After the Italian fleet surrendered, the commander of HMS Isis was ordered to receive the submarines at Bizerte and conduct them to Malta. British and Italian officers arranged the movement cooperatively, and the submarines sailed on the surface in line behind the destroyer. The danger was friendly attack during the night passage, because Allied ships and convoys were now moving constantly through the same waters. If challenged, the submarines were to dive and remain stationary while Isis explained the situation, then surface again when signalled by small explosive charges. The convoy arrived safely, illustrating how an armistice immediately generated practical command, communications, and identification tasks at sea.
Notable Point · 3:16:20-3:18:35
HMS Isis escorts surrendered Italian submarines to Malta
The Italian armistice created an unusual identification problem: surrendered submarines had to travel on the surface without being mistaken for hostile boats.