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{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
⚫ ], ].]]
{{Infobox ship image
⚫ The '''Siluro Lenta Corsa''' ("slow-running torpedo" in Italian), also known by its acronym '''SLC''' or as the "'''maiale'''" ("pig" in Italian), was a ] used as an underwater assault vehicle by the Italian ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-10 |title=Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC) - Marina Militare |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810150707/https://www.marina.difesa.it/il-tuo-futuro-e-il-mare/formazione-in-marina/formazione_specialistica/ilgoi/storia/Pagine/slc.aspx |website=web.archive.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cita web|cognome=Spezzano|nome=Michele|url=https://www.difesa.it/area-storica-html/pilloledistoria/le-forze-speciali-della-marina-militare-i-suoi-uomini-e-i-suoi-mezzi-breve-storia-di-un-glorioso-reparto/34868.html|titolo=Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto|sito=Difesa.it|accesso=26 dicembre 2024}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lauterborn |first=David |date=2021-02-15 |title=Siluro a Lenta Corsa |url=https://www.historynet.com/siluro-a-lenta-corsa/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=HistoryNet |language=en-US}}</ref> Similar in shape to a ], it was adapted to carry at low speed two operators, equipped with autonomous underwater breathing apparatus and a ] to be applied covertly to the hull of an enemy ship at mooring.
| Ship image = Maiale SLC.jpg
⚫ | Ship caption = A Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC) or "Maiale", at the Sacrario delle bandiere delle Forze Armate in Rome, Italy.
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = Siluro Lenta Corsa
| Builders = Officina Siluri San Bartolomeo di La Spezia
| Operators = {{navy|Kingdom of Italy|name=''Regia Marina''}}
| Class after = ]
| Cost =
| Built range = 1935–1943
| In service range =
| In commission range =
| Total ships completed = around 50
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship displacement = 1,8t
| Ship length = 6,77m
| Ship beam = 530 mm
| Ship draught =
| Ship power = 1 Battery (60 volts 150 ampere)
| Ship propulsion = 1,1 hp to 1,6 hp electric Motor
| Ship speed = 3 knots (max) 2,3 knots (max range)
| Ship range = 15 nautical miles
| Ship complement =
| Ship armament = 260 kg explosive charge
| Ship armour =
| Ship nickname = Maiale
| Ship honours =
| Ship notes =
}}
|}

⚫ The '''Siluro Lenta Corsa''' ("slow-running torpedo" in Italian), also known by its acronym '''SLC''' or as the "'''maiale'''" ("pig" in Italian), was a ] used as an underwater assault vehicle by the Italian ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-10 |title=Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC) - Marina Militare |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810150707/https://www.marina.difesa.it/il-tuo-futuro-e-il-mare/formazione-in-marina/formazione_specialistica/ilgoi/storia/Pagine/slc.aspx |website=web.archive.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=26 December 2024 |first=Michele |last=Spezzano |title=Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto |url=https://www.difesa.it/area-storica-html/pilloledistoria/le-forze-speciali-della-marina-militare-i-suoi-uomini-e-i-suoi-mezzi-breve-storia-di-un-glorioso-reparto/34868.html |website=Difesa.it}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-03 |title=Mezzi Storici: Siluro Lenta Corsa - Marina Militare |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003171017/https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/pilastro-operativo/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/mas/slc.aspx |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref> Similar in shape to a ], it was adapted to carry at low speed two operators, equipped with autonomous underwater breathing apparatus and a ] to be applied covertly to the hull of an enemy ship at mooring.


It was used by the ] during ] for sabotage actions against enemy ships, often anchored in heavily defended ports, such as during the 1941 ]. It was used by the ] during ] for sabotage actions against enemy ships, often anchored in heavily defended ports, such as during the 1941 ].


