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Yugoslav submarine Mališan

From Alfawiki
Mališan (P-901)
Company typeMilitary vessel
IndustryNaval military
Founded1943
Headquarters
Zagreb
,
Croatia
ProductsMidget submarine

Mališan CB-Class Midget Submarine

Mališan (pennant number P-901) belonged to the CB-class series of midget submarines and operated within the Yugoslav Navy (Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica; JRM) between 1953 and 1957. Initially laid down in 1943 by the Caproni shipyard in Milan, she was originally designated CB-20. This vessel was commissioned by the Italian Regia Marina during World War II, intended primarily for harbour defence and anti-submarine warfare missions. However, construction remained unfinished when Italy surrendered in September 1943.

Following Italy’s armistice, German forces seized the incomplete submarine and completed her by March 1944. Her principal weaponry featured two externally mounted 450 mm torpedo tubes positioned along the hull’s sides, while her crew complement consisted of four personnel. Subsequently, she was transferred to the navy of the Italian Social Republic, a German puppet regime during the war. At the conflict’s conclusion, Yugoslav ground troops captured her at the port of Pola.

After undergoing repairs, she was commissioned into the JRM and primarily employed for training submariners and patrol boat crews in anti-submarine tactics. After a relatively short period of active service with Yugoslavia, she was entrusted to the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb in 1959, where she has since been preserved as a museum exhibit.

The submarine remained on public display for nearly five decades before an extensive restoration project commenced in 2008. This work involved collaboration between the museum, Maritime Institute, University of Zagreb, and private contractors. The refurbishment encompassed both internal and external aspects, culminating in the vessel’s reintroduction to visitors in April 2010. Notably, the restoration included returning the submarine to its original Italian paint scheme and designation, a choice that has attracted some criticism.

Design and construction

Main article: CB-class midget submarine

The Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) developed multiple types of midget submarines primarily aimed at harbour protection and anti-submarine warfare. The Mališan was one of the CB-class midget submarines, characterized by its compact design featuring a stout hull and a non-structural lateral double bottom extending along approximately two-thirds of the hull length. Inside the pressure hull, the forward section housed the control room, while the engine room was positioned aft. The lightweight outer hull incorporated the sail, which contained the conning tower and periscope, as well as two hatches—one located forward and another aft of the sail. Positioned between the sail and the rear hatch was a distress buoy equipped with a telephone. Rails were installed on the deck behind the conning tower. Among the seven ballast tanks, two served as load-bearing structures, with the remainder being non-structural. A light transverse bulkhead separated the control room from the engine room within the pressure hull; however, this partition was intended solely to reduce engine noise in the control room and was not watertight. The outer light hull tapered towards the stern behind the conning tower, featuring a straight keel to facilitate transportation via road and rail, along with two side keels that allowed the vessel to rest on the seabed while awaiting targets. Naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel noted that the steel used for the outer hull was of inferior quality and susceptible to corrosion. The submarine’s rudder and diving planes employed a semi-balanced design.[1]

Constructed in Milan by the Caproni company – —better known for aircraft manufacturing[2] – —the Mališan was laid down in 1943 under the designation CB-20,[3] intended for deployment within the Regia Marina.[4] Measuring 15 m (49 ft 3 in) in length with a 3-metre (9 ft 10 in) beam, it had a surfaced draught of 2.05–3 m (6 ft 9 in – 9 ft 10 in). The displacement was 35.4 tonnes (34.8 long tons) when surfaced and increased to 45 tonnes (44 long tons) submerged. Its maximum diving depth reached 55 m (180 ft 5 in). During wartime operations, it carried a crew of four personnel – comprising one officer and three seamen – , while peacetime operations required only two crew members. The primary armament consisted of two external 450-millimetre (17.7 in) torpedo tubes mounted on either side of the hull.[3][5] The vessel could carry only two torpedoes, with reloading necessitating external assistance because fresh torpedoes had to be inserted after removing launching cylinders located at the rear of each tube.[6] A single machine gun was installed on a tripod mount on the foredeck.[5][6] Some sources cited by Freivogel suggest that instead of torpedoes, two naval mines could be carried. Beneath the bow, a small sonar dome was fitted.[6]

