Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

HMS Argonaut after repairs in the U.S.A. November 1943

Type	Light cruiser
Country	British
Built	1939	Tons	5,450

Date of attack	14 Dec 1942	Time	0558.5 0600 (e)
Fate	Damaged by submarine Mocenigo (T.V. Alberto Longhi)
Position of attack	37° 30'N, 8° 13'E
Complement	(3 dead, no survivors)
Convoy
Notes	At 0556 hours, Mocenigo was on the surface when she sighted four enemy warships in two columns, proceeding on a SSW course at 18 knots at a distance of 2,000 metres. At 0558 hours, four torpedoes (G7e) were fired from the bow tubes at 2 second intervals from a distance of 800 metres, at what appeared to be a TRIBAL class destroyer. The submarine dived upon firing and heard two hits after 59 and 62 seconds. The victim was the light cruiser HMS Argonaut (5,450 tons), returning from a sweep with the light cruiser HMS Aurora and the destroyers HMS Eskimo and HMS Quality (Force Q). The torpedoes had hit the bow and stern sections, killing an officer and two ratings. The engines were stopped and the steering had failed. HMS Quality remained besides her throughout and HMS Eskimo rejoined them before daylight. She finally managed to get under way at 8 knots, screened by the two destroyers. The escort was later reinforced by the destroyers HMS Ashanti and HMS Tartar and they reached Algiers at 1700 hours on the 15th.