Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
HMS Tynwald
| Type | Auxiliary antiaircraft ship | |||
| Country |  British | |||
| Built | 1941 | Tons | 2,376 | |
| Date of attack | 12 Nov 1942 | Time | 0601 0505 (e) | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Argo (T.V. Pasquale Gigli) | |||
| Position of attack | 36° 42'N, 5° 10'E | |||
| Complement | (24 dead, no survivors) | |||
| Convoy | ||||
| Notes | At 0601 hours on 12th November, Argo observed two overlapping ships at a distance of 1,000-2,000 metres in the Bay of Bougie. Four bow torpedoes (533mm, G7e) were fired and three hits were claimed. The targets were the auxiliary antiaircraft ship HMS Tynwald (2,376 tons, built 1941) standing by the monitor HMS Roberts who was damaged by two bombs the previous day. In fact, two torpedoes had struck HMS Tynwald and she quickly sank in 7 fathoms of water. Three officers and twenty-one ratings were killed, three ratings wounded. Survivors were picked up by HMS Roberts and HMS Samphire (twenty officers and 175 ratings were repatriated on Strathnaver and Ocean Volga). The attack had been a very daring one, as there were some fourteen escort vessels in the anchorage. Karanja was sunk by air attack at about the same time. Shortly after, Argo turned and fired her two stern torpedoes (533mm, G7e) at the same targets from a distance of 2,000 metres. One hit was claimed but they had both missed. The target was probably the monitor HMS Roberts next to the sinking HMS Tynwald. The submarine managed to reach deep waters without interference. At 2325 hours, she received the order to return to base. Some sources have attributed the sinking of the troopship Awatea to her, but she was damaged by three bomb hits at 1700X hours on the 11th in position 310; - Cape Carbon - 2 miles and had been abandoned. At 1300 hours on the 12th, five Italian torpedo bombers attacked the anchorage and one hit the Tynwald, but she had already been abandoned. A surfaced submarine was sighted. HMS Spey and four escorts (including ORP Blyscawica, HMS Rother, probably HMS Bramham? and ?) went on an A/S hunt but, on the way, were attacked by aircraft and all were damaged by near misses and suffered some casualties. | |||
See full details on this warship in our Allied Warships section.