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Italian Navy in World War 2 p1
Italian Navy in World War 2 p1
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CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES OF WORLD WAR 2
ITALIAN NAVY AT WAR, including Atlantic Submarine
Operations and Italian Air Force in the Mediterranean
Part 1 of 2 194042
Battleship Caio Duilio (Maritime Quest, click to enlarge) on to Part 2, Italian Navy at War, 194245
Each Summary is complete in its own right. The same information may therefore be found in a number of related summaries
(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search)
PreWar
1919 Treaty of Versailles Under its provisions, Germany was to be disarmed, the Rhineland occupied
and reparations paid. At this time Poland was recreated from parts of Germany and Russia, as were other
Central European states out of the AustroHungarian Empire.
192122 Washington Naval Treaty Britain, United States, Japan, France and Italy agreed to limit the
displacement and main armament of capital ships, aircraft carriers and cruisers, and total tonnage and age
of the first two categories.
1922 Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party came to power in Italy
1927 Geneva Naval Conference failed to reached agreement on total tonnage of cruisers, destroyers and
submarines.
1930 London Naval Treaty Britain, US and Japan agreed on total tonnage, tonnage and armament
limitations for cruisers, destroyers and submarines. Also that no new capital ships were to be laid down
until 1937. Neither France nor Italy were signatories.
1934 The 1932 Geneva Disarmament Conference finally broke down and Japan announced its intention to
withdraw from the 1922 and 1930 Naval Treaties when they expired in 1936.
1935 October Following border disputes between Italian Somaliland and Abyssinia, Italy invaded. League
of Nations sanctions had little effect and by May 1936 the country was taken over by Mussolini's forces.
1936 July The Spanish Civil War started; Italy and Germany became aligned with one side and Russia
with the other. November London Protocol The major powers including Germany agreed to prohibit
unrestricted submarine warfare against unarmed ships. December The 1922 and 1930 Naval Treaties were
allowed to lapse and the major powers moved towards rearmament.
1937 Italian battleships "Littorio" and "Vittorio Veneto" were launched.
1939 March The Spanish Civil War came to an end. April Italy invaded Albania. May Germany and
Italy joined forces in the Pact of Steel. September 1st Germany invaded Poland; 3rd Britain and France
declared war on Germany
1939
SEPTEMBER 1939
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Maritime Situation These were based on the assumption Britain and France were
actively allied against the European Axis powers of Germany and Italy. The Royal
Navy would be responsible for the North Sea and most of the Atlantic, although the
French would contribute some forces. In the Mediterranean, defence would be shared
between both Navies, but as it happened, Benito Mussolini's claimed ownership of the
Mediterranean his 'Mare Nostrum' did not have to be disputed for another nine
months.
Italy declared its neutrality
1940
JUNE 1940
Strategic Situation concerning the Mediterranean and Red Sea Areas
Mediterranean Italy stood astride the central basin, with Italy itself, Sardinia and Sicily to
the north and Libya with its provinces of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica to the south. Albania on
the Adriatic Sea and the Dodecanese Islands in the southern Aegean off Turkey were
Italian. In the western half, Britain and France between them controlled Gibraltar at the
narrow entrance from the Atlantic, southern France, Corsica, Algeria and Tunisia. Malta at
the centre was a British colony. In the eastern half, Britain maintained a hold on Egypt and
the Suez Canal, Palestine and Cyprus. In the Levant, Lebanon and Syria were French.
The Neutral countries in the western Mediterranean were Spain, and in the east, Greece and
Crete, Yugoslavia and Turkey.
Red Sea Area – In between the Sudan and Somaliland were the linked Italian colonies of
Eritrea, Ethiopia (Abyssinia) and Italian Somaliland. Bordering them to the south was British
Kenya. To the east of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia had close ties with Britain, and at the
southern end of the Red Sea, Aden was a British colony. On the west shore were Egypt and
the AngloEgyptian Sudan, and further south French and British Somaliland.
Military and Maritime Circumstances
A large Italian army in Libya (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) threatened Alexandria and the
Suez Canal, against which only a relatively small British and Dominion force could be
fielded. Fortunately this had been reinforced earlier in the year by Australian and New
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Zealand troops. From bases in Italian East Africa the Italian Air Force and Navy were
capable of cutting Allied supply routes to Suez through the Red Sea. The Italian army was
also powerful enough to conquer British and French Somaliland and posed a threat to the
Sudan and Kenya. The Italians' one major problem was the impossibility of supplying these
forces other than by air from Libya.
Even allied to France, Britain's position in the Mediterranean was not guaranteed. Gibraltar
may have beeen secure, assuming Spain's continued neutrality, but Malta was considered
indefensible in the face of the Italian Air Force based in Sicily. As it happened only the later
arrival of the German Luftwaffe turned this threat into a near reality. However, Malta's well
equipped base had to be abandoned by the Mediterranean Fleet for the poorer facilities at
Alexandria in Egypt. These threats to Malta, Suez and the Red Sea depended on Italy
taking and holding the initiative. Instead, Malta became a thorn in the side of Axis supply
routes to Libya. And Libya and Italian East Africa in fact become endangered from the very
Allied territories they threatened. Over the next three years, Malta above all became the
pivot about which the whole Mediterranean campaign revolved both the problems of its
supply and its effectiveness as an offensive base. Later Axis plans to invade the island so
invaluable to the Allied cause came to nothing.
Major Naval Strengths
The Italian Navy maintained a small but useful force in the Red Sea. Against these could be
deployed ships of the East lndies Command based at Trincomalee in Ceylon. But the
Italian’s overwhelming strength was in the Mediterranean.
