Nrp Golfinho (1917)

{{short description|Portuguese Navy submarine of 1917–1934}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
|image=1918-Torre-do-Subamrino-Golfinho na doca do bom sucesso.jpg
|image_caption=''Golfinho''′s [[conning tower]] in 1918, with a group of men standing on {{nowrap|her [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]].}}
}}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=
|country=Italy
|flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|name=''F20''
|namesake=
|ordered=
|awarded=
|builder=[[Fincantieri|FIAT-San Giorgio]], {{nowrap|[[La Spezia]],}} [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]
|original_cost=
|yard_number=138
|way_number=
|laid_down=8 June 1915
|fate=Sold to [[First Portuguese Republic|Portugal]] early 1916
}}

|section3={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=
|country=Portugal
|flag={{shipboxflag|Portugal}}
|acquired=December 1915 or early 1916
}}

|section4={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|launched=2 April or {{nowrap|19 August 1916}}
|renamed=''Golfinho'', August 1916
}}

|section5={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|namesake=[[Dolphin]]
}}

|section6={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|sponsor=
|christened=
|completed=
|commissioned=5 September or {{nowrap|20 October 1917}}
|decommissioned =
|refit=
|struck= December 1934
|homeport=
|identification=[[Pennant number|Pennant]] G
|motto=
|nickname=
|honours=
|fate=[[Shipbreaking|Scrapped]]
|notes=
|badge=
}}

|section7={{Infobox ship/characteristics
|hide_header=
|header_caption=
|class=[[Italian F-class submarine|F-class submarine]]
|displacement=* {{cvt|262|LT|t|lk=on}} (surfaced)
* {{cvt|319|LT|t}} (submerged)
|length=*{{cvt|45.6|m|ftin}} ([[Length overall|overall]])
*{{cvt|45.1|m|ftin}} ([[Length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]])
|beam={{cvt|4.2|m|ftin}}
|draught={{cvt|3.1|m|ftin}}
|propulsion=* 2 × {{cvt|670|bhp|lk=on|0}} [[Fiat]] [[diesel engine]]s
* 2 × {{cvt|500|hp|lk=in|0}} [[Società Nazionale Officine di Savigliano|Savigliano]] [[electric motor]]s
* 2 x shafts
* 15 tons [[diesel fuel]]
|speed=* {{convert|12.5|kn|lk=in}} (surfaced)
* {{convert|8.2|kn}} (submerged)
|range=* {{cvt|1600|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|8.5|kn}} (surfaced)
* {{cvt|80|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}} (submerged)
|endurance=
|test_depth={{convert|45|m|0|abbr=off}}
|complement=26 (2 [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]], 24 [[Enlisted rank|men]])
|sensors=
|EW=
|armament=* 2 × {{cvt|450|mm|adj=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s {{nowrap|(2 [[Bow (ship)|bow]])}}
* 4 x [[torpedo]]es
* 1 × {{cvt|76|mm|0}} [[deck gun]]
|notes=<small>SOURCE:{{sfn|''Conway's 1906–1921''|1985|pp=277, 374}}</small>
}}
}}
'''''Golfinhho''''' was a [[Italian F-class submarine|''Foca''-class]] [[submarine]] in [[Ship commissioning|commission]] in the [[Portuguese Navy]] from 1917 to 1934. She took part in {{nowrap|[[World War I]].}}

==Design==

{{main|Italian F-class submarine}}

==Construction and commissioning==
The Portuguese Navy commissioned its first submarine, {{ship|NRP|Espadarte||2}}, in 1913. [[Portugal]] considered the creation of a full submarine [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] by ordering four submarines of an improved design, with one constructed abroad and three in Portugal, but later dropped these plans.{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=61}} [[World War I]] broke out in the summer of 1914, and although Portugal initially remained [[Neutral country|neutral]], Portuguese concerns over the Portuguese Navy's capability to defend the Portuguese coast and the sea lanes between Portugal and its possessions in the [[Portuguese Empire]] grew. Amid increasing tensions between Portugal and [[German Empire|Germany]], Germany and [[Austria-Hungary]] declared war on Portugal in March 1916. In either December 1915<ref name=NaviosDecember2010>{{cite magazine |title=Navios da República 11. Os submersíveis "Foca", "Golfinho" e "Hidra" |trans-title=Ships of the Republic 11. The Submersibles "Foca", "Golfinho" and "Hidra" |magazine=Revista da Armada |issue=447 |date=December 2010 |publisher=Marinha Portuguesa |location=[[Lisbon]] |language=pt |url=https://www.marinha.pt/Conteudos_Externos/Revista_Armada/2010/447/files/basic-html/page35.html |page=35 |access-date=16 September 2026}}</ref> or early 1916,{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=61}} according to different sources, the Portuguese Navy ordered three submarines from the Italian firm {{nowrap|[[Fincantieri|FIAT-San Giorgio]]}} in early 1916.{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=61}}

