The National Republican Navy () was the navy of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...

in Italy.

History

The Marina Nazionale Repubblicana was formally created in late September 1943, following the establishment of the Italian Social Republic. Most of the

Regia Marina The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy"). Origin ...

fleet, however, after the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

between Italy and the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

on 3 September 1943, had sailed to Allied-controlled ports (chiefly

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

),Robert Wallace & the editors of Time-Life Books, The Italian Campaign, Time-Life Books Inc, 1978. p.57 and the few ships that remained in Italian ports, most of them undergoing maintenance or repair, were either

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

or captured by the German forces and incorporated into the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

. The MNR was thus left without a real fleet; even ships abandoned during construction in Northern Italian shipyards (among them many

Gabbiano-class corvette The ''Gabbiano''-class corvettes were a group of 59 escort vessels built for the '' Regia Marina'' of Italy for service during the Second World War. They were built to a war-time design and intended for anti-submarine and escort duties. Design ...

s and

Ariete-class torpedo boat The ''Ariete''-class torpedo boats were a group of destroyer escorts built for the Italian Navy during World War II. They were enlarged versions of the s and designed to escort convoys to North Africa. Of the 42 units planned, sixteen ships were ...

s) were completed for the German Kriegsmarine, that refused to transfer any of them to the MNR.Giorgio Giorgerini, ''Attacco dal mare. Storia dei mezzi d'assalto della Marina italiana'', p. 297.Achille Rastelli, ''Sommergibili a Singapore'', p. 160. The first Chief of Staff of the MNR was Admiral Antonio Legnani, who however died in a

car crash A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

less than a month after the creation of the MNR. He was succeeded by Captain

Ferruccio Ferrini Ferruccio is an Italian given name derived from the Latin Ferrutio (the name of a 3rd-century Christian saint). It is also used as a surname. People with the name include: Given name A–L *Ferruccio Amendola (1930–2001), Italian actor *Ferruc ...

Junio Valerio Borghese Junio Valerio Scipione Ghezzo Marcantonio Maria Borghese (6 June 1906 – 26 August 1974), nicknamed The Black Prince, was an Italian Navy commander during the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and a prominent hardline neo-fa ...

Decima Flottiglia MAS The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Torpedo-Armed Motorboat Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with marines and commando frogman unit, of ...

was formally part of the MNR, but it operated as a ''de facto'' independent unit under Borghese's undisputed leadership. Ferrini did not tolerate this independence; he accused Borghese of having contacts with the

and the anti-Communist

partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

, and of conspiring to depose

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

and replace him at the head of the RSI. In January 1944 Borghese was summoned by Mussolini and placed under

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...

, but this immediately brought the ''Decima MAS'' personnel on the verge of

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

; the situation settled after Borghese was released, following German intervention. The fleet of the MNR never amounted to more than a small number of

MAS Mas, Más or MAS may refer to: Film and TV * Más y Menos, fictional superhero characters, from the Teen Titans animated television series * "Más" (''Breaking Bad''), a season three episode of ''Breaking Bad'' Music Albums * ''Más'' (album), ...

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...

midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...

s and assault craft, the latter operated by the ''Decima Flottiglia MAS''. Part of the personnel recruited by the MNR served on Kriegsmarine ships in the Mediterranean, whereas others manned

coastal batteries Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed Artillery battery, gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery ...

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

. Other personnel fought on land alongside the

National Republican Army The National Republican Army (; abbreviated ENR), colloquially known as the Army of the North ( Italian: ''Esercito del Nord'') was the army of the Italian Social Republic (, or RSI) from 1943 to 1945, fighting on the side of Nazi Germany durin ...

and the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

Size and ships

The Marina Nazionale Repubblicana only reached a twentieth the size of the Allied Italian fleet, and consisted of nine motor torpedo boats (two large and seven small), dozens of MTSM small motor torpedo boats and MTM explosive motorboats. The National Republican Navy also operated fifteen ''CB''-class midget submarines (ten in the Adriatic and five in the Black Sea) and one larger submarine, ''CM 1'', as well as the auxiliary submarine chasers ''Equa'' and ''Antonio Landi'', the trawlers ''Cefalo'' and ''Pegaso'', and a flotilla of

