WWII submarine that tragically sank hours before armistice announced finally identified

Italian WWII submarine Velella was sunk by HMS Shakespeare hours before it was announced Italy had signed an armistice with the Allies

Divers captured footage of the Argo Velella-class ship that sank during World War II (

Image: TG2/Youtube)

New footage shows a sunken WWII Italian submarine that was torpedoed hours before the armistice was announced.

All 52 crew members aboard the Argo Velella-class ship died in the ambush of the British HMS Shakespeare on September 7, 1943.

Four days earlier, Italy had signed an agreement at Cassibile in Sicily with the Allies to lay down their arms, but it was not made public until after the sinking.

And the news had not yet reached the Italian crews that they were to surrender.

Instead, they had moved to oppose the Anglo-American landings leading to the rare under-over-under engagement.

The armistice was announced to the world the next day, September 8.

Divers have now filmed the first high-quality footage of the submarine, confirming its identity, off the coast of southern Naples.

The 207ft Velella and another Italian submarine, the Benedetto Brin, were heading south before they were both spotted by the Shakespeare which was submerged around 8pm.

The wreckage was first discovered in 2003 but has only now been officially identified (

Picture:

TG2/Youtube)

British Captain Lieutenant Commander Michael Ainslie ordered an attack on the first as it was illuminated in the sky while the other quickly disappeared from sight.

Six torpedoes...