U 42 was ordered by the German Imperial Navy in 1913 to study the construction of Italian submarines. Before it was completed, however, Italy entered World War I on the side of the Allies . U 42 was confiscated by the Italian Navy and put into service as Balilla in 1915 . The boat served in the 4th submarine squadron based in Brindisi . The commandant of the Balilla was Corvette Captain Paolo Tolosetto Farinata.
Sinking
Balilla was sunk on July 14, 1916 northwest of Lissa by the Austrian torpedo boats 65 F and 66 F.
Surname
The boat was named after Balilla (Giovan Battista Perasso), an Italian national hero.
Footnotes
^ Franco Favre, La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico, p. 168-169