The Royal Navy maintained a small force of destroyers at Gibraltar, largely for Atlantic
convoy work, but the Western Mediterranean was primarily the responsibility of the French
Navy although British reinforcements could soon be dispatched from the Home Fleet as
shortly happened. The Eastern Mediterranean was in the hands of the Mediterranean Fleet
and a small French squadron based at Alexandria. It was up to strength in major units but
still weak in cruisers, destroyers and submarines when compared with the Italian Navy. This
was partly offset by the presence of carrier “Eagle” to accompany battleships “Malaya”,
“Ramillies”, “Royal Sovereign” and “Warspite”.
Notes:
(a) Plus 10 British destroyers at Gibraltar
(b) included 2 new battleships completing.
(c) Plus over 60 large torpedo boots.
(d) Based at Massawa in the Red Sea were another 7
destroyers, 8 submarines and 2 torpedo boats.
Italy Declared War Italy declared war on Britain and France on the 10th. Two weeks later France was out
of the war. Still on the 10th, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa declared war on Italy.
France The French Government of Marshal Petain requested armistice terms from Germany and Italy on
the 17th. Later in the month Italian forces invaded southern France but with little success. A FrancoItalian
Armistice was signed on the 24th, and included provision for the demilitarisation of French naval bases in
the Mediterranean.
Mediterranean
12th The Mediterranean Fleet with “Warspite”, “Malaya”, “Eagle”, cruisers and destroyers sailed from
Alexandria for a sweep against Italian shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean. South of Crete, light cruiser
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“CALYPSO” was torpedoed and sunk by Italian submarine “Bagnolini”.
13th Mediterranean Fleet submarines operated out of Alexandria on patrol off Italian bases and soon lost
three of their number (13). At the time mines were usually blamed, but it turned out that Italian anti
submarine forces were far more effective than expected. While Royal Navy submarines suffered their
losses, the many Italian submarines on patrol suffered more heavily. The first British loss was “ODIN” (1) off
the Italian coast in the Gulf of Taranto, sunk by the guns and torpedoes of destroyer “Strale”. 16th The
second British submarine “GRAMPUS” (2), minelaying off Augusta, Sicily was caught and sunk by large
torpedo boats “Circe” and “Clio”. 17th Six Italian submarines [16] were sunk in the Mediterranean itself,
half by the Royal Navy. However the first to go, “PROVANA” [1] was rammed and sunk off Oran, Algeria by
French sloop “La Curieuse” after attacking a French convoy, and just a week before France was forced out
of the war. 19th Towards the other end of the North African coast, the third British loss “ORPHEUS” (3) was
sent to the bottom by Italian destroyer “Turbine” north of the Cyrenaica port of Tobruk, soon to become a
household name. 20th The second Italian boat lost in the Mediterranean was “DIAMANTE” [2] torpedoed by
submarine “Parthian” off Tobruk. 27th The third Italian submarine lost was the “LIUZZI” [3] sunk by Med
Fleet destroyers “Dainty”, “Ilex”, “Decoy” and the Australian “Voyager” south of Crete. 28th As the
Mediterranean Fleet 7th Cruiser Squadron covered convoy movements in the Eastern Mediterranean, three
Italian destroyers carrying supplies between Taranto in southern Italy and Tobruk were intercepted. In a
running gun battle, “ESPERO” was sunk by Australian cruiser “Sydney” to the southwest of Cape Matapan
at the southern tip of Greece. 28th The first of two Italian submarines sunk by RAF Sunderlands of No. 230
Sqdn was “ARGONAUTA” [4] in the central Med as she was believed to be returning from patrol off Tobruk.
29th The same Med Fleet destroyers after sinking “Liuzzi” two days earlier, were now southwest of Crete.
They repeated their success by sinking “UEBI SCEBELI” [5]. 29th A day after their first success, the
Sunderlands of No. 230 Sqdn sank “RUBINO” [6] in the Ionian Sea as she returned from the Alexandria area
Red Sea Area
15th In the Red Sea and Indian Ocean area, four of the eight submarines based there {14} were soon
accounted for starting with “MACALLE” {1} which ran aground, a total loss. 19th At the southern end of the
Red Sea, the Italian “GALILEO GALILEI” {2} on patrol off Aden was captured by armed trawler “Moonstone”
following a gun duel. 23rd Also in the Gulf of Aden, but off French Somaliland, Italian boat “EVANGELISTA
TORICELLI” {3} was sunk by destroyers “Kandahar” and “Kingston” with sloop “Shoreham”. During the
action, destroyer “KHARTOUM” suffered an internal explosion and sank in shallow water off Perim Island, a
total loss. 23rd Italian submarine “Galvani” sank Indian patrol sloop “PATHAN” in the Indian Ocean. 24th
The following day off the Gulf of Oman, “GALVANI” {4} was accounted for by sloop “Falmouth”.
British Force H By the end of the month, Force H had been assembled at Gibraltar from units of the Home
Fleet. ViceAdm Sir James Somerville flew his flag in battlecruiser “Hood” and commanded battleships
“Resolution” and “Valiant”, carrier “Ark Royal” and a few cruisers and destroyers.
Warship Loss Summary In a confusing month, the the Italian Navy had lost one destroyer and ten
submarines; the Royal Navy one light cruiser, one destroyer, three submarines and one sloop to Italian
forces; .
Battle of the Atlantic The Allied loss of Norway brought German warships and Uboats many hundreds of
miles closer to the Atlantic convoy routes. Within a matter of days the first Uboats were sailing from the
Norwegian port of Bergen, while others were sent to patrol as far south as the Canary and Cape Verde
Islands off northwest Africa. Italian submarines joined them in this area, but without any early successes.
