Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Kastor
Type | Cargo ship | |||
Country | Greek | |||
Built | 1921 | GRT | 5,497 | |
Date of attack | 2 Aug 1942 | Time | 0016 2220Z/1 (e) | |
Fate | Sunk by submarine Enrico Tazzoli (C.C. Carlo Fecia di Cossato) | |||
Position of attack | 10° 40'N, 58° 40'W | |||
Complement | 35 (4 dead and 31 survivors) | |||
Convoy | ||||
Notes | Encountering a vessel at 0016 hours, Enrico Tazzoli fired two torpedoes from the bow tubes. Both hit after 50 and 52 seconds and she sank. One was killed and three drowned. The survivors told Fecia Di Cossato that their ship was the Dutch Castor, but he perhaps misunderstood. A US aircraft reported the Dutch Castor (1830 GRT, built 1939) as torpedoed at 0900Z hours on 2nd August 1942 in 10°54' N, 59°12' W. It is possible that the aircraft relayed a signal, which may have used the call sign of the Dutch vessel and that Di Cossato made the same mistake. There is no doubt that his victim was the Greek Kastor (5,497 GRT, built 1921). The Dutch Castor arrived a few days later at Trinidad. Thirty-one survivors (including the Master) were rescued by the corvette USS Surprise and landed at Trinidad on 3rd August. A report mentions that they were picked up by the American armed yacht USS Tourmaline, but this appears to be an error. |