Cargo runs to Singapore did not amount to a sustained combat presence farther into the South China Sea or Pacific. Italy's Tientsin establishment had supporting craft, including a minelayer and gunboat, but lacked the infrastructure for a substantial submarine campaign. In practice, only supply submarines reached so far east. Ocean-going endurance alone could not substitute for repair, supply, training, and protected bases across a global theatre.
Notable Point · 50:15-51:13
Tientsin could not sustain an Italian Pacific submarine campaign
Italy retained a small naval presence at Tientsin, but its auxiliary minelayer and gunboat could not support a combat submarine force deep in East Asian waters.