FIAT-San Giorgio already was building [[Italian F-class submarine|F-class]] submarines for the Italian ''[[Regia Marina]]'' (Royal Navy), and three F-class submarines already under construction for the ''Regia Marina'' — ''F19'', ''F20'', and ''F21'' — were sold to Portugal to fulfill the Portuguese order. To replace them, the ''Regia Marina'' ordered three additional submarines from FIAT-San Giorgio and also designated them {{ship|Italian submarine|F19||2}}, {{ship|Italian submarine|F20||2}}, and {{ship|Italian submarine|F21||2}}, as which they later entered service in the ''Regia Marina''.{{sfn|''Conway's 1906–1921''|1985|pp=277, 374}}

FIAT-San Giorgio [[Keel-laying|laid down]] the submarine that became ''Golfinho'' as ''F20'' with the yard number 138{{Sfn|"Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa"|p=3}} on {{nowrap|8 June}} 1915, several months before her sale to Portugal. Sources disagree on the date she was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]], claiming both that it was on {{nowrap|2 April}} 1916{{sfn|''Conway's 1906–1921''|1985|pp=277, 374}} and on {{nowrap|19 August}} 1916.{{Sfn|Canas|p=46}} The Portuguese minister in [[Rome]], [[Eusébio Leão]], attended the launch ceremony. In August 1916, the Portuguese Navy made public that in Portuguese service she would bear the name ''Golfinho'' ([[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] for "[[dolphin]]"). Upon her completion, ''Golfinho'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on {{nowrap|5 September}} 1917,{{sfn|''Conway's 1906–1921''|1985|pp=277, 374}}{{Sfn|Oliveira|pp=60–62}} according to some sources, although others state that the commissioning was on {{nowrap|20 October}} 1917<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> and that the formal handover of ''Golfinho'' and her [[sister ship]]s ''Foca'' and ''Hidra'' did not take place until {{nowrap|20 October}}. To symbolize the continuing expansion and development of the Portuguese submarine force, the silver [[inkwell]] used to sign the acceptance papers for Portugal's first submarine, ''Espadarte'', was used again for the paperwork for the three ''Foca''-class submarines, as the Portuguese Navy referred to them collectively.{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=61}}

==Service history==
===World War I===
====Delivery voyage====

With Portugal a [[belligerent]] in World War I, the Portuguese Navy saw an urgent need for the three new submarines in Portuguese waters and decided they would have to make their delivery voyage to [[Lisbon]] during the winter of 1917–1918 despite the high likelihood of adverse weather during that time of year.{{Sfn|"Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa"|p=2}} The Portuguese Navy considered having the submarines make their voyage without an escort, but with [[Imperial German Navy]] submarines operating in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] during the [[Mediterranean U-boat campaign of World War I|Mediterranean U-boat campaign]] opted instead to assign an escort to them for the voyage and request escort support from the Italian ''Regia Marina'', [[French Navy]], and British [[Royal Navy]].{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=62}} Portugal also considered a third possibility, that the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] would agree to escort the Portuguese submarines only if Portugal agreed that the submarines would operate from a base of the Allies' choosing outside of Portugal, but ultimately the Allies agreed to provide escorts for a voyage all the way to Portugal.{{Sfn|Oliveira|p=61}}

To allow the submarines to avoid calling at ports in neutral [[Spain]], where they would run a risk of [[internment]] for the remainder of the war, the Portuguese loaded extra fuel aboard them, taking up space that reduced their habitability for their crews. In case of encounters with German submarines during the voyage, the Portuguese also required their submarines to make the voyage ready for immediate diving, with their [[torpedo tube]]s flooded and their torpedoes set to run at a depth of {{convert|7|m|0|abbr=off}}; this required the submarines to leave external hatches open while underway, creating drag which reduced their speed. The submarines also had to reduce speed to maintain formation with the armed [[Tugboat|tug]] ''Patrão Lopes'' — the only ship the Portuguese Navy could spare — which had been tasked to act as an escort and support ship for them throughout their delivery voyage.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/>{{Sfn|"Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa"|pp=138–146}}

