411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

D uring World War 2, Italian underwater saboteurs proved themselves to be masters of the rebreather, after Italy entered the war alongside Germany on the 10th June 1940. The Italian frogman saboteur operations were carried out on a small scale at first but their attacks produced spectacular results. The divers rode astride a tiny human submarine or chariot, known as a Maiale (‘pig’ - because of its poor handling) carrying a modified detachable explosive warhead. The saboteurs entered British defenses in Alexandria Harbour and sank three British warships with their time delayed torpedoes. Two of the ships put out of action were the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, which initially altered the balance of sea power in the Mediterranean in favor of the enemy. The frogmen used Italian Masters of the Rebreather in WW2

the military Pirelli 901 model rebreather diving apparatus, with two non-magnetic cylinders, which allowed a long range by decanting and the ability to approach magnetic mines without setting them off. The British fortress of Gibraltar was the next ‘cat and mouse’ target for the Italians. The Italian tanker OLTERRA was in the Bay of Algeciras in neutral Spain (opposite Gibraltar) waiting to unload when the Italians joined the war. A coded message quickly arrived from Italy to say that the captain must scuttle his ship. This was done.

Shortly after, following the diver’s Alexandria success, the Italian frogmen unit known as Decima Flottila Mezzi

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DIVE LOG Australasia #411 - April‘25

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