I
The Second World War, during its first two years and four months, failed to produce a single decisive encounter between powerful, well-balanced naval forces. A great deal of bitter sea fighting took place, but not once did the main fleets of any of the belligerents meet in conclusive battle. Activity in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic, and Black Sea was largely confined to countless aero-naval battles and repeated clashes between submarines and escort craft. There were, nevertheless, a few surface engagements, some of them very hotly contested and others mere running actions in which neither side suffered to any great extent.
The paucity of regular naval battles was primarily due, of course, to Britain’s enormous lead in capital ships, cruisers, and destroyers over the combined navies of Germany and Italy. These latter, on the other hand, possessed a considerable superiority in submarines and aircraft, and it was only natural that they should turn to these weapons in an effort to whittle down Britain’s overwhelming surface strength and to attack her vital merchant shipping.
Excluding very minor clashes involving nothing as large as destroyers on both sides, the Royal Navy engaged in some 36 surface actions with German and Italian warships. Twenty Anglo-German and 16 Anglo-Italian sea encounters are listed in the two tables which accompany this paper.
Britain’s warships won 13 and lost 6 of their battles with the German Navy. The remaining action, that between the Australian cruiser Sydney and the Nazi raider Kormoran, might be considered a drawn affair inasmuch as both ships were sunk. The fact, however, that the Kormoran was merely an armed merchantman and her adversary a regular cruiser would seem to place this strange battle in the list of German victories.
In these actions the Royal Navy lost the battle cruiser Hood, the aircraft carrier Glorious, the cruiser Sydney, the armed merchant cruisers Rawalpindi, Jervis Bay, and Voltaire, and 5 destroyers—a total of 11 warships of some 122,000 tons. Germany lost her superdreadnought Bismarck, “pocket battleship” or armored cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, armed raiders Pinguin and Kormoran, escort vessel Bremse, and 11 destroyers—a total of 16 ships of about 95,000 tons.
Britain won all of her engagements with Italy’s vaunted Regia Marina. These victories cost her only one destroyer—the 1,870-ton Mohawk. The Italians, for their part, lost the heavy cruisers Fiume, Pola, and Zara, three and possibly four light cruisers, the armed raider Ramb Primo, and 16 destroyers, including 4 small ones officially classed as torpedo boats.
A careful study of the accompanying tables will bring out the fact that the stronger force was generally victorious. Where the reverse was true the element of surprise or of chance was almost invariably present and proved a decisive factor. It is unlikely that any very great difference existed between the relative efficiency and courage of the British, German, and Italian personnel, although the Royal Navy’s tradition of the offensive undoubtedly played an important part in a number of its successes. The German and Italian tendency to avoid decisive action was certainly not due to cowardice, as many laymen seem to think, but rather to fear of losing material. Germany and Italy had relatively few battleships and cruisers and their naval staffs naturally hesitated to risk them needlessly against a superior concentration.
II
The first surface action of the war, the gallant fight of the British armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi against the German “pocket battleship” Deutschland and light cruiser Emden was quite definitely a battle between unequal forces and one in which the stronger side obtained an easy victory. The sinking off Trondheim of the destroyer Glowworm by the Nazi cruiser Admiral Hipper, the destruction two months later of the aircraft carrier Glorious by an enemy squadron which included the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the brave fight of the merchant cruiser Jervis Bay against a powerful German warship were all British defeats due solely to the enemy’s greater strength.
The Royal Navy’s defeat in the Battle of Denmark Strait cannot, however, be attributed to the enemy’s having a superior force, for the British squadron on that occasion was, on paper at least, fully twice as strong as the German. The quick destruction of the Hood was due primarily to a lucky hit. The Bismarck's excellent shooting and the Hood's inferior protection were important contributory factors, but luck, pure and simple, was the main cause of this sensational German victory. It is very good gunnery to hit a fast-moving ship at over 20,000 yards, but it is almost incredible luck to hit it in a vital spot with the first few salvos.
Other Anglo-German actions in which a lucky hit was a prime cause of success were the defeat of the Graf Spee off the River Plate and the brief, long-range battle off Norway between the Renown and Scharnhorst. In both of these actions early British hits, made at extreme ranges, damaged the enemy’s central fire control, compelling him to resort to local turret control with consequent loss in accuracy and rapidity of gunfire.
