The sea planes

Seaplane S.M 55 X
Engine Asso 750
Instruments

The communications

Communications network
Radio cabin
Manuals
Donath lamp

The ships

Ship Alice
Submarine Domenico Millelire

The airplanes in support

Airplane I-AAXZ

The equipment

Clothing
The Belloni bag

From "La Centuria Alata" by Italo Balbo:

"This year the collaboration that we ask the Royal Navy is limited to two submarines and two Drifters, they are already on their way to the American coast. [...]

The second is the Balilla. The group is commanded by Commander Della Campana, a valiant who accompanied us in the other cruise with the explorers division. " Between March and September 1933 he was employed in support of Italo Balbo's swept Atlantic: together with the twin Millelire and the cannoner Biglieri and Matteucci, he crossed the Atlantic under the command of the frigate captain Valerio Della Campana to act as a beacon and report the weather conditions on the Balbo aircraft; this experience was also useful to test the oceanic qualities of the «Balilla», which proved to be quite satisfactory [1]. Once in Chicago, the submarine was visited by Italo Balbo who then gave a speech addressing the crew.

In the thirties it was also chosen for the carrying out of tests regarding the containment of overheating of the engines, evidence that they did not take place due to the opposition of the Navy General Staff.

He participated clandestinely in the war of Spain, without catching results.

At the beginning of the Second World War he was old and carried out only three offensive missions in the Mediterranean.

In the first, to the south of the island of Corfu (with the corvette captain Michele Morislani as commander) he suffered violent air strikes on 12 June 1940 suffering damage that forced him to return to base. On 12 July he left Brindisi to position himself in ambush between Alexandria of Egypt and Cape Krio (Greece), but this mission aborted when the commander - corvette captain Cesare Girosi - became ill. On 10 August 1940 he was sent to the area of ??Crete and returned six days later, without having achieved results. Now worn out, it was then destined, like Millelire, at the Submarine School in Pula.

Performed training until disarmament, which took place on April 28, 1941.

Denominated GR. 247, was used as a fuel barge until October 1946, when it was radiated and then demolished.