Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

Type	Cargo ship
Country	Swedish
Built	1920	GRT	1,442

Date of attack	6 Jun 1941	Time	0427 0545 (e)
Fate	Sunk by submarine Guglielmo Marconi (T.V. Mario Paolo Pollina)
Position of attack	35° 05'N, 11° 45'W
Complement	22 (16 dead and 6 survivors)
Convoy
Notes	A signal from BETASOM (1921/5) had informed the submarines that a convoy had been sighted by Velella at 1830 hours in 35°38' N, 11°22' W. The submarines Marconi, Mocenigo, Em and Brin were ordered to converge. At 2312 hours, Marconi sighted the convoy of sixteen vessels with escorts in 35°17' N, 11°40' W (Italian Grid 8572/51). This was convoy O.G. 63 (Liverpool to Gibraltar). At 0422 hours, she fired a pair of torpedoes from the bow tubes at a distance of 800 metres, aimed at a large tanker of the DAGHESTAN class and another ship. Although both were claimed to have hit, this has not been confirmed. At 0425 hours, another pair of torpedoes was fired from stern tubes at a merchant ship. Both hit and the vessel sank. This was the British *Baron Lovat* (3,395 GRT, built 1926). All thirty-five crew members were rescued by the sloop HMS Wellington. At 0427 hours, a third pair of torpedoes was fired from stern tubes at a merchant ship. One hit and the vessel sank. This was the Swedish *Taberg* (1,442 GRT, built 1920). Sixteen were killed, only six were saved. The submarine was hunted until 0930 hours.