Hi Tim,
U-666 reported to have fired a T-5 a T-5 torpedo at 01:56 CET at a destroyer and heard a strong detonation after 8 mintes 21 seconds. The torpedo, however, exploded close to HMCS 'Morden'. A second T-5, fired at 02:01 CET hit 'Itchen' after a running time of 1 minute 60 seconds.
'Itchen' had 82 survivors from the 'St Croix' and the sole survivor of 'Polyanthus' on board. The T-5 from U-666 exploded in Itchen's magazine and she blew up to pieces. The American steamer 'James Smith', which was rapidly closing the scene of the sinking at the head of column No3 of the convoy detected U-666's conning tower in the light of a flare and her Armed Guards fired one round at the U-boat. The master of 'James Smith', Capt. Bernhard G.F. Kuckens, stopped his engines when shouts from survivors were heard and dropped life rings and rafts. As Dave said only three men survived the sinking of 'Itchen'; one from 'Itchen' herself, one from 'St. Croix' and the sole survivor from 'Polyanthus'. In all there were 185 dead (among them 81 from 'St Croix'. When U-666 later surfaced debris from 'Itchen' was found on her conning tower.

Regards,

Walter