Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Everasma
| Type | Cargo ship | |||
| Country |  Latvian | |||
| Built | 1920 | GRT | 3,562 | |
| Date of attack | 28 Feb 1942 | Time | 1130 0900 (e) | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Leonardo da Vinci (C.C. Luigi Longanesi Cattani) | |||
| Position of attack | 17° 50'N, 54° 15'W | |||
| Complement | 33 (18 dead and 15 survivors) | |||
| Convoy | ||||
| Notes | At 1955 hours on 27th February, a steamer was sighted on an opposite course. Da Vinci maneuvered to get into a position ahead, for a surface attack after dusk. It was a full moon night. At 0143 hours on the 28th, Da Vinci fired a pair of torpedoes from her stern tubes at a distance of 800 metres, followed immediately by a second pair. Four explosions were heard. In fact all had missed. This was the Latvian Everasma (3,562 GRT, built 1920), detached from convoy TAW12 and bound from Norfolk to Rio de Janeiro. At 0234 hours, Da Vinci fired a pair of torpedoes from the bow tubes at a distance of 800 metres. The heavy seas suddenly propelled the submarine upward and the torpedoes were fired in the air. They missed. At 0235-0236 hours, two torpedoes were fired in short succession from the bow tubes. They appeared to be missing under. Da Vinci her eight torpedo tubes emptied, now had to reload with the reserve torpedoes ( 450mm, A 115 type, which were more reliable according to C.C. Longanesi Cattani). At 1043 hours, the stern tubes were ready and a pair of torpedoes were fired. Both hit. Four lifeboats were observed to move away from the steamer, but she was still afloat. Fourteen 100mm rounds were fired, but she refused to sink. At 1130 hours, a stern torpedo was fired, hitting the stern section and she finally sank. Of her crew of thirty-three, fifteen survivors reached St. Lucia (British West Indies) five days later. Another lifeboat was missing. | |||