Strana 16
TWO TOWERS
taking further action. Shortly before noon
the following day, the hydrophones reported
an approaching target. Because of the dense
fog, its identity was initially unclear. It was
soon confirmed, however, that the contacts
were Greek Hydra-class destroyers: Psara
and Spetsai, returning from shelling Italian
ground forces on the Greek-Albanian border.
The patrol ended on the morning of 2 November
because of numerous mechanical failures
in onboard equipment, including the rudder,
compass and water pumps.
2nd war patrol: 17–27 December 1940,
Adriatic Sea area, commanding officer: LtCdr
Miltiadis Iatridis.
The submarine departed the port of
Salamina shortly before midnight and
reached its assigned area on the morning
of 20 December. The delay was caused by
stormy weather. Shortly after midnight on
22 December, while travelling on the surface,
the submarine detected the small coastal
steamer Antoinetta from Salerno, Italy. After
a concealed approach, the vessel, which
was carrying livestock fodder, was quickly
captured. Its crew were transferred aboard
the submarine, which they believed to be
British. The Italians could not believe that
the Greeks had submarines operating in the
Adriatic. The Greek crew first tried to sink the
steamer by ramming it and later by setting
its cargo on fire. The prisoners provided the
Greeks with maps of Italian minefields in
the Adriatic and information about a convoy
scheduled to sail the following day from
Brindisi to Vlorë, Albania. The submarine was
operating in this area and, on the afternoon of
the next day, located enemy transport vessels
escorted by destroyers. A Zara-class cruiser
was also sighted. Stormy weather, however,
made it impossible to approach and attack.
On 24 December, by contrast, the crew had
better luck. It spotted a convoy of 12 transport
vessels sailing in three columns and escorted
by at least six destroyers, with numerous
Italian aircraft providing air cover. After
approaching the convoy, the boat fired a salvo
of four torpedoes at 12:24 p.m. and immediately
began withdrawing from the enemy. Within
a few minutes, however, the Italian escorts
recovered and attacked the submarine for
several hours. Only at 9:30 that evening did
the crew dare to surface and head south.
The following afternoon, while travelling
at periscope depth, the boat was attacked
by an aircraft that dropped several bombs.
Fortunately, they did not damage Papanikolis.
On the way back to base, the boat made a brief
stop at the port of Isthmia on the eastern side
of the Corinth Canal, where the police took
custody of the submarine‘s prisoners. It then
continued directly to Salamina Base, where it
moored on the morning of 27 December.
It was later confirmed that the submarine
had sunk the large troop transport Firenze.
For this success, the boat‘s commanding officer
was promoted to Commander (equivalent to
a lieutenant colonel in the army) and awarded
the Gold Medal for Valour. Other crew members
were decorated with War Crosses, and the
story was reported throughout the Greek
media.
3rd war patrol: 23 January–1 February
1941, Adriatic Sea area, commanding officer:
Cdr Miltiadis Iatridis.
On the afternoon of 23 January, the boat
departed Salamina Base westwards on
another patrol. At midnight on 24/25 January,
near the island of Ithaca, it met the submarine
Y 4 Nereus, which was returning from
patrol. The commanding officers exchanged
experiences, and on 26 January Papanikolis
continued north into the Adriatic. On the way,
the submarine was detected several times by
Italian vessels and aircraft, but fortunately
all their attacks were unsuccessful. The boat
also sighted several Italian transport vessels
but was unable to attain a suitable attack
position. It was not until midnight on 28/29
January, while cruising on the surface in the
Brindisi area, that the crew spotted a large
cargo ship with an armed escort at a distance
of approximately 800 metres. The submarine
fired one torpedo and disengaged from the
enemy. Although the crew subsequently
sighted Italian vessels several more times, the
submarine came under no further attack and
returned to Salamina Base on 1 February.
Subsequent analysis did not confirm that
any Italian vessel had been hit during this
patrol. After returning, the commanding officer
also emphasised the difficult conditions for
submarine operations caused by Italian patrols.
4th war patrol: 1–6 March 1941, Adriatic
Sea area, commanding officer: Cdr Miltiadis
Iatridis.
The boat departed on its next patrol on the
afternoon of 1 March 1941, once again heading
for the Adriatic. The initial phase, during which
the submarine operated near the Albanian
port of Vlorë, was beset by several technical
The preserved conning tower of the submarine Papanikolis in the outdoor exhibition of the Piraeus Maritime Museum.
Side view of the conning tower of the submarine Papanikolis. Note the 100 mm deck gun
and the preserved torpedo tube in the foreground.
INFO Eduard16
August 2026