JULY 1940
5th Torpedocarrying Swordfish from carrier "Eagle's" squadrons flew from land bases on successful
attacks against Tobruk and area. On the 5th, aircraft of 813 Squadron sank Italian destroyer "ZEFFIRO" and
a freighter at Tobruk. The success was repeated two weeks later.
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9th Action off Calabria or Battle of Punto Stila (map below) On the 7th, Adm Cunningham sailed from
Alexandria with battleships "Warspite", Malaya", Royal Sovereign", carrier "Eagle", cruisers and destroyers
to cover convoys from Malta to Alexandria and to challenge the Italians to action. Next day the 8th two
Italian battleships, 14 cruisers and 32 destroyers were reported in the Ionian Sea covering a convoy of their
own to Benghazi in Libya. Italian aircraft now started five days of accurate highlevel bombing (also against
Force H out of Gibraltar) and cruiser "Gloucester" was hit and damaged. Mediterranean Fleet headed for a
position to cut off the Italians from their base at Taranto. On the 9th, Eagles aircraft failed to find the Italians
and first contact was made by a detached cruiser squadron which was soon under fire from the heavier
Italian ships. "Warspite" came up and damaged "Giulio Cesare" with a 15in hit. As the Italian battleships
turned away, the British cruisers and destroyers engaged, but with little effect. Mediterranean Fleet pursued
to within 50 miles of the south west Italian coast off Calabria before withdrawing.
As Adm Cunningham covered the bynow delayed convoys to Alexandria, "Eagle's" Swordfish attacked
Augusta harbour, Sicily on the 10th.Destroyer "Pancaldo" was torpedoed, but later refloated and re
commissioned.
11th Force H, which had put to sea on receiving reports of the Italian fleet, was now returning to Gibraltar
when screening destroyer "ESCORT" was sunk by the Italian submarine "Marconi".
16th Submarine "PHOENIX" attacked an escorted tanker off Augusta and was lost to depth charges from
Italian torpedo boat "Albatros".
19th Action off Cape Spada Australian cruiser "Sydney" and destroyers "Hasty", "Havock", "Hero",
"Hyperion" and "llex" on a sweep into the Aegean Sea were sent to intercept two reported Italian cruisers.
Off Cape Spada at the north west tip of Crete, "BARTOLOMEO COLLEONI" was stopped by Sydney's
gunfire and finished off with torpedoed from the destroyers. "Bande Nere" escaped.
20th Carrier "Eagle's" Swordfish continued their strikes against Italian targets around Tobruk. In the nearby
Gulf of Bomba, 824 Squadron was responsible for sinking destroyers "NEMBO" and "OSTRO" and another
freighter.
AUGUST 1940
1st Submarine "OSWALD" on patrol south of the Strait of Messina reported Italian Navy movements. She
was detected and later rammed and sunk by destroyer "Vivaldi".
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Malta The decision was taken to reinforce Malta, and in Operation 'Hurry', carrier "Argus" flew off 12
Hurricanes from a position southwest of Sardinia. This was the first of many reinforcement and supply
operations, often bitterly fought to keep Malta alive and in the fight against Axis supply routes to their armies
in North Africa.
22nd Landbased Swordfish from "Eagle's" 824 Squadron repeated their July success with another torpedo
strike in the Gulf of Bomba near Tobruk. Just as she prepared for a human torpedo attack on Alexandria,
submarine "IRIDE" and a depot ship were sunk.
23rd Heavy mining in the Strait of Sicily by Italian surface ships led to the loss of destroyer "HOSTILE" on
passage from Malta to Gibraltar. Extensive Italian fields in the 'Sicilian Narrows' sank and damaged many
Royal Navy ships over the next three years.
SEPTEMBER 1940
Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Reinforcements were sent to the Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria right
through until the end of the year.The arrival of "Illustrious" allowed Adm Cunningham to go ahead with plans
to attack the Italian battlefleet at Taranto.
17th Units of the Mediterranean Fleet including battleship "Valiant" sailed with "Illustrious" for a raid on
Benghazi. Swordfish biplanes torpedoed destroyer "BOREA"; mines laid by them off the port sank
"AQUILONE". On the return to Alexandria, heavy cruiser "Kent" was detached to bombard Bardia, but was
torpedoed and badly damaged by Italian aircraft.
22nd British submarine "Osiris" on patrol in the southern Adriatic attacked a convoy and sank Italian
torpedo boat "PALESTRO".
30th As Italian submarine "GONDAR" approached Alexandria carrying human torpedoes for an attack on
the base, she was found by a RAF Sunderland of No 230 Squadron and sunk by Australian destroyer
"Stuart".
OCTOBER 1940
2nd Mediterranean Fleet destroyers "Havock" and "Hasty" sank Italian submarine "BERILLO" off Sollum
the border town between Libya and Egypt.
12th/14th Attack on Malta Convoy From Alexandria a convoy safely reached Malta covered by the
Mediterranean Fleet with four battleships and carriers "Illustrious" and "Eagle". As the Fleet returned on the
12th, attacks were made by Italian light forces southeast of Sicily. Cruiser "Ajax" sank Italian torpedo boats
"AIRONE" and "ARIEL" and badly damaged destroyer "ARTIGLIERE" which was finished off by heavy
cruiser "York". Later heading back east, the carriers launched air strikes against Leros island in the
Dodecanese. On the 14th as the Mad Fleet headed for Alexandria, cruiser "Liverpool" was badly damaged
by a torpedo hit from Italian aircraft.
15th On patrol off Calabria, south west Italy in the Ionian Sea, submarine "RAINBOW" was lost in a gun
action with the Italian submarine "Enrico Toti". At about this time "TRIAD" was probably mined off the Gulf
of Taranto.