== History == == History ==
], the naval officer and engineer who invented the "maiale" and was awarded the ]]] ], one of the naval engineers who conceived the "''maiale''" and was awarded the ]]]
The slow-running torpedo was derived from ]'s ''Mignatta (''Italian for "leech"), used in ] to sink the Austrian battleship '']''. The nickname "''maiale''" (Italian for "pig") was adopted as a code name by Tesei to protect the secrecy of the craft. The idea was born during training, when an exasperated sailor used the term to refer to the torpedo.<ref>{{Cita web|cognome=Spezzano|nome=Michele|url=https://www.difesa.it/area-storica-html/pilloledistoria/le-forze-speciali-della-marina-militare-i-suoi-uomini-e-i-suoi-mezzi-breve-storia-di-un-glorioso-reparto/34868.html|titolo=Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto|sito=Difesa.it|accesso=26 dicembre 2024}}</ref> The slow-running torpedo was derived from ]'s ''Mignatta (''Italian for "leech"), used in ] to sink the Austrian battleship '']''. The nickname "''maiale''" (Italian for "pig") was adopted as a code name by Tesei to protect the secrecy of the craft. The idea was born during training, when an exasperated sailor used the term to refer to the torpedo.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=26 December 2024 |first=Michele |last=Spezzano |title=Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto |url=https://www.difesa.it/area-storica-html/pilloledistoria/le-forze-speciali-della-marina-militare-i-suoi-uomini-e-i-suoi-mezzi-breve-storia-di-un-glorioso-reparto/34868.html |website=Difesa.it}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
] di Milano]] ] di Milano]]
This project was conceived in 1935 by the Naval Engineer diver captains ] and Elios Toschi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museo Tecnico Navale — Turismo Provincia La Spezia<!-- Titolo generato automaticamente --> |url=http://www.turismoprovincia.laspezia.it/it/cosa-fare/arte-e-cultura/museo-navale}}</ref> Teseo Tesei later died in action with one of his ''pigs'' in ]. The first two prototypes of the SLC were tested in October 1935, in the San Bartolomeo torpedo workshops of ] in the presence of Mario Falangola who at the time directed the Submarine Inspectorate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nesi |first=Sergio |title=Decima flottiglia nostra |date= |publisher=Mursia |isbn=9788842560784 |publication-date=1986 |page=17 |language=it}}</ref> Falangola was so enthusiastic about it that he commissioned the construction of two more SLCs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greene |first=Jack |title=Il principe nero. Junio Valerio Borghese e la X Mas |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=9788804680284 |pages=20 |language=it}}</ref> In 1939 the navy department that trained in the use of the SLC was transferred to a secret base located in Bocca di Serchio, in the stretch of sea in front of the mouth of the river ]. During repeated training tests, the weapon was perfected (see ] and ]) and between 1939 and ’43 the Italian navy manufactured more than 50 SLCs.<ref name=":0" /> This project was conceived in 1935 by the Naval Engineer diver captains ] and Elios Toschi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museo Tecnico Navale — Turismo Provincia La Spezia<!-- Titolo generato automaticamente --> |url=http://www.turismoprovincia.laspezia.it/it/cosa-fare/arte-e-cultura/museo-navale}}</ref> Teseo Tesei later died in action with one of his ''pigs'' in ]. The first two prototypes of the SLC were tested in October 1935, in the San Bartolomeo torpedo workshops of ] in the presence of Mario Falangola who at the time directed the Submarine Inspectorate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nesi |first=Sergio |title=Decima flottiglia nostra |date= |publisher=Mursia |isbn=9788842560784 |publication-date=1986 |page=17 |language=it}}</ref> Falangola was so enthusiastic about it that he commissioned the construction of two more SLCs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greene |first=Jack |title=Il principe nero. Junio Valerio Borghese e la X Mas |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=9788804680284 |pages=20 |language=it}}</ref> In 1939 the navy department that trained in the use of the SLC was transferred to a secret base located in Bocca di Serchio, in the stretch of sea in front of the mouth of the river ]. During repeated training tests, the weapon was perfected (see ] and ]) and between 1939 and ’43 the Italian navy manufactured more than 50 SLCs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lauterborn |first=David |date=2021-02-15 |title=Siluro a Lenta Corsa |url=https://www.historynet.com/siluro-a-lenta-corsa/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=HistoryNet |language=en-US}}</ref>


], successor of the SLC]] ], successor of the SLC]]

Latest revision as of 21:10, 26 December 2024

A Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC) or "Maiale", at the Sacrario delle bandiere delle Forze Armate in Rome, Italy.
Class overview
NameSiluro Lenta Corsa
BuildersOfficina Siluri San Bartolomeo di La Spezia
Operators Regia Marina
Succeeded bySiluro San Bartolomeo
Built1935–1943
Completedaround 50
General characteristics
Displacement1,8t
Length6,77m
Beam530 mm
Installed power1 Battery (60 volts 150 ampere)
Propulsion1,1 hp to 1,6 hp electric Motor
Speed3 knots (max) 2,3 knots (max range)
Range15 nautical miles
Armament260 kg explosive charge

The Siluro Lenta Corsa ("slow-running torpedo" in Italian), also known by its acronym SLC or as the "maiale" ("pig" in Italian), was a human torpedo used as an underwater assault vehicle by the Italian Regia Marina. Similar in shape to a torpedo, it was adapted to carry at low speed two operators, equipped with autonomous underwater breathing apparatus and a limpet mine to be applied covertly to the hull of an enemy ship at mooring.

