Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Sylvia De Larrinaga
| Type | Cargo ship | |||
| Country |  British | |||
| Built | 1925 | GRT | 5,218 | |
| Date of attack | 14 Aug 1942 | Time | 2040 1620 EWT (e) | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Reginaldo Giuliani (C.C. Giandomenico Bruno) | |||
| Position of attack | 10° 30'N, 33° 45'W | |||
| Complement | 69 (46 dead and 23 survivors) | |||
| Convoy | ||||
| Notes | At 1400 hours, a smoke was sighted in 10°45' N, 33°45' W. Very shortly after, the two masts and funnel of a large steamer steering 290-320° was observed. Giuliani maneuvered to take a position ahead of her. At 1930 hours, the submarine closed, submerged to 60 metres, but the sea was very calm and C.C. Bruno had to be careful not to reveal his presence. It appeared to be an 8,000-ton steamer, armed with 120mm gun forward and a 76mm gun aft, four antiaircraft guns and a depth charge thrower. At 2040 hours, a pair of torpedoes were fired from bow tubes and one hit amidship and the vessel broke in two. This was the British Sylvia De Larrinaga (5,218 GRT, built 1925) bound for Baltimore from Capetown via Trinidad and carrying 2,000 tons of manganese ballast. At 2043 hours, Giuliani surfaced at about 700 metres from her. Despite her predicament, the freighter opened fire with her stern gun, forcing the submarine to dive quickly, but she sank ten minutes after being struck. Twenty-six survived and forty-three were killed or missing. The second torpedo had actually not left the tube and as Giuliani dived, it left the tube and exploded under the submarine's bow. C.C. Bruno was not immediately aware of the situation, as the interphone had broken down. The forward torpedo room was filled with gas from the torpedo, necessitating the crew to don masks. Breaking up noises from the sinking vessel were heard. At 2125 hours, the submarine surfaced and sighted nine lifeboats. | |||