18th Air and sea patrols accounted for two Italian submarines to the east of Gibraltar. On the 18th
"DURBO" went down to attacks by destroyers "Firedrake" and "Wrestler" working with RAF London flying
boats of No 202 Squadron.
20th Two days after "Durbo's" sinking, Gibraltarbased destroyers "Gallant", "Griffin" and "Hotspur"
accounted for the "LAFOLE".
Red Sea Area
21st Red Sea convoy BN7 was attacked by Italian destroyers based at Massawa in Eritrea. The escorts,
including New Zealand cruiser "Leander" and the destroyer Kimberley, drove "NULLO" ashore with their
gunfire, where she was destroyed next day by RAF Blenheim light bombers.
NOVEMBER 1940
Fleet Air Arm attack on Taranto (below) Early in the month a complex series of British reinforcement and
supply moves mounted from both ends of the Mediterranean led to the classic air attack on the Italian
battlefleet at Taranto. On the 11th, carrier "Illustrious", escorted by cruisers and destroyers, headed for a
position in the Ionian Sea 170 miles to the southeast of Taranto. All six battleships of the Italian Navy were
at anchor there. That night, two waves of Swordfish biplanes were launched, some belonging to "Eagle".
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One hit each was made on "CONTE DI CAVOUR" and "CAIO DIULIO" and three on the brand new
"LITTORIA". All three battleships sank at their moorings and "Cavour" was never recommissioned, for the
loss of just two Swordfish.
27th Action off Cape Spartivento, Southern Sardinia A fast British convoy sailed eastward from
Gibraltar with ships for Malta and Alexandria. Cover was provided by Force H with battlecruiser "Renown",
carrier "Ark Royal", cruisers "Despatch" and "Sheffield". Meanwhile, units of the Mediterranean Fleet
including "Ramillies" and cruisers "Newcastle", "Berwick" and "Coventry" headed west for a position south of
Sardinia to meet them. Other ships accompanied the two Mediterranean Fleet carriers in separate attacks on
Italian targets "Eagle" on Tripoli, Libya and "Illustrious" on Rhodes off the southwest Turkish coast. These
moves took place on the 26th. Next day, on the 27th, south of Sardinia, aircraft of Force H's "Ark Royal"
sighted an Italian force with two battleships and seven heavy cruisers. Force H, now joined by the Med
Fleet's "Ramillies", sailed to meet them. In an hourlong exchange of gunfire "Renown" and the cruisers were
in action, during which time "Berwick" was damaged and an Italian destroyer badly hit. The slower
"Ramillies" had not come up by the time the Italians turned back for home. Adm Somerville pursued, but as
he approached Italian shores had to turn back himself.
Battle of the Atlantic In North Atlantic operations, Italian submarine "FAA DI BRUNO" was lost in
uncertain circumstances, possibly sunk by British destroyer "Havelock". By the end of the month 26 Italian
submarines were operating out of Bordeaux, but were never as successful as their German ally.
DECEMBER 1940
Late November/early December Submarines "REGULUS" and "TRITON" were lost in late November or
early December, possibly on Italian mines in the Strait of Otranto area at the southern end of the Adriatic
Sea. Alternatively "Regulus" may had been sunk by Italian aircraft on 26th November.
3rd At anchor in the poorly defended Suda Bay, cruiser "Glasgow" was hit by two torpedoes from Italian
aircraft and badly damaged.
13th Cruiser "Coventry" was torpedoed by Italian submarine "Neghelli", but remained operational
14th Also operating in support of the land campaign, destroyers "Hereward" and "Hyperion" sank Italian
submarine "NAIADE" off Bardia, Libya just over the Egyptian border.
Mediterranean Operations Another series of British convoy and offensive operations were carried out by
the Mediterranean Fleet with battleships "Warspite", "Valiant "and carrier "Illustrious". At the same time,
battleship "Malaya" passed through to the west for Gibraltar. On the way, escorting destroyer "HYPERION"
hit a mine near Cape Bon, northeast tip of Tunisia on the 22nd and had to be scuttled.
Mediterranean Theatre after Seven Months A total of nine British submarines had
been lost since June in the Mediterranean, a poor exchange for the sinking of 10
Italian merchantmen of 45,000 tons. In the same time the Italians had lost 18
submarines from all causes throughout the Mediterranean and Red Sea areas.
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Mussolini's claimed domination of the Mediterranean had not been apparent. In spite
of the loss of French naval power, Force H and the Mediterranean Fleet had held the
Italian Navy in check. Malta had been supplied and reinforced, and the British
offensive in North Africa was underway.
Battle of the Atlantic Italian submarine "TARANTINI" returning from North Atlantic patrol was torpedoed
and sunk by submarine "Thunderbolt" on the 15th in the Bay of Biscay.
1941
JANUARY 1941
Air War RAF Wellingtons raided Naples and damaged Italian battleship "Giulio Cesare".
Malta Convoy "Excess" On the 6th, British convoy 'Excess' left Gibraltar for Malta and Greece covered by
Gibraltarbased Force H. By the 10th, 'Excess' had reached the Strait of Sicily and was attacked by Italian
torpedo boats. "VEGA" was sunk by escorting cruiser "Bonaventure" and destroyer "Hereward". As the
Mediterranean Fleet including "Illustrious" met the convoy off the Italianheld island of Pantelleria, screening
destroyer "GALLANT" hit a mine. Towed back to Malta, she was not recommissioned and finally wrecked
by bombing over a year later in April 1942.
