Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Huntingdon
| Type | Cargo ship | |||
| Country |  British | |||
| Built | 1922 | GRT | 10,946 | |
| Date of attack | 24 Feb 1941 | Time | 0529 0312 GMT (e) | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Michele Bianchi (C.C. Adalberto Giovannini) | |||
| Position of attack | 59° 55'N, 21° 03'W | |||
| Complement | ||||
| Convoy | ex-OB.288 | |||
| Notes | At 0345 hours, a large vessel was sighted zigzagging, steering 230°. Bianchi took a parallel course to intercept. The vessel was described as very similar to the British Adrastus (7,936 GRT, built 1923). At 0437 hours, a pair torpedoes (450mm, W 200 type) were fired from the stern tubes at 6-700 metres. Nothing was heard or observed, but she was in fact hit and the crew was abandoning ship. Most likely this was the British Huntingdon (11,509 GRT, 1922) zigzagging on mean course 200° bound from Glasgow to Freetown after convoy O.B. 288 had dispersed. She reported torpedoed at about 0235 hours GMT and abandoned ten minutes later. There were no casualties. The survivors were picked up by the Greek Papalemos and landed at Horta (Azores). At 0529 hours, a third torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) was fired from a bow tube from a distance of 400 metres. It hit in the forward hold. At 0545 hours, the vessel sank bow first. At 1011 hours, the submarine went deep to reload and heard 28 depth charges (1119-1416 hours) followed by another 17 (2000-2149 hours). It has been suggested that her victim may have been Waynegate later sunk by U.-73 in 58°01' N, 21°47' W. All forty-four of her crew were rescued (thirty-nine by the French destroyer Léopard at 0900 hours on the 24th. Or perhaps, Linaria later sunk by U-96 in 61°25' N, 25°00' W at 0116 hours (GST). | |||