It was used by the Decima Flottiglia MAS during World War II for sabotage actions against enemy ships, often anchored in heavily defended ports, such as during the 1941 Raid on Alexandria.

History

Teseo Tesei, one of the naval engineers who conceived the "maiale" and was awarded the Medaglia d'Oro

The slow-running torpedo was derived from Raffaele Rossetti's Mignatta (Italian for "leech"), used in World War I to sink the Austrian battleship Viribus Unitis. The nickname "maiale" (Italian for "pig") was adopted as a code name by Tesei to protect the secrecy of the craft. The idea was born during training, when an exasperated sailor used the term to refer to the torpedo.

Modello di siluro guidato detto "maiale" esposto al Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci di Milano

This project was conceived in 1935 by the Naval Engineer diver captains Teseo Tesei and Elios Toschi. Teseo Tesei later died in action with one of his pigs in Malta. The first two prototypes of the SLC were tested in October 1935, in the San Bartolomeo torpedo workshops of La Spezia in the presence of Mario Falangola who at the time directed the Submarine Inspectorate. Falangola was so enthusiastic about it that he commissioned the construction of two more SLCs. In 1939 the navy department that trained in the use of the SLC was transferred to a secret base located in Bocca di Serchio, in the stretch of sea in front of the mouth of the river Serchio. During repeated training tests, the weapon was perfected (see Mario Giorgini and Gino Birindelli) and between 1939 and ’43 the Italian navy manufactured more than 50 SLCs.

The Siluro San Bartolomeo, successor of the SLC

On December 19, 1941 the "maiali" carried out their most famous action, the raid on Alexandria, Egypt, in which they and sank the British battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth, the tanker Sagona and the destroyer Jervis. The three SLCs had been transported close to the enemy base by the submarine Sciré inside three cylinders placed on deck. SLCs operated secretly from the oil tanker Olterra, interned in the neutral port of Algeciras, 2 miles from the Port of Gibraltar. The Italians smuggled SLCs parts and reassembled them within the Olterra before launching them from a hidden underwater hatch. They sank or damaged nine Allied cargo vessels totaling 42,000 tons. Only after Italy capitulated in September 1943 did the Allies discover Olterra’s role. The British used captured specimens of the SLC to develop their own Chariot manned torpedo. SLCs sank or damaged a total of three warships and 111,527 tons of merchant shipping. Italy developed an improved version, the SSB (Siluro San Bartolomeo) but fielded only three of them before the armistice.

  • SLC specimen displayed in Taormina. SLC specimen displayed in Taormina.
  • Display piece at the Arsenal in Taranto Display piece at the Arsenal in Taranto
  • Schematic of a Siluro Lenta Corsa Schematic of a Siluro Lenta Corsa
  • Artist depiction of an SLC attack Artist depiction of an SLC attack

References

  1. "Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC) - Marina Militare". web.archive.org. 2022-08-10.
  2. Spezzano, Michele. "Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto". Difesa.it. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  3. "Mezzi Storici: Siluro Lenta Corsa - Marina Militare". web.archive.org. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  4. Spezzano, Michele. "Le Forze Speciali della Marina militare, i suoi uomini e i suoi mezzi. Breve storia di un glorioso reparto". Difesa.it. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  5. "Museo Tecnico Navale — Turismo Provincia La Spezia".
  6. Nesi, Sergio (1986). Decima flottiglia nostra (in Italian). Mursia. p. 17. ISBN 9788842560784.
  7. Greene, Jack (2008). Il principe nero. Junio Valerio Borghese e la X Mas (in Italian). Oscar Mondadori. p. 20. ISBN 9788804680284.
  8. ^ Lauterborn, David (2021-02-15). "Siluro a Lenta Corsa". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
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