19th Destroyer "Greyhound", escorting a convoy to Greece, sank Italian submarine "NEGHELLI" in the
Aegean Sea
Battle of the Atlantic Italian submarine "NANI" attacked a convoy west of North Channel on the 7th and
was sunk by corvette "Anemone"
FEBRUARY 1941
Force H attack in the Gulf of Genoa "Ark Royal," "Renown" and "Malaya" sailed into the Gulf of Genoa,
northwest Italy on the 9th. The big ships bombarded the city of Genoa while "Ark Royal's" aircraft bombed
Leghorn and laid mines off Spezia. An Italian battlefleet sortied but failed to make contact.
25th On patrol off the east coast of Tunisia, submarine "Upright" torpedoed and sank Italian cruiser
"ARMANDO DIAZ" covering a convoy from Naples to Tripoli.
27th After breaking out of Massawa, Eritrea's Red Sea port, Italian armed merchant cruiser "RAMB 1" was
located off the Indian Ocean Maldive Islands and sunk by New Zealand cruiser "Leander".
Battle of the Atlantic Italian submarine "MARCELLO" was believed sunk to the west of the Hebrides
islands, off NW Scotland by exUS destroyer "Montgomery" and other escorts of Liverpoolout convoy
OB287 on the 22nd.
MARCH 1941
6th Italian submarine "ANFITRITE" attacked a British troop convoy bound for Greece, east of Crete and
was sunk by escorting destroyer "Greyhound".
26th At anchor in Suda Bay, northern Crete, heavy cruiser "YORK" was badly damaged by Italian
explosive motor boats and beached. She was later wrecked by bombing and abandoned when Crete was
evacuated in May.
28th Mines laid by submarine "Rorqual" west of Sicily on the 25th, sank two Italian supply ships the next
day and torpedo boat "CHINOTTO" on the 28th.
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28th Battle of Cape Matapan (map above) As ships of the Mediterranean Fleet covered troop
movements to Greece, 'Ultra' intelligence was received reporting the sailing of an Italian battlefleet with one
battleship, six heavy and two light cruisers plus destroyers to attack the convoy routes. On the 27th, Vice
Adm PridhamWippell with cruisers "Ajax", "Gloucester", "Orion" and the Australian "Perth" and destroyers
sailed from Greek waters for a position south of Crete. Adm Cunningham with carrier "Formidable" and
battleships "Warspite", "Barham" and "Valiant "left Alexandria on the same day to meet the cruisers. Around
08.30 on the 28th, south of Crete, Adm PridhamWippell was in action with an Italian cruiser squadron. Just
before noon he found himself between them and the battleship "Vittorio Veneto" which had now come up. An
attack by Swordfish from "Formidable" failed to hit the Italian battleship, but enabled the British cruisers to
extricate themselves.
Mediterranean Fleet heavy units arrived, but their only chance of action was to slow down the Italians before
they could reached Italy. A second Swordfish strike at around 15.00 hit and slowed down "Vittorio Veneto",
but only for a short while. At 19.30 a third strike southwest of Cape Matapan stopped heavy cruiser "Pola".
All this time, RAF aircraft were attacking but without success. Later that evening (still on the 28th), two more
heavy cruisers "Fiume" and "Zara with four destroyers were detached to help "Pola". Before reaching her,
Adm Cunningham's ships detected them by radar and "FIUME", "ZARA" and destroyers "ALFIERI" and
"CARDUCCI" were crippled by the close range gunfire of "Barham", "Valiant" and "Warspite". All four Italians
were finished off by four destroyers led by the Australian "Stuart". Early next morning on the 29th, "POLA"
was found, partly abandoned. After taking off the remaining crew, destroyers "Jervis" and "Nubian" sank her
with torpedoes. The Royal Navy lost one aircraft.
31st Continuing her successes, "Rorqual" torpedoed and sank submarine "CAPPONI" off northeast Sicily.
31st Cruiser "BONAVENTURE" with a Mediterranean Fleet cruiser force escorting a convoy from Greece to
Egypt, was torpedoed and sunk to the southeast of Crete by Italian submarine "Ambra"
APRIL 1941
East Africa On the Red Sea coast of Italian East Africa, the capture of Eritrea was completed when
Asmara was occupied on the 1st and the port of Massawa on the 8th. 3rd Leading up to the capture of
Massawa, the eight surviving Italian destroyers and torpedo boats were lost or scuttled. On the 3rd, five
seaworthy destroyers sailed to attack Port Sudan, Sudan further north along the Red Sea shore. Shore
based Swordfish from carrier "Eagle" sank "MANIN" and "SAURO". 8th Before the final scuttling at
Massawa, Italian MTB MAS213 torpedoed and damaged cruiser "Capetown" escorting a convoy off
Massawa. Four Italian submarines did manage to escape and eventually reached Bordeaux, France after
sailing around Africa.
16th Action of Sfax, Tunisia Capt P. J. Mack with destroyers "Janus", "Jervis", "Mohawk" and "Nubian"
sailing from Malta intercepted a German Afrika Korps convoy of five transports escorted by three Italian
destroyers off Kerkennah Islands, east of Tunisia. All Axis ships were sunk including the destroyers
"BALENO" (foundered next day), "LAMPO" (later salvaged) and "TARIGO". In the fighting "MOHAWK" was
torpedoed by "Tarigo" and had to be scuttled.
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MAY 1941
Late April/early May Two submarines operating out of Malta were lost, possibly in Italian minefields
"USK" in the Strait of Sicily area and "UNDAUNTED" off Tripoli. "Usk" may have been sunk by Italian
destroyers west of Sicily while attacking a convoy.
2nd Returning to Malta with cruiser "Gloucester" and other destroyers from a search for Axis convoys,
"JERSEY" was mined and sunk in the entrance to Valletta's Grand Harbour.
21st In the opening stages of the attack on Crete, cruiser minelayer "Abdiel" laid mines off the west coast
of Greece sinking Italian destroyer "MIRABELLO" and two transports.