The First Battle of Narvik, fought between 5 British and 8 German destroyers, must be considered a defeat for the Germans despite the fact that it was the British who eventually had to retire with the loss of two boats. In this stirring action the British destroyers, utilizing to the utmost the advantage afforded by surprise, steamed boldly into Narvikfjord where they sank two enemy destroyers, severely damaged three others, and smashed most of the supply vessels which the German flotilla was guarding. The Second Narvik Battle, fought three days later, resulted in the complete annihilation of the German destroyer flotilla. Overwhelming force was primarily responsible for this success, although the element of surprise again played a part.
The destruction of the Bismarck by air and surface units of the Home Fleet offers what is probably the finest example of aero-naval co-operation. The Bismarck, capable of some 30 knots, was first slowed down by aerial torpedoes launched by planes from the carriers Victorious and Ark Royal, then further and very seriously damaged by a daring night attack by four destroyers, and finally blasted into a helpless wreck by the 14-inch and 16-inch guns of the battleships King George V and Rodney. Even this fearful punishment, inflicted at very close range, did not suffice to send the Bismarck to the bottom, however, and the cruiser Dorsetshire had to ram home several torpedoes before the blazing hulk slid beneath the waves.
Superior British light forces on two occasions routed German destroyers in the Channel and on a third annihilated a convoy and its warship escort off the Norwegian coast. In the first Channel action the Germans got away with little or no damage, but in the second at least one of their destroyers was badly hit. H.M.S. Javelin, leader of the British flotilla in this action, was damaged by a torpedo fired by one of the fleeing enemy units.
Several German commerce raiders, including a regular warship, were brought to action by the Royal Navy in various parts of the world. Two of them, the auxiliary cruisers Pinguin and Kormoran, were sunk in the Indian Ocean by H.M.S. Cornwall and H.M.A.S. Sydney, although the latter apparently paid with her own life for her victory over the Kormoran. Two other raiders, unidentified, were engaged in running battles in the South Atlantic by the armed merchant cruisers Alcantara and Carnarvon Castle, neither of which, unfortunately, possessed sufficient speed to overtake the fleeing Germans. The Carnarvon Castle was heavily hit and probably suffered greater damage in the action than did her opponent. An enemy cruiser, believed to be either the Admiral Scheer or Admiral Hipper, was briefly engaged by H.M.S. Berwick when she attempted to attack a convoy under the latter’s escort. The German broke off the action after being hit by one of the Berwick's 8-inch shells and disappeared into the North Atlantic mists.
III
Half of the engagements between the British and Italian navies were fought at night. They were, with few exceptions, brief, desperate battles in which guns and torpedoes were employed with deadly effect at very close range. The daylight encounters, on the other hand, frequently developed into long-range, running actions in which no great damage was inflicted by either side. In ten of its engagements with Italian warships the Royal Navy possessed the superior force. Half of these actions were fought during daylight hours when the elements of surprise and chance were not so apt to be present. The Italians had a superior force in three night encounters. In the remaining three battles, all of them day affairs, the opposing forces appear to have been fairly equal.
The first Anglo-Italian surface clash took place on June 27—just 17 days after Italy entered the war. On that date 3 Italian destroyers encountered a British force consisting of several cruisers and destroyers. The odds were overwhelmingly in favor of the British and the Italians naturally attempted to escape. Two of their destroyers got away, but one, the Espero, was sunk by the Australian cruiser Sydney after a most heroic resistance.
Four other actions, two of them night battles, saw one or more British cruisers, accompanied by destroyers, arrayed against very inferior enemy light forces. Two Italian destroyers and a torpedo boat, as well as a considerable number of large and small transports, were sunk in these one-sided engagements.
One of the most interesting and bitterly contested Anglo-Italian clashes took place the night of April IS, 1941. Four powerfully armed British destroyers attacked a convoy of five enemy supply ships escorted by two destroyers and a torpedo boat. The Italians, taken completely by surprise, fought back savagely and their destroyer Luca Tarigo put two torpedoes into H.M.S. Mohawk before she herself went down in flames. The Italians were badly defeated, but only after a very spirited fight against double their strength.
