Nino Bixio

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by ADM199, Aug 16, 2007.

  1. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    17th August 1942 Nino Bixio was torpedoed by the R.N. Submarine Turbulent whilst carrying Allied P.O.W. from Benghazi to Italy.
    There were 237 Casualties from the Commonwealth, 203 Remembered on the Memorial at El Alamein and 34 Buried in Greece. The ship didn't sink and was towed to Greece by the Italian Destroyer Saetta. Some Naval Historians give the total including non Commonwealth losses as 336.
     
  2. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    NINO BIXIO (August 17, 1942)
    Italian troop transport (7,137 tons) sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Sicily, by the British submarine HMS Turbulent. She was carrying New Zealand prisoners of war and around 400 French P.O.W.s captured in North Africa. The Nino Bixio was hit by two torpedoes, one exploding in the prisoners hold and killing many. The injured were brought up on deck and attended to by medical officers. The badly damaged Nino Bixio was taken in tow by one of its escorting destroyers and towed to Navarino in southern Greece. There the dead prisoners were buried, the rest being shipped, via Corinth, to a prisoner of war camp near Bari in Italy. A total of 118 New Zealanders lost their lives.
     
  3. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    NINO BIXIO (August 17, 1942)
    Italian troop transport (7,137 tons) sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Sicily, by the British submarine HMS Turbulent. She was carrying New Zealand prisoners of war and around 400 French P.O.W.s captured in North Africa. The Nino Bixio was hit by two torpedoes, one exploding in the prisoners hold and killing many. The injured were brought up on deck and attended to by medical officers. The badly damaged Nino Bixio was taken in tow by one of its escorting destroyers and towed to Navarino in southern Greece. There the dead prisoners were buried, the rest being shipped, via Corinth, to a prisoner of war camp near Bari in Italy. A total of 118 New Zealanders lost their lives.

    My figures give 122 New Zealanders lost; 96 have no known Grave and 22 buried in Greece. There were four more who died of injuries sustained within a few days.There were 39 from Australia with no known Grave. The British losses were 37 with no known grave and 11 buried in Greece. The rest were made up of Indian and South Africans. I have no accurate figures for French losses other than seven who served with the S.A.S.
    Some years later the Nino Bixio made a visit to New Zealand and a Service was held on her Fore Deck in Memory of those lost on the ship.
     
  4. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    I was speaking to Bill Rudd, a fortunate Australian survivor of that "POW" ship, "Nino Bixio" on the phone in Melbourne today. This was kindly passed on by Brian Sims of this forum.

    An interesting man with interesting stories to relate, Bill was with the 9th Division 2/7th Field Company, RAE (Sapper) and is 90 years young. Read it here.

    AIF POW Free Men in Europe - Welcome Letter

    Apologies if this has been posted previously.
     
  5. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    I was speaking to Bill Rudd, a fortunate Australian survivor of that "POW" ship, "Nino Bixio" on the phone in Melbourne today. This was kindly passed on by Brian Sims of this forum.

    An interesting man with interesting stories to relate, Bill was with the 9th Division 2/7th Field Company, RAE (Sapper) and is 90 years young. Read it here.

    AIF POW Free Men in Europe - Welcome Letter

    Apologies if this has been posted previously.

    On the 17th a friend of Bills in New Zealand, Charles Watkins, who was also a survivor from the Nino Bixio did a Radio Interview regarding the incident.
    Both men have much to say that needs listening to.
     
  6. Kiwilad

    Kiwilad Junior Member

    My grandfather (Pvt Raymond Watts) died on the Nino Bixio. I'll discuss this event when my kids are old enough to understand.
     
  7. Colin R

    Colin R Junior Member

    I am trying to determine if my father, Sgt. Leslie John Rhodes, 19th Battalion, New Zealand Army was one of the POW on this ship which was transporting POW's from Benghazi, Africa to Italy when the British torpedoed it on 17th August 1942. I have only found lists of those who perished, no lists of survivors, and unfortunately my father, understandably, never liked talking about the war. Many circumstances suggest he may have been on it. Can you help? Thanks. Colin R
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Merged your request into an existing identically named thread Colin.

    Cheers,
    Adam.
     
  9. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

  10. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

  11. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    The following extract details the August 1942 patrol carried out by H.M Submarine Turbulent. - The Naval Staff History WW2 Submarines Vol.III


    ATTACKS ON AXIS SUPPLY LINES ( HM Submarine Turbulent August 1942)

    To the eastward of Malta both the 1st and 10th Flotillas kept up their pressure on the North African convoys running down from the west coast of Greece to Benghazi. Turbulent (Commander J. W. Linton) left Beirut on 5th August, recovered an agent from the south-west corner of Crete on the 8th and landed two others near Navarin on the night of the 1lth/12th. After operating off Argostoli and Zante, Turbulent proceeded to the Anti-Kithera channel on the 16th, but turned back on receipt of intelligence that a convoy was expected off the Greek coast. The following day the northbound convoy of two large ships with destroyer and air escort was successfully intercepted and attacked, the 7,000-ton ship Nino Bixio being hit with two torpedoes; in spite of this the vessel was successfully towed into Navarin. Patrol off the south-west corner of Crete from the 19th to the 27th yielded no targets, Turbulent leaving patrol on the latter date to arrive at Beirut on 1st September.
     
  12. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Thanks Peter!

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  13. Marie Piper

    Marie Piper Member

    Survivors of the Nino Bixio I can't read the first few names but there is John Lavender, Albert Metclafe, Pat Finney, Albert Winkle, Jim Thursfield, George Turnball, Thomas Pearl,
     

    Attached Files:

  14. GeoffMNZ

    GeoffMNZ Well-Known Member

  15. GeoffMNZ

    GeoffMNZ Well-Known Member

    Colin,
    His name is not on the list at AIFPOW site;
    http://www.aifpow.com/__data/assets...no_Bixio_-_174_NZ_116_killed_58_survived2.pdf
    Cheers
    Geoff
     
  16. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    I visited the CWGC cemetery in Phaleron only last week and spotted 2 x 50 RTR graves dating from 1942. This made absolutely no sense to me as I knew 50 RTR only went to Greece in late 1944.

    On my return to the UK I had a quick look in Stephen Hamilton's "History of 50 RTR" and found that these two had been taken prisoner in North Africa and died on board the Nino Bixio. The concentration report on the CWGC suggests their bodies had washed up near the small seaside town of Pylos (or Pilos) where they were temporarily buried, until their transfer to their final resting place at Phaleron in August 1945.

    Gus
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 17, 2019
    GeoffMNZ, vitellino and dbf like this.
  17. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Hugh MacLean likes this.

Share This Page