RHN PIPINOS attacks

[geosub1978]

Good morning!

Well, I am looking to find out the target of this cases:

1. At about 0600 on 13 April 1944 20nm north of Chania submarine PIPINOS tried to attack the steamers SABINE and SUZANNE but no torpedoes were fired (not recorded in ASA records as I see). The submarine identified the ships as such. Can this be cross-checked with other data that these were the ships indeed and find which the escorts were?

2. At about 2052 on 3 September 1944 PIPINOS again fired three torpedoes against a ship (200feet long - low freeboard) some 2nm north of Heraklion but the ship is no identified. Can this be correlated with any known ship movemed to or from Heraklion maybe?
It is this attack:
https://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/projekte/asa/ausgabe.php?where_value=3779

Thank you
Georgios

[TW]

Hello Georgios
Was PIPINOS repelled by escort ships, before she could attack ?
If this was the case, I would like to report the attack in ASA.
Would you be so kind as to translate the corresponding passage (only the passage of being repelled by escorts) in English ?
Best regards,
Thomas

P.S. Sorry I cannot help with escorts, as I have no access to war journals.

[geosub1978]

PIPINOS detected the convoy at night and shadowed until morning. Then dived for attack. I remember the drawing there were two ships in column on coarse 000 and an escort forward. PIPINOS approached from left and was about to fire from 1500 yards at the forward ship but then the escort turned south approaching the submarine forcing PIPINOS deep. There was no counter attack nor any indication that it was detected.

Maybe this helps?

[Darius]

Hallo zusammen,

Admirality War Diary vom 28.04.1944:

[...](2) Greek ship PIPINOS reports sinking Caique by ramming North of Suda Bay on 13th April, 1 prisoner taken. (C.in C.Med. 282144B)[...]

Hezlet:  https://www.rnsubmusfriends.org.uk/hezlet/volume1/chapter27.htm

Pipinos (Ypoploiarkhos A Rallis) left Malta on 7th April just before the troubles broke out in the Greek flotilla and went to patrol northwest of Crete. On 13th she sighted a convoy twenty miles north of Suda Bay but was unable to get within range. She sank a small caique but her patrol was otherwise uneventful and she was back in Malta by 25th.

Im Buch von Byron müsste die Reise beschrieben sein. Hat jemand Daten aus diesem Werk zur Hand?
https://www.forum-marinearchiv.de/smf/index.php?topic=18534.0




Darius

[Urs Heßling]

hi,

1. At about 0600 on 13 April 1944 20nm north of Chania submarine PIPINOS tried to attack the steamers SABINE and SUZANNE but no torpedoes were fired (not recorded in ASA records as I see). The submarine identified the ships as such. Can this be cross-checked with other data that these were the ships indeed and find which the escorts were?

Different info :
https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/7756.html

greetings, Urs

[crolick]

Im Buch von Byron müsste die Reise beschrieben sein. Hat jemand Daten aus diesem Werk zur Hand?
https://www.forum-marinearchiv.de/smf/index.php?topic=18534.0

13.04.44
04.20 in position 20 miles N of Suda Bay a convoy was sighted approaching from the southward, range 8 miles. PIPINOS dived and maneuvered to delay attacking until daylight. Unfortunately at 05.24 just after turning to a firing course at a range of 1500 m from the leading MV, an AS vessel was seen approaching from short range and PIPNOS had to go deep. This AS vessel was joined by another and both remained in the vicinity until 06.00. PIPNOS returned to periscope depth at 06.05 and identified the convoy as the MVs SALVATORE and SUZANNE escorted by one destroyer, 4 small AS vessels and two or three aircraft.
11.47 sighted the masts and shortly afterwards the body of a caique.
12.35 Greek ensign was sighted flying on the mast of the caique. Surfaced to carry out a search of the caique and gather information. When we surfaced the crew of the caique consisting of four seamen dived in the sea and boarded their dinghy which was towed by the caique. She was carrying 5000 packets of cigarettes and six tones of pulse from Piraeus to Crete.
[SY 585 TAXIARCHIS 12 GRT, + (?) sm N Akrotiri

03.09.44
20.34 smoke moving towards Cape Stavros
20.40 difficult to distinguish through the periscope
20.52 three torpedoes fired from 2000 yards in position 351° from Cape Stavors, 1.8 miles; target course 280°, submarine course 190°, no explosion heard.
Owing to unfavorable light target could not be identified and accurate estimates impossible.

[geosub1978]

I have seen the diary of the submarine and states the same things. (SALVATORE=SABINE).

The trouble is were SABINE and SUZANNE indeed?
Which was the ship on 3rd September 1944 

[crolick]

I have seen the diary of the submarine and states the same things. (SALVATORE=SABINE).

The trouble is were SABINE and SUZANNE indeed?
Which was the ship on 3rd September 1944 

Sincerely doubt if the target on September 3rd was sunk as no explosion was heard!

[geosub1978]

According to PIPINOS the target turned away at the moment the 3rd torpedo was launched.
Byron says [A German steamer sunk] but I also doubt very much!

I am just looking for the identity of that ship.

[Platon Alexiades]

Hi Giorgios,

For the 13 April 1944 sighting: these were Sabine (carrying 726 Italian PoWs) and Suzanne (carrying 301 Italian PoWs) with the tug Voltaire sailing at 0230 from Suda for Piraeus, escorted by UJ 2101, UJ 2105, UJ 2110 and UJ 2106 (but the latter returned to Suda at 0345 because of engine defects). No indication that a destroyer was part of the escort (time quoted is German time).

Best regards,

Platon

[Platon Alexiades]

For the 3 September 1944 attack:

The target was Erpel.

Platon

[geosub1978]

Platon you are magnificent!!!