''Patrão Lopes'' arrived at La Spezia on {{nowrap|8 December}} 1917 and loaded supplies and spare parts for the submarines. The Italian [[torpedo boat]] ''Condore'' arrived on {{nowrap|13 December}} with orders to escort the Portuguese vessels on the first leg of their voyage.{{Sfn|Oliveira|pp=62–63}} The three submarines got underway at 04:00 on {{nowrap|15 December}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Pinto |first=José Leiria |title=Viagem de La Spezia para Lisboa dos Submersíveis: "Foca", "Golfinho" e "Hidra". Escoltados pelo Vapor "Patrão Lopes" (15 de Dezembro de 1917 a 10 de Fevereiro de 1918) |trans-title=Voyage from La Spezia to Lisbon of the Submersibles: "Foca", "Golfinho" and "Hidra" Escorted by the Steamship "Patrão Lopes" (December 15, 1917 to February 10, 1918) |language=pt |location=[[Lisbon]] |publisher=Comissão Cultural da Marinha |date=2008 |page=11}}</ref> and moored at a [[buoy]] to await a rendezvous with ''Patrão Lopes'' and ''Condore''. The five vessels then began the voyage, putting into port at [[Villefranche-sur-Mer]], [[France]], later in the day due to worsening weather. The submarines moored to a [[jetty]] there to await an opportunity to continue.

The submarines and ''Patrão Lopes'', now escorted by the [[French Navy]] torpedo boats ''No. 369'' and ''Borée'', finally put back to sea on {{nowrap|22 December}} 1917, arriving eight hours later at [[Toulon]], France. They remained there until {{nowrap|2 January}} 1918, when they attempted to begin the next leg of their voyage, now escorted by the French [[patrol vessel]] ''Elizabeth Marie'', but bad weather forced them back into port. The three submarines, ''Patrão Lopes'', and ''Elizabeth Marie'' set out again on {{nowrap|4 January}} and proceeded to [[Marseille]], France, which they reached the same day.

The five vessels resumed their voyage on {{nowrap|15 January}} 1918, departing Marseille at 07:00 bound for Cette (now [[Sète]]), France. That same day, they witnessed the [[torpedo]]ing of the Spanish [[Steamship|steamer]] {{SS|Buena Nova||2}} by an [[Imperial German Navy]] submarine. ''Buena Nova'' sank, and ''Elizabeth Marie'' rescued her survivors. Later on {{nowrap|15 January}}, the ships reached Cette, where ''Elizabeth Marie'' put ''Buena Nova''′s survivors ashore.

After an overnight stay at Cette, the ships got back underway on {{nowrap|16 January}} 1918 bound for [[Oran]] in [[French Morocco]], but severe weather forced them to take refuge at [[Port-Vendres]], France. On {{nowrap|18 January}} they made another attempt to reach Oran, but returned to Port-Vendres because of the weather. They finally were able to continue their voyage on {{nowrap|24 January}}, departing Port-Vendres and proceeding under escort by the French patrol vessel ''Aily'' to Oran, which they visited from {{nowrap|26 to 29 January}} 1918. Still under escort by ''Aily'', they next headed for [[Gibraltar]], where they called from {{nowrap|30 January}} to {{nowrap|8 February}}. They anchored at [[Sesimbra]], Portugal, on {{nowrap|9 February,}} and finally reached Lisbon on {{nowrap|10 February}} 1918<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/>{{Sfn|Oliveira|pp=62–64}} after an eight-stage, 57-day journey from La Spezia.{{Sfn|"Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa"|p=147}}<ref name=LopesMomentos>{{cite web |last=Lopes |first=Carlos Alves |title=A 1ª Esquadrilha de Submarinos e a Defesa do Tejo |trans-title=The 1st Submarine Squadron and the Defense of the Tagus |url=https://momentosdehistoria.com/001-grande_guerra/001-01-marinha/001-01-05-marinha_guerra/001-01-05-04-submarinos.html |website=Momentos de História |language=pt |access-date=16 September 2026}}</ref>

====Operations====
Prior to the arrival of ''Golfinho'', ''Foca'', and ''Hidra'' at Lisbon, ''Espadarte'' had been limited to experimental and training activities. The arrival of the three ''Foca''-class submarines allowed them to join ''Espadarte'' in forming the Portuguese Navy's 1st Submarine Squadron, Portugal's first fully operational submarine force. Based at the Belém Dock in Lisbon's [[Belém, Lisbon|Belém]] district on the north bank of the [[Tagus]], the squadron was assigned to [[Antisubmarine warfare|antisubmarine]] patrols off Lisbon to defend the Tagus [[estuary]] from German submarines, which were targeting Allied ships off the Tagus during the [[Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I]].<ref name=LopesMomentos/><ref name=NaviosJuly2010>{{cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/Conteudos_Externos/Revista_Armada/2010/442/files/basic-html/page35.html |title=Navios da República: O submersível "Espadarte" |trans-title=Ships of the Republic: The submersible "Espadarte" |magazine=[[Revista da Armada]] |issue=442 |date=July 2010 |publisher=[[Portuguese Navy|Marinha Portuguesa]] |page=35 |language=pt |access-date=17 September 2026}}</ref>