21st May1st June Battle for Crete Most of the Mediterranean Fleet with four battleships, one carrier, 10
cruisers and 30 destroyers fought the Battle for Crete. There were two phases, both of which take place
under intense air attack, mainly German but also Italian, from which all British losses resulted.
JUNE 1941
North Africa Another unsuccessful British offensive to relieve Tobruk started from Sollum on the 15th
(Operation 'Battleaxe'). Within two days the operation was called off. A heavy price had to be paid for the
supply of besieged Tobruk by the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy ships involved. All trips take place
under continual threat of German and Italian aircraft attack: 24th Sloop "AUCKLAND" was lost off Tobruk.
30th Australian destroyer "WATERHEN" was bombed and sunk off Bardia.
27th Submarine "Triumph" on patrol off the Egyptian coast sank the Italian submarine "SALPA".
Battle of the Atlantic Italian submarine "GLAUCO" was scuttled west of Gibraltar on the 27th after being
damaged by destroyer "Wishart".
JULY 1941
5th Submarine "Torbay" on patrol in the Aegean Sea sank Italian submarine "JANTINA".
11th On the Tobruk Run, destroyer "DEFENDER" was bombed by German or Italian aircraft and went down
off Sidi Barrani.
20th Two more British submarines fall victim to Italian antisubmarine forces during convoy attacks in July
the first was "UNION" to torpedo boat "Circe" off Pantelleria.
21st24th Malta Convoy, Operation 'Substance' 'Substance' set out from Gibraltar with six transports
covered by Force H with "Ark Royal", battlecruiser "Renown", cruisers and destroyers. Battleship "Nelson",
three cruisers and more destroyers reinforced Force H from the Home Fleet. On the 23rd, south of Sardinia,
sustained Italian air attacks started. Cruiser "Manchester" was hit and destroyer "FEARLESS" sunk by
aircraft torpedoes. Next day the transports reached Malta safely. On the 26th the Italians launched an attack
on Grand Harbour with explosive motorboats, human torpedoes and aircraft, but failed to reached the
recently arrived ships.
30th The second Royal Navy submarine loss to Italian antisubmarine forces during convoy attacks was
"CACHALOT" while on passage from Malta to Alexandria, rammed by torpedo boat "Papa".
AUGUST 1941
Malta Convoy Operation 'Style' Early in the month, two cruisers, cruiserminelayer "Manxman" and two
destroyers successfully carried reinforcements and supplies from Gibraltar to Malta. On the way, cruiser
"Hermione" rammed and sank Italian submarine "TEMBIEN" southwest of Sicily on the 2nd.
18th Submarine "P32" was lost on mines off Tripoli as she attempts to attack a convoy entering the port.
"P.33" was also lost around the same time in this area, possibly on mines.
26th As an Italian battlefleet returned from a sortie against Force H, submarine “Triumph” torpedoed and
damaged heavy cruiser "Bolzano" north of Sicily.
Battle of the Atlantic Submarine "Severn" on patrol for Uboats attacking HG convoys west of Gibraltar,
torpedoed and sank Italian submarine "BIANCHI" on the 7th.
SEPTEMBER 1941
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24th28th Malta Convoy: Operation 'Halberd' 'Halberd' sailed from Gibraltar with nine transports. Force
H, reinforced from the Home Fleet, included "Nelson", "Rodney" and "Prince of Wales" and air cover from
"Ark Royal". On the 26th the Italians sailed to intercept but returned to base next day. South of Sardinia on
the 27th, "Nelson" was damaged by an Italian aircraft torpedo, and at the end of the day Force H turned
back for Gibraltar. Convoy and escort went on to reach Malta on the 28th minus one transport lost to air
attack. As Force H returned, screening destroyers "Gurkha" and "Legion" sank Italian submarine "ADUA" off
the coast of Algeria on the 30th.
27th Submarine "Upright" sank Italian torpedo boat "ALBATROS" off Messina, northeast Sicily.
28th Corvette "Hyacinth" on patrol off Jaffa, Palestine, sank Italian submarine "FISALIA".
Battle of the Atlantic
8th As Italian submarines patrolled to the west of Portugal for HG convoys, "BARACCA" was depth
charged and rammed by destroyer "Croome". A second Italian submarine may have been sunk later in the
month.
21st Destroyer "Vimy" claimed to have sunk Italian submarine "MALASPINA" during attacks on
Gibraltar/UK convoy HG73. She may have been lost earlier through unknown causes.
OCTOBER 1941
20th Mines previously laid by submarine "Rorqual" in the Gulf of Athens sank Italian torpedo boats
"ALDEBARAN" and "ALTAIR".
Late October Submarine "TETRARCH" sailed from Malta for Gibraltar but fails to arrive, presumed lost in
the Italian minefields in the Strait of Sicily.
Battle of the Atlantic Two escorts and two Uboats were lost in attacks on the UK/Gibraltar convoy routes.
One of the submarines was the Italian "FERRARIS" on the 25th, damaged by a RAF Catalina of No 202
Squadron and sent to the bottom by the gunfire of escort destroyer "Lamerton".
NOVEMBER 1941
9th Action off Cape Spartivento, Southwest Italy RAF reports of an Italian convoy in the Ionian Sea
making for North Africa led to British cruiser Force K sailing from Malta. The convoy consisted of seven
transports escorted by six destroyers, with a distant cruiser covering force. Early in the morning every one
of the transports and destroyer "FULMINE" were sent to the bottom. Later, while rescuing survivors,
destroyer "LIBECCIO" was sunk by submarine "Upholder".
