Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

Type	Cargo ship
Country	Greek
Built	1920	GRT	1,995

Date of attack	29 Nov 1942	Time	2110 2025Z (e)
Fate	Sunk by submarine Ammiraglio Cagni (C.F. Carlo Liannazza)
Position of attack	34° 45'S, 17° 42'E
Complement	36 (18 dead and 18 survivors)
Convoy
Notes	At 1503 hours, a smoke was sighted on the horizon steering 030°. Cagni proceeded to intercept at 15 knots. She could not catch up for an attack in daylight hours so C.C. Liannazza opted for an attack after dark. At 1915 hours, the attack began but was thwarted by a sudden change of course of the vessel. She was now steering 070°. At 2025 hours, a pair of torpedoes (450mm, 40 knots) were fired from bow tubes at a distance of 2,500 metres. They missed, apparently due to an irregular course. This was the Greek steamer *Argo* (1,995 GRT, built 1920) on a voyage from Buenos Aires to Capetown and Durban. At 2125 hours, another pair of torpedoes (450mm) were fired from bow tubes. They both hit and the vessel sank. Eighteen were killed [twelve crew members and all six passengers], seven survivors (including Captain Synodinos) were rescued in the afternoon of 30th November by HMS Rotherham and another eleven by HMAS Norman. HMAS Norman later transferred the survivors she had picked up to HMS Rotherham which landed them at Simonstown in the evening.