Other British successes over weaker Italian forces were the sinking of two torpedo boats by H.M.S. Ajax, the destruction of the destroyer Francesco Nullo by H.M.S. Kimberley, and the sinking of the armed raider Ramb Primo by the New Zealand cruiser Leander.
Overwhelming British strength, particularly in aircraft and battleships, together with almost incredibly poor Italian luck, made possible the great victory off Cape Matapan. The details of this extremely freakish engagement are too well known to require repetition here. Suffice to say that the Italian Navy suffered a disaster of major proportions, losing 3 fine, heavy cruisers and 2 destroyers and having its new dreadnought Vittorio Veneto and a light cruiser severely damaged.
The Royal Navy defeated superior Italian forces in three night actions. In the first of these H.M.S. Ajax routed a heavy cruiser and 4 destroyers, severely battering one of the latter. The Ajax was, indeed, the wing ship of the British cruiser screen. Several cruisers hurried to her assistance, but arrived too late to take any part in the action.
Surprise and daring were responsible for Britain’s other successes over superior Italian forces. In the action of November 9, 1941, the light cruisers Aurora and Penelope and two destroyers carried out their attack with such suddenness that the escorting Italian cruisers Trento and Trieste apparently never fired a shot. The British force completed its mission and slipped away into the darkness before the Italians knew what was happening and could take effective countermeasures. The action off Cape Bon the following month was even more brilliantly fought. On this occasion three British and one Netherlands destroyer rushed in to close range and torpedoed two Italian light cruisers before the enemy suspected their presence.
Three day actions between more or less equal forces took place in the latter part of 1940. The first of these was the Battle of Calabria; the second was the cruiser duel off Cape Spada, Crete; and the third was the inconclusive engagement off Cape Teulada, Sardinia. At both Calabria and Cape Teulada the Italian Fleet retired at full speed after brief cruiser engagements. The enemy’s withdrawals were probably dictated by strict orders not to risk the capital ships in decisive battle. The Regia Marina has always dreaded losing material and its High Command, especially during the early months of the war, appeared to be definitely committed to the “fleet in being” theory. This policy is not without its advantages, but it has never won control of the seas, for successful warfare cannot be waged without incurring risks and losses.
The sinking of the Bartolomeo Colleoni by the Sydney can be attributed to superior British gunnery and to the very fragile construction of the Italian cruiser, which in reality was little more than a glorified destroyer with a light cruiser’s armament.
Summarizing the Anglo-Italian actions, it is clear that Britain’s numerous victories were due, in most cases, to overwhelming strength, and in the remaining ones to the elements of surprise and chance and the adoption of daring offensive tactics in night fighting.
Anglo-German Naval Actions (Nov. 23, 1939-Nov. 19, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
German force |
Remarks |
Nov. 23, 39 |
S.W. of Iceland |
Rawalpindi1 |
Deutschland,2 Emden3 |
Rawalpindi sunk with loss of 283 lives. |
Dec. 13, 39 |
Off River Plate, Uruguay |
Exeter4 Ajax5 Achilles6 |
Graf Spee2 |
Graf Spee defeated and forced into Montevideo; Exeter badly damaged. |
Apr. 8, 40 |
Off Trondheim, Norway |
Glowworm7 |
Ilippcr8 2-4 destroyers |
Glowworm sunk. |
Apr. 9, 40 |
Off North Norway |
Renown9 Destroyers |
Scharnhorsl10 Hipper8 |
Germans fled with damage to Scharnhorst. |
Apr. 10, 40 |
Narvikfjord, Norway |
Hardy11 Havock12 Hostile12 Hotspur12 Hunter12 |
8 destroyers13 (supply ships) |
2 German destroyers14 and 8 supply ships sunk; 3 destroyers damaged. H.M.S. Hardy and Hunter lost; Hostile and Havock damaged. |