DECEMBER 1941
Declarations of War In a series of diplomatic moves, numerous declarations of war were made, including
11th13th Germany, Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary against the United States.
1st Maltabased Force K searching for Axis shipping encountered Italian destroyer “DA MOSTA” north of
Tripoli. She was sunk by cruisers “Aurora” and “Penelope” and destroyer “Lively”.
6th Submarine “PERSEUS” on patrol off the west coast of Greece was mined and sunk off Zante Island.
11th Submarine “Truant” sank Italian torpedo boat “ALCIONE” north of Crete. On the same day escort
destroyer “Farndale” on passage sighted and sank Italian submarine “CARACCIOLA” on a supply trip from
Bardia on the Libyan side of the border with Egypt.
13th Action off Cape Bon, Tunisia Destroyers “Legion”, “Maori”, “Sikh” and Dutch “lsaac Sweers” sailed
from Gibraltar to join the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria. Off Cape Bon, Tunisia they sighted two Italian
6in cruisers, “DA BARBIANO” and “DI GIUSSANO” returning from an aborted mission to carry a deck cargo
of petrol to Tripoli. In a short night action and without being seen, the destroyers quickly sank both cruisers
with gunfire and torpedoes. Italian loss of life was heavy.
13th20th First Battle of Sirte and Related Actions Italian convoy operations to Libya led to major Royal
Navy losses over just a few days. A first Axis convoy bound for Benghazi set out on the 13th, covered by
an Italian battlefleet. On receiving the news, RearAdm Vian left Alexandria with a cruiser force to join up
with Force K from Malta. On the evening of the 14th, submarine “Urge” torpedoed and damaged battleship
“Vittorio Veneto” off the Sicilian Strait of Messina and the Italians cancelled that operation. The cruiser
forces returned to their bases but as they did Adm Vian's “GALATEA” was sunk by “U557” and went down
off Alexandria. Adm Vian went out again late on the 15th to escort fast supply ship “Breconshire” from
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Alexandria to Malta. On the 17th they met Force K off the Gulf of Sirte, and shortly encountered Italian
battleships covering a second convoy, this time to Tripoli. The two cruiser forces attacked and the Italians
withdrew in what became known as the First Battle of Sirte. “Breconshire” reached Malta on the 18th and
Force K left harbour to search for the second convoy still making for Tripoli. Early on the 19th off Tripoli, the
British force ran into an Italian minefield. Cruiser “NEPTUNE” hit three or four mines and sank with only one
man surviving. “Aurora” was badly damaged and “Penelope” slightly. Trying to assist “Neptune”, destroyer
“KANDAHAR” was mined and had to be scuttled the following day. Out of a three cruiser and four destroyer
force, only three destroyers escaped damage.
19th That morning three Italian human torpedoes launched from submarine “Scire” (Cdr Borghese)
penetrated Alexandria harbour. Their charges badly damaged battleships “Queen Elizabeth” with Adm
Cunningham on board and “Valiant”. They both settled to the bottom and the Mediterranean Fleet battle
squadron ceased to exist. News of the sinking was kept from the Italians.
1942
JANUARY 1942
Early January Submarine "TRIUMPH" sailed from Alexandria on 26th December for a cloakanddagger
landing near Athens before patrolling in the Aegean. She reported the landing on the 30th, but failed to
rendezvous back there on the 9th and was presumed mined off the island of Milo, southeast of the Greek
mainland.
5th Italian submarine "SAINTBON" was torpedeod and sunk north of Sicily by submarine "Upholder".
Malta During the month, Malta was resupplied by three small convoys coming from the east. During this
period the Italian Navy had escorted two substantial convoys to North Africa in time for Rommel's next
offensive. Malta continued to be heavily bombed for many months by the German and Italian Air Forces.
30th The second Italian submarine loss in the month was "MEDUSA", torpedoed by "Thorn" in the Gulf of
Venice, in the far north of the Adriatic.
FEBRUARY 1942
13th Two Royal Navy submarines were lost. The first was "TEMPEST" which torpedoed a supply ship off
the Gulf of Taranto but was depthcharged by the escorts including Italian torpedo boat "Circe", brought to
the surface and soon sunk.
23rd Ten days later "P38" attacked a heavily defended convoy off Tripoli and was also lost to the escorts'
counterattack which again included Italian torpedo boat "Circe".
MARCH 1942
14th Italian submarine "MILLO" was sunk off Calabria in the Ionian Sea by submarine "Ultimatum". Two
more were lost to British "U" class submarines
17th The second was "GUGLIELMOTTI" also off Calabria, by "Unbeaten".
18th Finally "TRICHECO" went down off Brindisi in the southern Adriatic torpedoed by "Upholder".
22nd Second Battle of Sirte (map left) Adm Vian sailed on the 20th from Alexandria with four fast supply
ships for Malta escorted by cruisers "Cleopatra", "Dido", "Euryalus" and "Carlisle" plus destroyers. Early on
the 22nd, Italian battleship "Littorio" with two heavy and one light cruiser plus destroyers headed for the
British force. In the early afternoon the Italians were sighted to the north, just off the Gulf of Sirte. The four
main phases of the battle lasted for a total of four hours. For much of this time the convoy was heavily
attacked from the air. Starting around 15.00: (1) The three Italian cruisers were driven off in a longrange
gunnery duel with the Royal Navy's 5.25in "Dido" class cruisers. (2) The Italian cruisers returned, this time
with "Littorio". A series of attacks out of the smoke by cruisers and destroyers held them off. (3) Contrary to
Adm Vian's expectations, the Italians worked around the smokescreen to the west, suddenly appearing only
eight miles away. Torpedo attacks by four destroyers were unsuccessful, and "Havock" was disabled by a
15in shell. (4) The Italian force continued trying to get round the smoke and, in another destroyer torpedo
attack, it was "Kingston's" turn to receive a 15in hit. As the Italians turned north and away, the British
cruisers went in one last time.