Assigned an operating area described by one source as between the [[Berlengas]] and [[Sines]]<ref name=LopesMomentos/> and by another as between [[Cabo da Roca]] and [[Cape Espichel]],<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> the squadron began regular operations in June 1918, generally in the waters off [[Cascais]]. Although the submarines never sank a German submarine, the Portuguese Navy assessed that the Imperial German Navy's knowledge of their mere presence forced changes in German submarine operations, requiring German submarines to remain submerged during daylight hours to avoid the risk of attack by Portuguese submarines, reducing their field of vision and thus their ability to sight and attack Allied ships. In addition, the Portuguese submarines had a [[wireless telegraphy]] capability, allowing them to detect German wireless transmissions farther out to sea than shore-based surveillance stations could alone, giving the Allies wider insight into German naval operations in the area.<ref name=LopesMomentos/>

Each antisubmarine patrol typically lasted about three days.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> The submarines were escorted to and from their patrol areas by [[surface warship]]s<ref name=LopesMomentos/> and operated submerged by day and on the surface at night while on patrol.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> They could employ recognition signals and bore recognition markings to avoid mistaken "[[friendly fire]]" attacks by Allied forces. However, Portuguese Navy doctrine in 1918 was to attack immediately any submarine Allied forces sighted under the assumption that it was an enemy vessel because of the difficulty of detecting and attacking it once it submerged. The Portuguese Navy directed its submarines to assume that Portuguese forces would treat them as enemy submarines while they were on patrol and placed the onus on them to evade mistaken attacks by friendly forces, using their ability to submerge and escape in an era when sensor technology for the detection of submerged submarines was primitive at best and entirely lacking aboard many ships.<ref name=LopesMomentos/>

On {{nowrap|6 September}} 1918, ''Golfinho'' was on the surface off Cabo da Roca, trimmed down to reduce her silhouette, when the observation post at the [[Cabo da Roca Lighthouse]] sighted her and, in accordance with Portuguese Navy doctrine, reported her by wireless telegraphy as an enemy submarine. Nearby [[minesweeper]]s and [[patrol vessel]]s closed on her reported position. As one of them approached, it opened fire on ''Golfinho''. ''Golfinho'' immediately submerged and began evasive maneuvers. She then rose to [[periscope depth]] to observe her pursuers — which lacked sensors with which to locate submerged submarines — and saw them heading in the direction of the path they presumed ''Golfhino'' had taken after submerging, unaware that she was on the opposite course. While making her evasive maneuvers, ''Golfinho'' passed within a short distance of a [[passenger liner]] returning to Portugal from [[France]] and her escorts without any of them detecting her. Having suffered no damage or casualties, ''Golfinho'' returned to base under escort at the end of her patrol in the normal manner and without further incident.<ref name=LopesMomentos/>

World War I ended on {{nowrap|11 November}} 1918. That day finally brought an end to five months of intensive operations off the Tagus estuary by the Portuguese submarines.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/>

===1919–1934===
In early 1919, the 1st Submarine Squadron began a regular program of coastal patrolling off the Tagus estuary, during which they made dives and conducted torpedo-firing drills. On {{nowrap|7–8 October}} 1924, the squadron conducted its first exercise involving all four submarines, a high-stakes event with [[President of Portugal]] [[Manuel Teixeira Gomes]] and [[Navy Ministry (Portugal)|Minister of the Navy]] {{Ill|Fernando Augusto Pereira da Silva|pt}} looking on. The four submarines conducted a simulated coordinated attack against the moving [[gunboat]] {{ship|Portuguese gunboat|Bengo||2}} in the eastern part of Cascais Bay, demonstrating to the Portuguese government the efficacy of a multi-submarine harbor defense.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/><ref name=NaviosJuly2010/>