Apr. 13, 40 |
Same as above |
Warspite15 9 destroyers16 |
8 destroyers17 |
All German destroyers sunk; H.M.S. Cossack and Eskimo damaged. |
June 8, 40 |
Off North Norway |
Glorious18 Acosta,19 Ardent19 |
Scharnhorsl10 Gneisenau10 Cruisers20 Destroyers |
All British ships sunk; no German losses. |
1. Armed merchant cruiser, 16,697 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 17 knots.
2. Armored cruiser, 10,000 tons, six 11-in. and eight 5.9-in. guns, 26 knots.
3. Light cruiser, 5,400 tons, eight 5.9-in. guns, 29 knots.
4. Heavy cruiser, 8,390 tons, six 8-in. guns, 32 knots.
5. Light cruiser, 6,985 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
6. New Zealand light cruiser, 7,030 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
7. Destroyer, 1,345 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and ten 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
8. Heavy cruiser, 10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns. 32 knots.
9. Battle cruiser, 32,000 tons, six 15-in. guns, 29 knots.
10. Battleship, 26,000 tons, nine 11-in. guns, 29-30 knots.
11. Flotilla leader, 1,505 tons, five 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
12. Destroyer, 1,340 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
13. Of Leberecht Maass and Diether von Roeder classes, 1,625 and 1,811 tons, respectively, five 5-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
14. Wilhelm Heidkamp and Anion Schmitt, each 1,811 tons.
15. Battleship, 30,600 tons, eight 15-in. guns, 24 knots.
16. Bedouin, Cossack, Eskimo, Punjabi, 1,870 tons, eight 4.7-in. guns and four 21-in T.T., 36.5 knots; Kimberley, 1,690 tons, six 4.7-in. guns and ten 21-in. T.T., 36 knots; Hero, Foxhound, and Icarus, 1,340-1,370 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T. (except Icarus, ten 21-in. T.T.), 36 knots.
17. Hans Liidemann, Hermann Künne, Diether von Roeder, 1,811 tons; Erich Giese, Erich Kollner, Bernd von Arnim, Georg Thiele, Wolfgang Zenker, 1,625 tons.
18. Aircraft carrier, 22,500 tons, 48 planes, 30.5 knots.
19. Destroyer, 1,350 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
20. Four or five, including armored cruisers Lützow (ex-Deutschland) and Admiral Sclieer (see note 2 for both ships).
Anglo-German Naval Actions—Continued (Nov. 23, 1939-Nov. 19, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
German force |
Remarks |
July 28, 40 |
South Atlantic |
Alcantara21 |
Armed raider22 |
German ship fled with damage; Alcantara hit by 3 shells. |
Oct. 17, 40 |
SW. of Land’s End |
Cruiser Destroyers |
4 destroyers |
Germans fled with little or no damage. |
Nov. 5, 40 |
North Atlantic |
Jervis Bay23 (37 merchantmen) |
Cruiser24 |
Jervis Bay and 4-5 merchantmen sunk. |
Nov. 29, 40 |
English Channel |
Destroyers25 |
3 destroyers |
Germans escaped with damage. H.M.S. Javelin26 hit by torpedo. |
Dec. 5, 40 |
South Atlantic |
Carnarvon Castle27 |
Armed raider28 |
German escaped with damage; Carnarvon Castle hit by 22 shells. |
Dec. 25, 40 |
North Atlantic |
Berwick29 Other units (convoy) |
Cruiser24 |
German fled after 1 hit; Berwick sightly damaged. |
Apr. 3, 41 |
? |
Voltaire30 |
Raider31 |
Voltaire sunk. |
May 8, 41 |
Indian Ocean |
Cornwall29 |
Pinguin32 |
Pinguin sunk after sharp action. |
May 24, 41 |
Denmark Strait |
Hood33 Prince of Wales34 Norfolk35 Suffolk29 |
Bismarck36 Print Eugen8 |
Hood sunk, Prince of Wales damaged; Bismarck and Prim Eugen slightly damaged. |
May 27, 41 |
400-500 miles W. of Brest, France |
Cossack37 Maori37 Sikh37 Zulu37 |
Bismarck36 |
Bismarck severely damaged by 2 torpedo hits scored by Cossack and Maori. |
21. Armed merchant cruiser, 22,209 tons, 6-in. guns, 18.S knots.
22. Identity unknown, but faster than H.M.S. Alcantara.
23. Armed merchant cruiser, 14,164 tons, six 6-in. guns, 16 knots.
24. Identity uncertain; possibly armored cruiser Admiral Scheer (note 2) or heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper (note 8).
