Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Silverpine
Type | Cargo ship | |||
Country | British | |||
Built | 1924 | GRT | 5,066 | |
Date of attack | 5 Dec 1940 | Time | 0339 0220 (e) | |
Fate | Sunk by submarine Argo (T.V. Alberto Crepas) | |||
Position of attack | 54° 14'N, 18° 08'W | |||
Complement | 55 (36 dead and 19 survivors) | |||
Convoy | OB.252 | |||
Notes | At 0339 hours, the officer of the watch suddenly sighted a dark shape. A torpedo was immediately fired at a distance of 500 metres at a 12,000-ton two-funnel vessel. The torpedo hit after 35 seconds under the first funnel. A second explosion followed, attributed to a boiler and she sank. This was the steamer Silverpine (5,066 GRT, built 1924) in ballast and detached from convoy OB.252 bound from Glasgow to New York. Thirty-six were killed. Nineteen survivors were picked up by HMS Harvester at 0900 hours in 57°00' N, 17°30' W. The submarine was later hunted by HMS Harvester. Starting at 0412 hours, Argo reported three patterns of eight depth charges each. |