Weapons


Torpedoes

VELELLA was fitted with two torpedo tubes aft and four forward. All tubes were loaded before leaving port and six extra torpedoes were stowed aboard giving it a total of 12 torpedoes. Torpedoes were loaded through a special hatch and the operation was very laborious. Once at sea, torpedoes could be removed from the tubes for limited maintenance (fuel topping).

Range, speed and direction of the weapons could be configured while they were inserted in the tubes. The tubes, produced by Tosi, could take a variety of 21' (533 mm) torpedoes produced both by Whitehead and "Silurificio Italiano". Similar to the Royal Navy, the Regia Marina did not experience the kind of massive torpedo failure which plagued the U.S. Navy and the Kriegsmarine. Italian weapons were reliable, but left a visible trail thus making them easy to spot.


Smaller Weapons

The boat was equipped with a small armory containing rifles and side arms and located in the hydrophone room.


Deck Guns

VELELLA was fitted with the newer 100 mm caliber 47, and carried 149 shells. A well-trained gunnery team could fire eight shells per minute.

VELELLA had a single gun mounted forward of the cunning tower. Shells were loaded from the stowage area below onto the main compartment and from there pushed up to the deck through a tube. Since there are no specifications for a mechanical or hydraulic hoisting system, it is assumed that the shells were pushed by hand. The gunners also had access to a ready storage area built into the cunning tower and secured by a watertight hatch. The ammunition stowage was located on the lower deck between the forward battery hold and the quick dive tank.

Due to the nature of the conflict in the Mediterranean, the deck gun of VELELLA was of very limited use.


Machine Guns

VELELLA was equipped with the famous Breda Model 1931 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machinegun. These guns were mounted on a single support. The guns were installed on a retractable mount, which would recede into a watertight tube protected by a small hatch. Upon emerging, the gunners had to simply release the hatch, lift the guns out of the enclosure, and install the clip and fire. Each clip contained 30 rounds and the gun could fire up to 400 rounds per minute at a range of 2,000 meters. VELELLA had a reserve of 3,000 rounds. As with all Italian submarines, toward the end of the conflict it was discovered that the 13.2 mm guns were insufficient in downing large American bombers protected by a thick armor.