Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines


T.C. McCobb

TypeTanker
CountryAmerican American
Built1936GRT7,451

Date of attack1 Apr 1942Time0016
FateSunk by submarine Pietro Calvi (C.C. Emilio Olivieri)
Position of attack6° 59'N, 44° 38'W
Complement39 (5 dead and 34 survivors)
Convoy
Notes At 1500 hours on 31 Mar 1942, Pietro Calvi sighted a tanker and trailed her with the intention on closing after dark to attack her.

At 2105 hours, she opened fire with her forward gun but it was inaccurate and the heavy seas prevented the use of the gun aft.

This was the American tanker T. C. McCobb (7,452 GRT, built 1936) on passage from Buenos Aires to Caripito (Venezuela).

From 2105 to 2116 hours, she opened fire with her forward gun but it was inaccurate and the heavy seas prevented the use of the gun aft and fire was checked.

Between 2252 and 2315 hours, the submarine resumed fire on the American T. C. McCobb from a distance of 6,800 metres and this time claimed ten hits. The tanker was indeed damaged and reported that some 28 to 33 rounds had been fired at her. In fact, Pietro Calvi had fired about 60 rounds of her main armament.

At 2333 hours, a torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube and scored a hit on T. C. McCobb, but she was only damaged.

At 2347 Pietro Calvi turned to fire a stern shot (450mm) and it also scored a hit, but the American tanker proved a tough nut to crack and she did not sink.

At 2359 hours, another stern shot was fired, this time a 533mm torpedo, it also scored a hit, but the American tanker was still afloat.

At 0007 hours, Pietro Calvi resumed her attack with a torpedo (450mm) fired from a bow tube, again scoring a hit and again failing to send the tanker to the bottom.

At 0016 hours, the submarine turned again for another stern shot (533mm), which hit the unfortunate T. C. McCobb.

At 0028 hours, a torpedo (450mm) was fired from a bow tube but despite being claimed as a hit, it failed to explode. T. C. McCobb finally sank at 0115 hours. Thirty-four survivors reached Paramaribo, fifteen of them being picked up by the Greek Santa Monica (flying the Panamanian flag) on 8th April. Five were killed or missing.

Position of attack

Ships hit by Italian submarines