Italian submarine Otaria (1935)

The Otaria was an Argonauta-class submarine of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) during World War II. Built by CRDA Monfalcone, she was launched in 1935 and entered service later that year. The Otaria, meaning "sea lion" in Italian, operated primarily in the Mediterranean Sea.

As part of the Argonauta class, the Otaria displaced approximately 680 tons surfaced and 850 tons submerged. She was armed with a single 100mm deck gun for surface engagements, as well as torpedo tubes for underwater attacks. Her crew complement was typically around 44 men.

During the war, the Otaria conducted numerous patrols, primarily tasked with interdicting Allied shipping and engaging enemy warships. While she did not achieve any confirmed sinkings of major warships, she was involved in several engagements and likely contributed to the overall pressure on Allied naval forces in the Mediterranean. Specific details regarding her individual patrol results and successes remain somewhat scarce in readily available records, common for many submarines operating during that period.

The Otaria survived the war and was eventually scrapped in the late 1940s, representing a relatively successful service life for an Italian submarine in World War II. The Argonauta class, to which the Otaria belonged, were generally regarded as reliable and capable submarines for their time, contributing significantly to the Regia Marina's submarine warfare efforts.