Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines


Celtic Star

TypeCargo ship
CountryBritish British
Built1917GRT5,575

Date of attack30 Mar 1943Time0058
2305Z/29 (e)
FateSunk by submarine Giuseppe Finzi (T.V. Mario Rossetto)
Position of attack4° 08'N, 17° 35'W
Complement65 (2 dead and 63 survivors)
Convoy
Notes A smoke was sighted at 1150 hours on 29th March 1943 in 05°15' N, 17°03' W. The submarine maneuvered to intercept after dark.

At 0057 hours on the 30th, Giuseppe Finzi fired a pair of torpedoes from a distance of 2,700 metres. They missed.

The target was the British Celtic Star (5,575 GRT, built 1918) on a voyage from Manchester and Greenock to Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

At 0058 hours, a second pair of torpedoes was fired and this time both hit after 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Celtic Star sank at 0112 hours. Two men were killed. A Canadian G. Paatinson was captured by the submarine. HMS Fandango, HMS Aimwell and HMS Wastwater searched for survivors and sixty-three were recovered (also reported as sixty-six).

Position of attack

Ships hit by Italian submarines