Italian submarine Iride
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| Iride |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Commissioned: | 30 July 1936 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 22 August 1940 |
| Stricken: | |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 622 tons surfaced 852 tons submerged |
| Length: | 60.18 m |
| Beam: | 6.34 m |
| Draft: | 4.6 m |
| Speed: | 14 knots surfaced 7.5 knots submerged |
| Complement: | 45 |
| Armament: | 6 x 21 inch torpedo tubes |
Italian submarine Iride was an Italian 600-Serie Perla class submarine, serving with the Regia Marina during World War II.
Iride was laid down on 3 September 1935 in the Odero-Terni-Orlando Navy Yard, Muggiani (La Spezia), and was completed on 30 July 1936, being delivered to the Regia Marina on 6 November that year.
She was originally armed with six 21 inch torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 3.9 inch deck gun and room for up to four 13.2 mm machine guns. During the course of the war, Iride was converted to carry human torpedoes, which were carried in cylinders mounted on her deck.
On 22 August 1940, in preparation for a human torpedo attack on the port of Alexandria, Egypt, Iride was performing a test in the Gulf of Bomba (Cyrenaica) with four human torpedoes of the Calipso with the support of the Monte Gargano, when a Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber of the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle hit the submarine in shallow waters. Five marines were helped by the crew of the Swordfish, the others died in the sinking.
There were three Swordfish pilots who attacked the Bay of Cyrenaica (Bomba) in this raid. They approached at sea level after a flight of several hours. They caught the Italian submarine Iride offshore together with a depot ship (Monte Gargano) (?) a submarine and a destroyer at anchor.
The leader, Captain Ollie Patch, Royal Marines, sank the Iride, while John Welham, with his observer, Petty Officer "Swampy" Marsh, and Lieutenant "Cheese" Cheesman attacked the others. The action resulted in the sinking of four ships with three torpedoes.
John Welham, low on fuel and wounded, returned to his desert base and was awarded the DSC.
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