Regia Torpediniera ALTAIR (AT)

Italian Torpedo Boat ALTAIR (AT)

On the 15th of October 2015 Grafas Diving Team in collaboration with Giannis Mitilinaios and Dimitris Smirniotis, dived a wreck SouthWest of Patroklos islet, which was afterwards identified as the torpedo boat “Altair” (AT), brother ship of the same class ALDEBARAN (AL), which also sunk in the Saronic Gulf and found by the same team on February 2014. The depth of 144 meters and the short bottom time did not, at first allow for a certain identification of the ship. In 2019, four years later and after serious documentation the wreck was finally confirmed to be the Italian Navy torpedo ship ALTAIR, which was lost at 02.47 on the 20th of October 1941, southwest of Patroklos islet. After the confirmation that the ship was ALTAIR, follows the completion of the research on the Italian torpedo ships that where lost by warfare activities, in Saronic Gulf during the Second World War. That circle was opened when CURTATONE was found, ALDEBARAN which followed and completed with ALTAIR.

Construction and Technical Specifications

The Italian Royal torpedo boat ALTAIR (RegiaTorpediniera ALTAIR) was a SPICA class, PERSEO type and was identical with the rest of the seven torpedo boats of the same class[1]. All those torpedo boats had been named by names of constellations, like ALTAIR, which is the brightest star of the Eagle constellation (Aquila in latin). ALTAIR’s construction was initiated in Cantiere Ansaldo shipyard, in Sestri Ponente Genova Italy; on the 2th of October 1935 along with her sister ship ALDEBARAN (AL). She was launched on the 26th of July 1936 and was completed on the 23rd of December same year.
Operational action 1937-1941

Just after her completion and her first operational tests in the Tyrrhenian Sea, under the supervision of her builder, she was sent to the Italy occupied Dodecanese where she joined the Italian Naval Force of the Aegean Islands (CommandodelleIsoleitalianedell/ Egeo) where she stayed until the summer of 1937. In 1938 she become the leader of 12th Torpedo Boar squadron (XIISquadrigliaTorpediniere) of Regia Marina Italiana, based in La Maddalena of Sardinia. At first, since June 1940 she was used as a training boat, based in Augusta Siceli. Two days after Italy joined the Second World war, on the 8th of June 1940, ALTAIR participated in the protection of the coastal cities of Liguria by the bombardment that the French Navy initiated. From August to November, same year she participated as a protection element against mine setting and enemy convoys. From 31st of October till 1st of November 1940, ALTAIR, along with ALDEBARAN, ANDROMEDA and ANTARES participated in the Special Naval Forces (Forze Navali Speciali) of RegiaMarina, with the objective to prepare the ground for the already programmed invasion in Corfu, Greece.......................................