Italian submarine fates
Ships hit by Italian submarines
Western Chief
Type | Cargo ship | |||
Country | British | |||
Built | 1918 | GRT | 5,759 | |
Date of attack | 14 Mar 1941 | Time | 2349 2150 (e) | |
Fate | Sunk by submarine Emo (C.C. Giuseppe Roselli Lorenzini) | |||
Position of attack | 58° 52'N, 21° 13'W | |||
Complement | (no casualties, 21 survivors) | |||
Convoy | ||||
Notes | At 1118 hours, visibility was poor due to frequent rain squalls, a steamer was observed on a westerly course. Emo maneuvered with the intention of carrying a surface attack during the night, as her attack periscope was defective. At 1307 hours, she sighted another steamer on an opposite course, zigzagging on a mean course of 090-095°. This was the British steamer Western Chief (5,759 GRT, built 1918) so she switched target to attack her. At 2300 hours, Emo fired one torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) from a stern tube from a distance of 1,200-1,300 metres at the British steamer Western Chief (5,759 GRT, built 1918). The track could not be observed and it missed. At 2319 hours, a second torpedo (450mm, W 200 type) followed from a stern tube, at a distance of 800-900 metres. It had an irregular course and also missed. At 2349 hours, a third torpedo (533mm, W 270 type) was fired from 500-600 metres at Western Chief. This time it hit and the vessel sank. Twenty-one survivors were picked up by the Dutch steamer Venus and landed at Ponto Delgada on 26 March. |