Re: tug SALVATORE PRIMO
Posted by:
de domenico (IP Logged)
Date: October 18, 2017 04:25AM
From Piet van Damme's tugslist:
NOMA, a yacht built by Burlee Drydock Co. at Port Richmond, N.Y., in 1902, 738 grt, for William B. Leeds of NY. In 1911 to J.J. Astor, in 1913 to Vincent Astor at NY. On 10.5.1917 to the US Navy as patrol yacht SP-131 NOMA, returned to Vincent Astor on 15.7.1919. In 1921 to Redman Wanamaker of NY, in 1925 as VEGA to Nelson B. Warden of Philadelphia, Pa.
In April 1933 to De Koophandel, Nieuw Lekkerland, on 20.7.1933 to the Nordsee Bergungsverein, Bremerhaven (an offshoot of the Burgsier Reederei und Bergungs AG of Hamburg), and converted into a rescue tug.
On 6.10.1933 as SALVATORE PRIMO to the Unione Italiana di Salvataggio a Trieste (25% Bugsier interest). Requisitioned by the Regia Marina on 28.5.1940 at Trieste.
Sunk by air attack on 25.9.1941 at Palermo, raised 29.11.1941 and repaired.
Again sunk by air torpedo on 21.6.1943 at 14.00 hrs off Capo Figari, Northern Sardinia, while en route from Gaeta. My sources (AIDMEN's Repertorio di Marina Mercantile) say that the sinking took place 25 miles by 020° from Capo Figari, and no second salvage ever took place.
Tugslist, again probably drawing from Groener, writes that it was salved by the Kriegsmarine in 1943 (a rather unlikely event, given the very limited time span available before the German withdrawal from Sardinia around 20 September 1943). In June 1944 she would have been transferred to the 22. U-JaegerFlottille for "Seeschlange". Now, as far as I know Seeschlange was a hollow landing platform bridging system, 3 of which were built at Elbing in 1940/41 and tested on the Schumkasee and at Le Havre. In 1942 earmarked for Unternehmen Herkules, the abandoned projected landing on Malta in support of the Regia Marina. In early July 1943 in use at Palau, in Northern Sardinia, by the Pionier Landungs Bataillon 771 (so this could well be the expected connection with SALVATORE PRIMO).