The propulsion system for CB-20 included an Isotta Fraschini D 80 diesel engine producing 88.4 brake horsepower (65.9 kW) at 1,850 revolutions per minute, paired with a Marelli Motore Corrente Contina MG 754 S electric motor delivering 60 bhp (45 kW) at 1,650 rpm,[3][5] both driving a single propeller shaft.[2] The electric motor drew power from 308 batteries situated beneath the control room; these batteries were recharged by running the diesel engine while surfaced.[2] Earlier vessels in this class had been equipped with a more powerful electric motor rated at 100 bhp (75 kW), manufactured by Brown and Boveri.[6] Maximum speeds reached 7.5[convert: needs unit name] when surfaced and approximately [convert: needs a number] submerged.[5][6] On surface at full speed, its operational range was limited to about [convert: needs a number], extending to roughly [convert: needs a number] while cruising at [convert: needs a number].[7][lower-alpha 1][5] Submerged endurance at a speed of [convert: needs a number] allowed for approximately [convert: needs a number] of range.[5][6] Within Italian service, one bunk was installed for crew accommodation, with an expected endurance of two days at sea for personnel aboard.[6] The maximum underwater velocity of CB-class submarines aligned closely with that of contemporary British X-class submarines.[8]

Service history

The initial vessels of this class were dispatched to the Black Sea in mid-1942, where they achieved some success targeting submarines belonging to the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Following the armistice signed by the Kingdom of Italy with the Allies on 3 September 1943, CB-20 was approximately 60% complete when it was seized by German troops. Caproni in Milan finished the vessel by March 1944, intending it for coastal reconnaissance missions. Subsequently, the submarine was transferred to the navy of the Italian Social Republic (RSI)[9] – , a German-controlled puppet state established in northern Italy under Benito Mussolini, and served within the 1st Submarine Group Comandante Lombardo of the Decima Flottiglia MAS (Xª MAS), a unit specializing in reconnaissance and saboteur deployments. Between September and October 1944, CB-20 was moved to the naval base at Pola, where it was captured by the Yugoslav Army (JA) – , formerly known as the Yugoslav Partisans, on 2 May 1945. At that time, the crew attempted to flee, but damage from German magnetic mines near the harbor entrance forced a return to Pola. The crew surrendered alongside other Xª MAS members; however, they were subsequently executed by the JA.

The submarine was renamed Mališan – , meaning nipper or little boy in English – , and designated P-901. Repairs and refurbishment took place at the Uljanik Shipyard in Pula (formerly Pola), utilizing parts salvaged from other damaged CB-class boats. Modifications included removal of the rails aft of the conning tower, and storage of a 7.92-millimetre (0.31 in) machine gun inside the vessel for potential forward mounting. During repairs, detailed plans were drafted by the shipyard, possibly with an aim to construct additional midget submarines for the Yugoslav Navy (JRM); however, this did not materialize until the development of the Una-class submarine class in the 1980s.

In 1953, Mališan was officially commissioned into the JRM and employed as a training platform for novice submariners at Pula. It also served in exercises training patrol boat crews in anti-submarine tactics outside the Pula harbour breakwater and within the Fažana channel, situated between Istria's western coast and the Brijuni islands. Due to its diminutive size and low detectability, Mališan released air bubbles to signal its location during these drills. Occasionally, senior officers from both Yugoslav naval and army branches were given onboard tours for familiarization purposes. Notably, during an annual event reinforcing President Josip Broz Tito's personality cult—the Relay of Youth—the submarine transported a birthday message underwater across Pula Bay. It also completed one extended voyage within Yugoslav waters, traveling between Pula, Rijeka, and Zadar. Persistent maintenance challenges led to Mališan being removed from active service on 30 September 1957.