25. Probably at least four in number.
26. Leader of British flotilla, 1,690 tons, six 4.7-in. guns and ten 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
27. Armed merchant cruiser, 20,063 tons, 6-in. guns, 17 knots.
28. Identity unknown, but faster than H.M.S. Carnarvon Castle.
29. Heavy cruiser, 10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 31.S knots.
30. Armed merchant cruiser, 13,245 tons, 6-in. guns.
31. Identity unknown; may have been a regular warship, possibly armored cruiser Admiral Scheer (note 2) or merely an armed merchantman.
32. Armed raider, believed to be former SS. Hansa, 21, 131 tons, 20 knots.
33. Battle cruiser, 42,100 tons, eight 15-in. guns, 31 knots.
34. Battleship, 35,000 tons, ten 14-in. guns, 30 knots plus.
35. Heavy cruiser, 9,925 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 32.25 knots.
36. Battleship 35,000 tons plus, eight 15-in. guns, 30 knots.
37. Destroyer, 1,870 tons, eight 4.7-in. guns and four 21-in. T.T., 36.5 knots.
Anglo-German Naval Actions—Continued (Nov. 23, 1939-Nov. 19, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
German force |
Remarks |
May 27, 41 |
Same as above |
King George V34 Rodney38 Cruisers Destroyers |
Bismarck36 |
Bismarck sunk with heavy loss of life; Rodney damaged. |
Sept. ?, 41 |
Off North Norway |
Cruiser 2 destroyers |
Light units (convoy) |
1 German destroyer, escort vessel Bremse,39 and several supply ships sunk. |
Nov. 19, 41 |
Indian Ocean |
Sydney40 |
Kormoran41 |
Kormoran sunk; Sydney badly damaged and disappeared without trace. |
38. Battleship, 33,900 tons, nine 16-in. guns, 23 knots.
39. Former gunnery training ship, 1,460 tons, four S-in. guns, 27 knots.
40. Australian light cruiser, 6,830 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
41. Armed raider (ex-SS. Steiermark), 9,400 tons, 5.9-in. guns, 19-20 knots.
Anglo-Italian Naval Actions (June 27, 1940-Dec. 13, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
Italian force |
Remarks |
June 27, 40 |
Sicilian Channel |
Cruisers1 Destroyers |
3 destroyers2 |
Italian Espero sunk; others escaped. |
July 9, 40 |
Ionian Sea, off coast of Calabria |
Warspite3 Malaya4 Eagle5 Cruisers6 Destroyers7 |
Conte di Cavour8 Giulio Cesarc8 Cruisers9 Destroyers10 |
Italians fled with loss of destroyer Zeffiro2 and damage to a battleship and cruiser. |
July 19, 40 |
NW. of Cape Spada, Crete |
Sydney11 5 destroyers12 |
B. Collconi13 Bande Nere13 |
Bartolomeo Collconi sunk; Bande Nere escaped with damage. |
1. Number unknown, but included Australian Sydney, 6,830 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
2. Of Turbine class, 1,073 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and six 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
3. Battleship, 30,600 tons, eight 15-in. guns, 24 knots.
4. Battleship, 31,100 tons, similar to Warspite, above.
5. Aircraft carrier, 22,600 tons, 21 planes, 24 knots.
6. At least five, among them 9,400-ton Gloucester (twelve 6-in. guns, 32.3 knots) and Australian Sydney (note 1).
7. Probably 15-20, among them Hyperion, Havock, Ilex, and Australian Stuart, Voyager, and Vampire.
8. Battleship, 23,622 tons, ten 12.6-in. guns, 27 knots.
9. 36-knot Bolzano, 35-knot Trento and Trieste, 32-knot Zara, Fiume, Pola, and Gorizia (all 10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns) and at least three 7,000-ton light cruisers (eight 6-in. guns, 36-37 knots).
