Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Athelqueen
| Type | Tanker | |||
| Country |  British | |||
| Built | 1921 | GRT | 8,780 | |
| Date of attack | 15 Mar 1942 | Time | 2241-2332 1515 (e) | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Enrico Tazzoli (C.C. Carlo Fecia di Cossato) | |||
| Position of attack | 26° 50'N, 75° 40'W | |||
| Complement | 49 (3 dead and 46 survivors) | |||
| Convoy | ||||
| Notes | At 1925 hours, the submarine sighted a tanker at about 18,000 metres. At 2045 hours, the submarine dived to carry a submerged attack. At 2138 hours. Enrico Tazzoli fired two torpedoes from the bow tubes. Both were claimed to have hit after 78 seconds. In fact only one torpedo hit the engine room on the port side. British tanker Athelqueen (8780 GRT, built 1928) bound for Port Everglades from Oban with convoy O.S.20. The tanker crew observed the submarine to surface at about 2,000 yards and fired three 4,7" rounds and the submarine submerged. The crew began to abandon ship. The submarines had readied tubes no.3 and 4. As she attempted to move ahead of the tanker to avoid the fire from her stern gun, she accidentally collided with her and the bow was distorted. The torpedo attack had to be canceled and the two torpedoes had to be removed from the tubes. At 2241 hours, the submarine surfaced and, using both her 100mm guns to fire 128 rounds, sank the Athelqueen. Apparently, the submarine's fire hit her reserve's ammunition causing explosions. Three of her crew were killed. Fecia Di Cossato brought his submarine next to one of the lifeboats to interrogate the survivors and told them that land was 60 miles away. The forty-six survivors reached Abaco. | |||