FINE ACHIEVEMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 September 1942, Page 3

FINE ACHIEVEMENT

OF SMALL BRITISH ESCORT SHIP LARGE ITALIAN SUBMARINE DESTROYED. ANOTHER BADLY DAMAGED. LONDON, September 27. A small escort ship, while engaged in convoy duty in the Atlantic, sank one large Italian submarine and heavily engaged and severely damaged another. The large Italian submarine was blown to the surface with depth charges and finally rammed. Thirtysix prisoners were taken. The second submarine was hit on the conning tower before she crash-dived.

ADMIRALTY REPORT SUBMARINE BLOWN TO SURFACE. THIRTY-SIX PRISONERS TAKEN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY, September 27. How his Majesty’s Lulworth, a former American Coastguard cutter, rammed and sank a large Italian submarine, the Pietro Calvi, in the Atlantic, is described by the Admiralty. While on convoy duty the Lulworth attacked the Pietro Calvi with depth charges and blew the submarine to the surface. The Lulworth then scored direct shell hits, killing the commanding officer and one of a 'gun crew of the submarine. The Lulworth finally rammed the submarine, pushing her over and washing a number of her crew into the sea. The Italians then surrendered, but not before their navigating officer, a former Olympic Games swimmer, who was in the water swimming a vigorous crawl, had been temporarily mistaken for an enemy torpedo approaching the Lulworth. Thirty-six prisoners were taken.

Direct hits were scored on the conning tower of a second submarine, which attempted to interfere, though its destruction could not be confirmed.