The units of this class were the first submarines built in Italy after World War II . In addition, from 1954 to 1974 a total of nine boats of the classes Gato , Balao , Tench / Guppy and Tang were taken over by the United States and three Italian World War II boats were put back into service. Later, eight boats of the Sauro class supplemented the four boats of the Toti class. The latter is by small boats with the NATO designation "SSK" ( "Submarine - Submarine Killer"), mainly engaged in strategically important straits such as the Strait of Sicily operated and there against Soviet nuclear submarines should be used . In Augusta , the four boats formed the 2nd submarine squadron. After the end of the Cold War , they were mainly used for training purposes and then taken out of service until 1997. The type boat Enrico Toti has been in the Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan since 2005 . The boat Enrico Dandolo is Arsenal of Venice issued. A similar use is provided for the other two units.