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Just after the battle, severe storms damaged ships of both sides and on the 23rd two of the returning Italian
destroyers foundered east of Sicily. As for the convoy, all four transports including the "Breconshire" were
lost to air attack, two off Malta and two in harbour before much of their cargo could be offloaded. As the
Hunt class "SOUTHWOLD" stood by "Breconshire" on the 24th, she hit a mine and sank off the island. And
on the 26th the returned destroyer "LEGION" and submarine "P39" were lost in airraids.
APRIL 1942
1st Submarine "Urge" sank Italian cruiser "BANDE NERE" north of Sicily. This was a welcome success in
a month that saw heavy Royal Navy losses including "Urge" herself.
Malta By now Malta had almost ceased to be of any value as a base for attacking Rommel's supply lines,
and most of his transports were getting through. The German and Italian bombing led to the loss, directly
and indirectly, of numerous ships including four destroyers and four submarines. 1st Submarines "P36"
and "PANDORA" were sunk in Malta and others of the 10th Flotilla damaged. "Pandora" had only recently
arrived from Gibraltar on a supply trip. 4th Greek submarine "GLAVKOS" was also sunk in Malta. 5th
Destroyer "GALLANT" wrecked in Malta. She was badly damaged in January 1941 and had not been
repaired. 6th A number of ships managed to escape. "HAVOCK" tried to reach Gibraltar but ran aground
and was wrecked near Cape Bon, Tunisia. She was later torpedoed by an Italian submarine. 9th Destroyer
"LANCE" in dry dock in Malta was badly damaged and never repaired. 11th Destroyer "KINGSTON" was
bombed and sunk in harbour.
14th 10th Flotilla lost its most famous boat when "UPHOLDER" (LtCdr Wanklyn VC) was lost. She
attacked a convoy northeast of Tripoli and was presumed sunk in the counterattack by destroyer escort
"Pegaso".
27th By this time the 10th Submarine Flotilla had been ordered to leave Malta. "URGE" sailed for
Alexandria on the 27th, but failed to arrive, probably lost in an Italian minefield.
MAY 1942
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29th In a series of attacks on convoys bound for North Africa, submarine "Turbulent" sank three transports
in May and on the 29th torpedoed and sank escorting Italian destroyer "PESSAGNO" northwest of
Benghazi.
JUNE 1942
12th16th Malta Convoys 'Harpoon' from Gibraltar, 'Vigorous' from Alexandria Six escorted
merchantmen passed through the Strait of Gibraltar covered by battleship "Malaya", carriers "Argus" and
"Eagle", cruisers "Kenya", "Charybdis", "Liverpool" and destroyers this force comprised Operation
'Harpoon'. Attacks by Italian aircraft on the 14th led to the first merchant ship going down south of Sardinia.
"Liverpool" was also damaged and had to return. Later that day at the entrance to the Strait of Sicily, the big
ship cover force turned back. In the morning of the 15th, south of Pantelleria, an Italian twocruiser squadron
in conjunction with Italian and German aircraft attacked the bynow lightly defended convoy. The five
escorting fleet destroyers headed for the Italians, but "Bedouin" and "Partridge" were disabled by gunfire.
Three more merchantmen were lost to bombing attacks and Italian torpedo aircraft finished off BEDOUIN.
Later that evening, as the seriously depleted convoy approached Malta, it ran into an Italian minefield. Two
destroyers and the fifth supply ship were damaged, but Polish escort destroyer KUJAWIAK was sunk. Just
two of 'Harpoon's' six ships reached Malta for the loss of two destroyers and serious damage to three more
and a cruiser.
Meanwhile, the Operation 'Vigorous' force of 11 ships and their escorts sailed from Haifa and Port Said,
and were met on the 13th off Tobruk by Adm Vian with seven light cruisers and 17 destroyers. By the 14th,
two ships had been lost to air attacks and two more damaged. That evening Vian learnt an Italian battlefleet
with two battleships, two heavy and two light cruisers plus destroyers had sailed south from Taranto. The
chances of driving them off were slim. Early on the 15th the first of five (15) course reversals were made as
'Vigorous' tried to break through to Malta. As the convoy now headed back (1), German Eboats from Derna
launched torpedo strikes. Cruiser "Newcastle" was damaged by "S56" and destroyer HASTY sunk by "S
55". Around 07.00, when the Italian fleet was 200 miles to the northwest, the convoy turned back for Malta
(2). Attacks by Maltabased aircraft were made on the main Italian fleet without serious effect, although they
disabled heavy cruiser "TRENTO" which was finished off by submarine "Umbra". Between 09.40 and noon
on the 15th, two more course reversals (3 & 4) were made so that once again the convoy was bound for
Malta. All afternoon air attacks were mounted; and south of Crete, cruiser "Birmingham" was damaged and
escort destroyer AIREDALE sunk by Ju87 Stukas. The convoy was now down to six ships when Australian
destroyer "Nestor" was badly damaged. That evening 'Vigorous' finally turned back for Alexandria (course
reversal 5). Now into the early hours of the 16th, cruiser HERMIONE was torpedoed and sunk by "U205"
and NESTOR had to be scuttled. At this time, as the Italian fleet headed back for Taranto, a RAF Wellington
from Malta torpedoed and damaged battleship "Littorio". None of the 'Vigorous' ships reached Malta. One
cruiser, three destroyers and two merchant ships had been lost in the attempt.
on to Part 2, Italian Navy at War, 194245
back to Campaigns of World War 2
revised 8/7/11
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