Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

HMS Coventry before the war

Type	Anti-arcraft cruiser
Country	British
Built	1918	Tons	4,190

Date of attack	13 Dec 1940	Time	2036 2042 (e)
Fate	Damaged by submarine Neghelli (C.C. Carlo Ferracuti)
Position of attack	32° 27'N, 26° 44'E
Complement
Convoy
Notes	At 2022 hours, a shadow was sighted at a distance of 6,000 metres and was identified as a SOUTHAMPTON class cruiser. At 2036 hours, range had closed to 1,900 metres when three torpedoes (533mm) were fired from the bow tubes at 12 seconds then 40 seconds intervals. One hit was heard 95 seconds after the first torpedo was fired and it hit the cruiser forward. At 2038 hours, a fourth torpedo (450mm) was fired from a bow tube at a range of 1,600 metres. It missed. Neghelli was about to turn to fire stern torpedoes when the cruiser turned straight toward her, forcing her to submerge and the attack was foiled. The target was the 4,190-ton antiaircraft cruiser HMS Coventry. She was on her way to join convoy A.N. 10 and was hit, losing part of her stern. There were no casualties. She could still make 13 knots and was joined by the destroyers of the 2nd Flotilla HMS Hyperion (D.2), HMS Mohawk and HMS Diamond at 0015 hours on the 14th. The escort was reinforced by the destroyers from the 14th Flotilla HMS Jervis (D.14), HMS Janus and HMS Hereward. The stricken cruiser and her escort arrived at Alexandria at noon on the 14th.