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s based in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. An unknown number of MTSMs were active with the navy of the

. Most of their operations took place in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, sometimes with mixed Italian and German crews.Fock, Harald (1996). ''Marine-Kleinkampfmittel. Bemannte Torpedoes, Klein-U-Boote, Kleine Schnellboote, Sprengboote gestern – heute – morgen''. Nikol, pp. 115. Of their CB midget class submarines, five were initially given to the Italian Social Republic by Germany, but later ten more boats were transferred by the Germans to the RSI Navy and served in the Adriatic. One was used for spare parts, seven were sunk and two were captured by the Allies.

Operational history

Due to its small size, activity by MNR mainly consisted in coastal patrolling and

minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...

operations, as well as some limited offensive activity against Allied shipping with MAS and assault craft. The only success by a MNR vessel came on 16 April 1945, a few weeks before its dissolution, when one MTM hit and heavily damaged the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

destroyer '' Trombe'' off

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, Italy.Italeri 1/35 MTM Barchino by Ray Mehlberger
In late April 1945, the MNR ceased to exist following the liberation of Northern Italy and the fall of the Italian Social Republic. Many MNR and ''Decima MAS'' personnel stationed in

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

became victims of the

Foibe massacres The foibe massacres (; ; ), or simply the foibe, refers to ethnic cleansing, mass killings and deportations both during and immediately after World War II, mainly committed by Yugoslav Partisans and OZNA in the Italian Empire, then-Italian terri ...

between April and May 1945.Giorgio Giorgerini, Attacco dal mare. Storia dei mezzi d'assalto della Marina italiana, pp. 318-334.

List of ships

:CB-class submarines: ::*CB1: 27 January 1941–August 1944, scuttled ::*CB2: 27 January 1941–August 1944, scuttled ::*CB3: 10 May 1941–August 1944, scuttled ::*CB4: 10 May 1941–August 1944, scuttled ::*CB6: 10 May 1941–August 1944, scuttled ::*CB7: 1 August 1943—?, scrapped ::*CB13: Late 1943–23 March 1945, sunk ::*CB14: Late 1943–?, sunk ::*CB15: Late 1943–?, sunk ::*CB16: Late 1943–?, captured by British forces ::*CB17: Late 1943–3 April 1945, sunk ::*CB18: Late 1943–31 March 1945, sunk ::*CB19: Late 1943–1947, scrapped ::*CB20: Late 1943–?, captured by

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

::*CB21: Late 1943– 29 April 1945, rammed by a

Marinefährprahm The (MFP, naval ferry barge) was the largest landing craft operated by the German during World War II. The MFP was used for transport, mine laying, as an escort and a gunboat in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas as well as the English Ch ...

. :VAS-class patrol boats: ::*VAS 207 ::*VAS 225 ::*VAS 238 ::*VAS 252 ::*VAS 253 ::*VAS 255 ::*VAS 263 :MTSM-class motorboat ::*MTSM 204 ::*MTSM 230 ::*MTSM 234 ::*MTSM 268 :MS-class speedboat ::*MS 16 ::*MS 34 ::*MS 41 ::*MS 71 ::*MS 76 :MAS-class ::*MAS 433 ::*MAS 502 January 22, 1944–? ::*MAS 504 26 October 1943–? ::*MAS 505 April 10, 1944–? ::*MAS 525 October 1943–? ::*MAS 531 2 November 1943–? ::*MAS 544 November 5, 1943–? ::*MAS 549 1944–? ::*MAS 551 1944–? ::*MAS 553 November 1943–? ::*MAS 554 ::*MAS 556 January 22, 1944–? ::*MAS 557 11 October 1943–? ::*MAS 558 November 8, 1943–? ::*MAS 561 November 8, 1943–? ::*MAS 562 November 8, 1943–?

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

References

{{Authority control Disbanded navies Naval history of World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Italian Social Republic Naval history of Italy Military units and formations of Italy in World War II