By the mid-1920s, the aging ''Espadrate'' was in such poor condition that the Portuguese Navy kept her docked in harbor, placing additional operational pressure on the three ''Foca''-class submarines. In July 1925, Portuguese Navy conducted its first major naval maneuvers since the end of World War I; the maneuvers took place in [[Lagos Bay]] and involved ''Golfinho'', ''Foca'', and ''Hidra'' along with surface warships and [[naval aviation]] forces. In August 1925, the submarines took part in an exercise with the Portuguese Navy's main battle force off [[Buarcos]]. In the summer of 1926, they conducted an exercise off Cascais, and in July 1928 they participated in maneuvers as part of the Joint Exercise [[Flotilla]].<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/><ref name=NaviosJuly2010/>

''Espadarte'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] in 1928, but ''Golfinho'', ''Foca'', and ''Hidra'' remained in service, carrying out an instruction and training program involving two weekly [[sortie]]s into the waters off Cascais, Sesimbra, and [[Setúbal]]. They averaged eight submersion exercises per month. By the second half of the 1920s, however, they had operated for about a decade without major refits and faced a progressive deterioration of their [[Electric battery|batteries]] and other aging equipment, prompting the Portuguese Navy to place operational restrictions on them. From 1929 to 1932, they participated in the annual summer maneuvers, but only under controlled conditions in protected coastal waters.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> When the Portuguese Navy deployed to [[Madeira]] during the [[Madeira uprising]] of April 1931, the submarines' material condition forced them to remain behind in mainland Portugal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://marinha.pt |title=Índice 4 – Secção Fotográfica – Diversos |trans-title=Index 4 – Photographic Section – Miscellaneous |publisher=[[Portuguese Navy|Arquivo Histórico da Marinha, Direção Cultural da Marinha]] |language=pt |access-date=17 September 2026}}</ref>

The 1930 naval program of Minister of the Navy ''Contra-almirante'' ([[Counter admiral|Counter Admiral]]) [[Luís Magalhães Correia]] included three new {{sclass|Delfim|submarine|0}} submarines as replacements for the ''Foca''-class vessels. By 1932, the Portuguese Navy was keeping the three ''Foca''-class submarines in a minimally operational status for the training of crews and to maintain an active command structure for the submarine force while awaiting the arrival of the new submarines.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/pt/media-center/efemerides/Paginas/Efemeride-Chegada-ao-Tejo-dos-submersiveis-Foca-Golfinho-e-Hidra-.aspx |title=Efeméride: Chegada ao Tejo dos submersíveis Foca, Golfinho e Hidra |trans-title=Historical Event: Arrival at the Tagus of the submersibles Foca, Golfinho, and Hidra |publisher=[[Portuguese Navy|Marinha Portuguesa]] |language=pt |access-date=17 September 2026}}</ref> The three submarines gathered together for the last time on {{nowrap|5 October}} 1933 when they took part in a naval review in Cascais Bay to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of the [[First Portuguese Republic]] and underwent an inspection by high-ranking government and naval officials as a final send-off for them.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/>

''Golfinho'' was stricken from the navy list in December 1934.<ref name=NaviosDecember2010/> She subsequently was [[Shipbreaking|scrapped]]. The new ''Delfim''-class submarines arrived from their construction yards in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1935 to form the 2nd Submarine Squadron

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last=Canas |first=António |title=Os Submarinos em Portugal: 1913–2008 |trans-title=Submarines in Portugal: 1913–2008 |date=2009 |publisher=Editorial Prefácio |location=Lisbon |isbn=978-989-652-025-0 |page=46 |language=pt|ref = {{SfnRef|Canas}}}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Gray |editor-first2=Randal |year=1985 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London, UK |isbn=978-0851772455 | ref = {{SfnRef|''Conway's 1906–1921''|1985}} }}
*{{cite book |last=Oliveira |first=Maurício de |title=Os Submarinos na Marinha Portuguesa |trans-title=Submarines in the Portuguese Navy |language=pt |edition=4th |location=[[Lisbon]] |publisher=Revista de Marinha |date=2018 |isbn=978-972-96535-9-9 |ref = {{SfnRef|Oliveira}} }}
*{{cite book |author=<!-- Staff or Organization --> |title=Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa |trans-title=Report of the Voyage from La Spezia to Lisbon |date=1918 |publisher=Arquivo Histórico da Marinha |location=[[Lisbon]] |language=pt |series=caixa nº1379 |ref = {{SfnRef|"Relatório Viagem de La Spezia - Lisboa"}}}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Portugal}}
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==External links==-->

{{Portuguese Foca-class submarines}}
{{Italian F class submarines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golfinho}}
[[Category:1916 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in La Spezia]]
[[Category:Submarines of the Portuguese Navy]]
[[Category:Military history of Portugal]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War I]]