CA-class midget submarine

The CA class were a group of midget submarines built for the Italian Navy during World War II.

Design
These submarines were designed by the Caproni Company and built in great secrecy. They were originally designed for coast defence but later modified as clandestine attack craft similar to the British X craft.

Boats
The first batch consisted of two boats built in 1938-39:


 * CA 1 - Scuttled at La Spezia September 1943
 * CA 2 - Transferred to Germany in 1943, Scuttled in Bordeaux 1944

The Second Batch also consited of two boats built to a slightly mofied design in 1942


 * CA 3 - Scuttled at La Spezia September 1943
 * CA 4 - Scuttled at La Spezia September 1943

Planned Operation Against New York
In 1942 after the USA entered the war Junio Valerio Borghese commander of the Decima MAS, the Italian Navy's special operations unit devised a plan to attack New York Harbour using a CA type midget submarine and commando frogmen. The midget submarine would be transported across the Atlantic by being carried on the deck of a larger submarine. The Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci was chosen for the task and modified at the Italian base in Bordeaux (BETASOM). The CA-2 midget was transported by rail from Italy and trials were conducted near La Pallice supervised by Borghese himself during late 1942. The Leonardo Da Vinci was sunk in May 1943 before the operation could be carried out. No new boat was available and the Italian Armistice stopped further planning.