Italian submarine fates

Ships hit by Italian submarines

Type	Cargo ship
Country	Swedish
Built	1918	GRT	1,888

Date of attack	22 Jun 1940	Time	0201
Fate	Sunk by submarine Pier Capponi (T.V. Romeo Romei)
Position of attack	36° 59'N, 11° 12'E
Complement	22 (1 dead and 21 survivors)
Convoy
Notes	The submarine first sighted a freighter from a distance of 6,000 metres on a SSE course at 0035 hours and turned toward her while increasing speed. At 0058 hours, the distance had decreased to 2,500 metres. Pier Capponi was now proceeding at 15 knots to gain a favourable attack position and at 0132 hours a torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube at a range of 1,000 metres. It missed. The target was the Swedish *Elgö* (1888 GRT, built 1918) on passage Tunis to Sfax with general cargo (asphalt, etc.). At 0135 hours, the submarine fired twenty-three rounds with her deck gun, scoring several hits. At 0145 hours, a second torpedo (533mm) was fired from a bow tube at a range of 1,000 metres, it missed. At 0150 hours, a stern shot (533mm) was made from 900 metres. A hit was claimed, but was not confirmed from Swedish sources. At 0201 hours, a fourth torpedo (450mm) was fired from a bow tube from a distance of 700-800 metres. It hit the target squarely and she sank in three minutes. One crew member was killed and three were wounded, the twenty-one survivors reached the Tunisian coast.