Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Ardanbhan
| Type | Cargo ship | |||
| Country |  British | |||
| Built | 1929 | GRT | 4,980 | |
| Date of attack | 27 Dec 1940 | Time | 2025 | |
| Fate | Sunk by submarine Enrico Tazzoli (C.C. Vittore Raccanelli) | |||
| Position of attack | 59° 16'N, 20° 27'W | |||
| Complement | 38 (38 dead, no survivors) | |||
| Convoy | Ex-O.B.263 | |||
| Notes | At 1445 hours, a steamer was sighted at 12,000 metres proceeding approximately on a 270° course. The submarine maneuvered to gain a favourable position and at 1600 hours submerged to close unseen. However, the vessel appeared to alter course away, so Enrico Tazzoli had to surface again to close the range. At 1625 hours, a new change of route forced her to submerge again. The submarine surfaced again at 1705 hours and took a parallel course, intending to close after dusk. At 1955 hours, a torpedo (533mm) was fired from tube no.7. It missed. This was the British Ardanbhan (4,980 GRT, built 1929), a straggler of convoy OB.263. At 2025 hours, a torpedo was fired from tube no.2 (450mm) and squarely hit Ardanbhan. She sank at 2030 hours. The destroyer HMS Antelope, escorting convoy O.B.264, was sent to her assistance but found no survivors, the entire crew of thirty-eight men had gone down with her. | |||