Teseo Tesei (3 January 1909 – 26 July 1941) was an Italian naval officer, who invented the human torpedo (called Maiale, Italian for "pig") used by the Regia Marina during World War II.
Teseo Tesei was born in Marina de Campo, Elba in 1909, the son of Ulisse Tesey and Rosa Carassale. After attending the Collegio degli Scolopi in Florence, he entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1931, where he distinguished himself for perseverance and inventiveness. He was commissioned as a lieutenant and graduated from the Naval Engineering School in Naples in 1933.
Careeredit
Tesei had several posts on both surface ships and submarines. He was a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War with the rank of captain.
In 1929, Tesei had the idea for the manned torpedo, from the Italian device used to sink the Austrian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis during World War I. In 1931 he entered the Naval Academy of Livorno, where he showed his inventive capabilities. Together with Elios Toschi, he designed a human torpedo called Siluro a lenta corsa (SLC) ("Slow-Run Torpedo"), later nicknamed the Maiale, Italian for "pig", because it proved to be difficult to steer. The SLC was extensively used in World War II by the Italian Navy and was used in the sinking of two British battleships in Alexandria. The British later developed their own manned torpedo model, called "Chariot", from one of his captured "Maiali". In 1936, with Angelo Belloni he designed the high-performance closed-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus that was used by the Italian underwater raiders during their WWII operations, and that heavily influenced the following German and British wartime rebreathers design. In 1938 he was one of the officers who organized the Decima Flottiglia MAS underwater raiders unit of the Italian Navy. On 21 August 1940, Tesei was the only survivor when the Italian submarine Iridewas sunk.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teseo Tesei.
Greene, Jack The Black Prince and the Sea Devils: The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Decima Mas. Da Capo Press. Cambridge/Mass., 2004 ISBN0-306-81311-4
Schofield, William. Frogmen First Battles. New York, 2000 ISBN0-8283-2088-8
December 19, 2023
teseo, tesei, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, march, 2013, learn, when, remo. This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations March 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Teseo Tesei 3 January 1909 26 July 1941 was an Italian naval officer who invented the human torpedo called Maiale Italian for pig used by the Regia Marina during World War II Teseo TeseiBorn3 January 1909Elba ItalyDied26 July 1941 1941 07 26 aged 32 MaltaAllegianceItalyService wbr branchRegia Marina Italian Royal Navy Years of service 1941RankMajorUnitDecima Flottiglia MASBattles warsWorld War IISiege of MaltaAwardsGold Medal for Military Honor posthumous Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Killed in action 4 Legacy 5 See also 6 References 7 BibliographyEarly life and education editTeseo Tesei was born in Marina de Campo Elba in 1909 the son of Ulisse Tesey and Rosa Carassale After attending the Collegio degli Scolopi in Florence he entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1931 where he distinguished himself for perseverance and inventiveness He was commissioned as a lieutenant and graduated from the Naval Engineering School in Naples in 1933 Career editTesei had several posts on both surface ships and submarines He was a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War with the rank of captain In 1929 Tesei had the idea for the manned torpedo from the Italian device used to sink the Austrian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis during World War I In 1931 he entered the Naval Academy of Livorno where he showed his inventive capabilities Together with Elios Toschi he designed a human torpedo called Siluro a lenta corsa SLC Slow Run Torpedo later nicknamed the Maiale Italian for pig because it proved to be difficult to steer The SLC was extensively used in World War II by the Italian Navy and was used in the sinking of two British battleships in Alexandria The British later developed their own manned torpedo model called Chariot from one of his captured Maiali In 1936 with Angelo Belloni he designed the high performance closed circuit self contained breathing apparatus that was used by the Italian underwater raiders during their WWII operations and that heavily influenced the following German and British wartime rebreathers design In 1938 he was one of the officers who organized the Decima Flottiglia MAS underwater raiders unit of the Italian Navy On 21 August 1940 Tesei was the only survivor when the Italian submarine Iride was sunk Killed in action editOn 26 July 1941 Tesei died in action during a manned torpedo attack on Malta see Decima Flottiglia MAS 1941 for which he was posthumously awarded the Italian Gold Medal of Military Valour Legacy editThe modern Italian commando frogmen group Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei ed Incursori Teseo Tesei COMSUBIN is named after him See also editDecima Flottiglia MAS Battle of the MediterraneanReferences editHistorical Diving Times pp 6 11 issue 39 ISSN 1368 0390Bibliography edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teseo Tesei Greene Jack The Black Prince and the Sea Devils The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Decima Mas Da Capo Press Cambridge Mass 2004 ISBN 0 306 81311 4 Schofield William Frogmen First Battles New York 2000 ISBN 0 8283 2088 8 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Teseo Tesei amp oldid 1189772091, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
