Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

Type	Tanker
Country	British
Built	1941	GRT	12,688

Date of attack	12 Aug 1942	Time	2348
Fate	Sunk? by submarine Bronzo (T.V. Cesare Buldrini)
Position of attack	37° 34'N, 10° 34'E
Complement	114 (12 dead and 102 survivors)
Convoy	PEDESTAL
Notes	At 2302 hours, a 13,000-ton tanker on fire astern and crawling at 3 knots was sighted. At 2346 hours, two torpedoes were fired from bow tubes at a range of 1,200 metres. They missed due to a defect in the gyro angles. At 2348 hours, a third torpedo was fired from a bow tube. It was claimed to have hit. Due to the confusion of the action, it is difficult to determine the target. This was probably *Empire Hope* (12,688 GRT, built 1941) which had been abandoned or *Clan Ferguson* (7,347 GRT, built 1938). *Clan Ferguson* is reported to have been hit by Junkers 88 and blew up at about 2015 hours. Survivors reported that she was hit by an Italian torpedo-bomber at 2103 hours. Twelve of her crew were killed, including two gunners, as well as twenty passengers. Fifty-three survivors were picked up by the Italians. *Empire Hope* had been damaged by bombers at 2030 hours and abandoned in position 37°35' N, 10°25' E. The destroyer HMS Penn picked up her survivors and sank her by torpedo. She had no casualties.