Aftermath

a colour photograph of a small submarine with light-green paint on the lower hull and deck and light-grey paint on the upper hull. The submarine is located in a large indoor space and located among other objects.
The refurbished CB-20 displayed at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in 2022

On 3 October 1959, the submarine was transferred to the Technical Museum in Zagreb, which has been known as the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum since 2015.[5] For transportation by rail, its conning tower was removed, and the final segment of its journey to Zagreb was completed on a tank transporter.[10]

CB-26, a sister ship that was scuttled in Trieste at World War II's conclusion, was initially part of the Henriquez Collection of War Material in Trieste. Restoration work on it took place between 1987 and 1995 at a facility owned by a former commander of CB-21. Today, it is housed within the "Diego de Henriquez" War Museum for Peace in Trieste.[9] However, as of 2021, the Technical Museum noted that CB-26 remained incomplete and had undergone restoration in an "inappropriate manner" (neodgovarajući način).[5] Additionally, Croatian defence and security journalist Boris Švel [hr] reported in 2013 that the interior condition of CB-26 was severely deteriorated.[11]

In 2007, facing initial signs of degradation, the Technical Museum initiated a restoration project for Mališan. The restoration commenced in 2008 with a focus on refurbishing the interior by carefully removing all detachable components from both the command section and engine room. These parts were meticulously preserved and restored, accompanied by thorough documentation detailing their condition before and after restoration. To facilitate removal of heavy equipment such as the compressor, electric motor, and other machinery exceeding 100 kilograms (220 lb), a specialized crane was custom-built and installed.[5]

Exterior restoration began in 2009, involving disassembly and refurbishment of the torpedo tubes and tail section including the propeller. The entire vessel was elevated by approximately 80 cm (31 in) and positioned on new supports to improve visitor access from the museum gallery. This modification enables visitors to descend into the submarine through an original hatch. The restoration effort represented a collaboration between the Technical Museum, the Maritime Institute, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Zagreb, along with companies Baština d.o.o. and EPO-Oroslavje. The project was overseen by Zoran Kirchhoffer, senior restorer at the Technical Museum. Exterior work also entailed reinstating the original Italian paint scheme and name rather than preserving its Yugoslav-era appearance and designation.[5] The fully renovated vessel was unveiled for public viewing on 8 April 2010.[12]

The Technical Museum unofficially maintained that restoring the submarine to its Italian appearance held "greater historical significance," asserting that its history under the original name and flag was "more reliably documented." However, after observing the exhibit in 2013, Švel challenged this rationale, pointing out that while Italy operated over twenty boats of this class, Yugoslavia possessed only one—Mališan. He also questioned why documentation supporting the Italian identity was considered more reliable. Švel suggested expanding the informational display alongside CB-20 to provide more comprehensive details about its service under Yugoslav command.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ According to data from the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, CB-20’s surfaced range at cruising speed was closer to [convert: needs a number].

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Freivogel 2021, pp. 44–45.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Freivogel 2021, p. 44.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Freivogel 2021, p. 48.
  4. ↑ Fraccaroli 1974, p. 156.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Technical Museum 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Freivogel 2021, p. 45.
  7. ↑ Freivogel 2021.
  8. ↑ Compton-Hall 2004, p. 137.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Freivogel 2021, p. 46.
  10. ↑ Freivogel 2021, p. 47.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Švel 2013.
  12. ↑ tportal.hr 7 April 2010.

Books

  • Compton-Hall, Richard. Submarines at War 1939–45. Penzance: Periscope Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1-904381-21-1.
  • De Grand, Alexander J. Italian Fascism: Its Origins & Development. 3rd ed. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8032-6622-7.
  • Delgado, James. Silent Killers: Submarines and Underwater Warfare. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2012. ISBN 978-1-84908-861-9.
  • Fraccaroli, Aldo. Italian Warships of World War II. London: Ian Allan Publishing, 1974. OCLC 834485650.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir. Warships of the Yugoslav Navy: Yugoslav Warships and their Fates 1945–1991. Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus, 2021. ISBN 978-953-366-006-6.
  • Stille, Mark. Axis Midget Submarines: 1939–45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4728-0122-7.

Web

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