 "Iride" crewmen who survived, two died during an unsuccessful attempt to surface, nine were retrieved alive (two of them died soon, due to wounds), and one was too shocked to leave the sunken submarine. De la Penne tried to persuade him to surface, and even gave him his own aqualung, but the seaman refused surfacing and died.
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As part of a team of divers he took part in the human torpedo
attacks on British vessels in the Mediterranean. In December 1941, he was one of a team of six (Emilio Bianchi, his second; Antonio Marceglia with Spartaco Schergat; Vincenzo Martellotta with Mario Marino) that attacked Alexandria
harbour. They used the new Italian secret torpedo S.L.C. (Siluro Lenta Corsa, also known as "maiale"), small underwater assault vehicle with a crew of two. As a result, four ships were sunk: the British
battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth
(by Marceglia and Schergat) and HMS Valiant
(by Martellotta and Marino), and the oil tanker Sagona and the destroyer
HMS Jervis. De la Penne personally placed the limpet mine
under the hull of the Valiant.
Of the three teams of frogmen, only de la Penne and Bianchi were captured before the bombs exploded. As they refused to inform the ship's captain of the mines, they were actually imprisoned in a place just above where the mine had been placed. De la Penne waited to inform Captain Morgan until just until a few minutes before the detonation in order to allow the British to evacuate the ship. However, as the two frogmen had continued to refuse to say where the mine had been placed, they were immediately imprisoned again in the same place. Few minutes later, the mine exploded and the place was filled by sea water. However, although hurt by the explosion, the two frogmen reached the deck of the Valiant just in time to see the other two mines explode under the Queen Elizabeth and Sagona-Jervis.
Although both ships settled on the sea bed, their decks were still clear of the waterline. As all six frogmen were eventually captured and both vessels appeared to be operational, the success of the attack in neutralising the British ships became known by the Italian Navy only after some days.
, de la Penne was offered the opportunity to be released from prison and fight for the Allies
. He accepted and returned to duty as a frogman
.
On 22 June 1944, he participated in a joint Italian/British operation against the Germans. A team formed of British and Italian divers was transported by the Italian destroyer
Grecale in an attack on La Spezia
harbour, at the time in German hands. They sank the cruisers Gorizia and Bolzano before they could be used to block the harbour entrance.
. He was promoted to Capitano di Fregata (Commander
) in 1950 and Capitano di Vascello (Captain
) in 1954. In 1956 he was appointed as Naval Attaché in Brazil
. He was also Deputy
of the Parliament of Italy
for the second through the sixth legislatures as an independent candidate. He retired with the rank of Ammiraglio di Squadra (Vice-Admiral).
In his honour, the Marina Militare
(Italian Navy) named its new destroyer class of 1993 as the Durand de la Penne
. Two vessels were launched: the lead ship, Luigi Durand de la Penne (D560) and Francesco Mimbelli (D561).
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
in Decima MAS
Decima Flottiglia MAS
The Decima Flottiglia MAS was an Italian commando frogman unit of the Regia Marina created during the Fascist regime.The acronym MAS also refers to various light torpedo boats used by the Regia Marina during World...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. De la Penne was born in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, where he also died.
De la Penne graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934. He joined Decima MAS in 1935.
Iride submarine crew rescue action
On 22 August 1940, in the Gulf of BombaGulf of Bomba
The Gulf of Bomba is a gulf on the coast of Libya....
, an Italian submarine Iride, being a "human torpedo" carrier, was sunk by a torpedo released by a British Fairey "Swordfish" plane. The air attack happened during an exercise, in shallow water, when four "human torpedo" squads were around, including Teseo Tesei and Luigi Durand de la Penne. The divers were able to make an immediate rescue action. Of the 12 "Iride" crewmen who survived, two died during an unsuccessful attempt to surface, nine were retrieved alive (two of them died soon, due to wounds), and one was too shocked to leave the sunken submarine. De la Penne tried to persuade him to surface, and even gave him his own aqualung, but the seaman refused surfacing and died.
Sinking of the Valiant
Human torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of rideable submarine used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic design is still in use today; they are a type of diver propulsion vehicle....
attacks on British vessels in the Mediterranean. In December 1941, he was one of a team of six (Emilio Bianchi, his second; Antonio Marceglia with Spartaco Schergat; Vincenzo Martellotta with Mario Marino) that attacked Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
harbour. They used the new Italian secret torpedo S.L.C. (Siluro Lenta Corsa, also known as "maiale"), small underwater assault vehicle with a crew of two. As a result, four ships were sunk: the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth
HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)
HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. She saw service in both World Wars...
(by Marceglia and Schergat) and HMS Valiant
HMS Valiant (1914)
HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan on 31 January 1913 and launched on 4 November 1914...
(by Martellotta and Marino), and the oil tanker Sagona and the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMS Jervis. De la Penne personally placed the limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
under the hull of the Valiant.
Of the three teams of frogmen, only de la Penne and Bianchi were captured before the bombs exploded. As they refused to inform the ship's captain of the mines, they were actually imprisoned in a place just above where the mine had been placed. De la Penne waited to inform Captain Morgan until just until a few minutes before the detonation in order to allow the British to evacuate the ship. However, as the two frogmen had continued to refuse to say where the mine had been placed, they were immediately imprisoned again in the same place. Few minutes later, the mine exploded and the place was filled by sea water. However, although hurt by the explosion, the two frogmen reached the deck of the Valiant just in time to see the other two mines explode under the Queen Elizabeth and Sagona-Jervis.
Although both ships settled on the sea bed, their decks were still clear of the waterline. As all six frogmen were eventually captured and both vessels appeared to be operational, the success of the attack in neutralising the British ships became known by the Italian Navy only after some days.
With the Allies in La Spezia
After the 8 September ArmisticeArmistice with Italy
The Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy...
, de la Penne was offered the opportunity to be released from prison and fight for the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
. He accepted and returned to duty as a frogman
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
.
On 22 June 1944, he participated in a joint Italian/British operation against the Germans. A team formed of British and Italian divers was transported by the Italian destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Grecale in an attack on La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
harbour, at the time in German hands. They sank the cruisers Gorizia and Bolzano before they could be used to block the harbour entrance.
Post-war career
After the war, de la Penne stayed in the Marina MilitareMarina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
. He was promoted to Capitano di Fregata (Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
) in 1950 and Capitano di Vascello (Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
) in 1954. In 1956 he was appointed as Naval Attaché in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He was also Deputy
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
of the Parliament of Italy
Parliament of Italy
The Parliament of Italy is the national parliament of Italy. It is a bicameral legislature with 945 elected members . The Chamber of Deputies, with 630 members is the lower house. The Senate of the Republic is the upper house and has 315 members .Since 2005, a party list electoral law is being...
for the second through the sixth legislatures as an independent candidate. He retired with the rank of Ammiraglio di Squadra (Vice-Admiral).
In his honour, the Marina Militare
Marina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
(Italian Navy) named its new destroyer class of 1993 as the Durand de la Penne
Durand de la Penne class destroyer
The Durand de la Penne class destroyers are two guided missile destroyers operated by the Marina Militare, the Italian navy. The design is an updated version of the Audace class destroyers but these ships are larger, have CODOG machinery and modern sensors...
. Two vessels were launched: the lead ship, Luigi Durand de la Penne (D560) and Francesco Mimbelli (D561).
External links
- Luigi Durand de la Penne's biography at the official site of the Italian NavyItalian NavyItalian Navy may refer to:* Pre-unitarian navies of the Italian states* Regia Marina, the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy * Italian Navy , the navy of the Italian Republic...
.