10. About 24, among them units of Dardo and Turbine classes.
11. Australian light cruiser, 6,830 tons, eight 6-in guns, 32.5 knots.
12. Hyperion, Hero, Hasty, Havock, and Ilex, 1,340-1,370 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T. (except Ilex, ten 21-in. T.T.), 36 knots.
13. Light cruiser, 5,069 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 37 knots.
Anglo-Italian Naval Actions—Continued (June 27, 1940-Dec. 13, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
Italian force |
Remarks |
Oct. 12, 40 |
SE. of Cape Passero, Sicily |
Ajax14 |
3 torpedo boats15 |
Italian Alcione and Ariel sunk; H.M.S. Ajax damaged by gunfire. |
Oct. 12, 40 |
Same as above |
Ajax14 |
Cruiser16 4 destroyers17 |
Italian cruiser and destroyer Artigliere damaged18 |
Oct. 21, 40 |
Lower Red Sea |
Kimberley19 |
Francesco Nullo20 |
Nullo destroyed by gunfire and torpedo. |
Nov. 11, 40 |
Otranto Straits |
Orion21 Ajax14 Sydney11 |
2 destroyers (4 supply ships) |
Italian destroyers lied, 1 with damage; 3 supply ships sunk or badly damaged. |
Nov. 27, 40 |
SW. of Cape Teulada, Sardinia |
Renown22 Battleship23 Ark Royal24 Cruisers25 Destroyers |
Vittorio Veneto26 Giulio Cesare8 6 cruisers27 Destroyers |
Italian Fleet fled with damage to V. Veneto, several cruisers and destroyers. 1-2 British cruisers slightly damaged. |
Jan. 10, 41 |
Sicilian Channel |
Southampton28 Destroyers |
Vega29 Cigno30 |
Vega sunk, Cigno damaged and beached. |
Mar. ? 41 |
Indian Ocean |
Leandcr31 |
Ramb Primo32 |
Ramb Primo sunk. |
14. Light cruiser, 6,985 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
15. Of Partenope class, 679 tons, three 3.9-in. guns and four 18-in. T.T., 34 knots.
16. Of 10,000-ton class, eight 8-in. guns, 32-36 knots.
17. Of Aviere class, 1,620 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and six 21-in. T.T., 39 knots.
18. Artigliere was taken in tow by another destroyer: at dawn the two boats were sighted by cruiser H.M.S. York, whereupon the towing destroyer slipped the tow and made off. The helpless Artigliere was first abandoned by her crew and then sunk by a torpedo from the York.
19. Destroyer, 1,690 tons, six 4.7-in. guns and ten 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.
20. Destroyer, 1,058 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and four 21-in. T.T., 35 knots.
21. Light cruiser, 7,215 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
22. Battle cruiser, 32,000 tons, six 15-in. guns, 29 knots.
23. Probably Malaya, 31,100 tons, eight 15-in. guns, 24 knots.
24. Aircraft carrier, 22,000 tons, 60 planes, 30.75 knots.
25. Number unknown, but included Berwick (10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 31.5 knots) and probably Sheffield (9,100 tons, twelve 6-in. guns, 32 knots).
26. Battleship, 35,000 tons, nine 15-in. guns, 30 knots plus.
27. Fiume, Gorizia, and Pol a (10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 32 knots) and three light cruisers armed with 6-in. guns. 28. Similar to H.M.S. Sheffield (note 25).
29. Torpedo boat, 642 tons, three 3.9-in. guns and four 18-in. T.T., 34 knots.
30. Torpedo boat, 652 tons, similar to Vega, above.
31. New Zealand light cruiser, 7,270 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
32. Armed raider, 3,750 tons, four 4.7-in. guns, 18.5 knots.
Anglo-Italian Naval Actions—Continued (June 27, 1940-Dec. 13, 1941) |
||||
Date |
Location |
British force |
Italian force |
Remarks |
Mar. 28, 41 |
Off Cape Matapan, Greece |
Warspite3 Valiant3 Barham4 Formidable33 4 cruisers34 Destroyers35 |
Vittorio Vencto26 8 cruisers36 8 destroyers |
Italian cruisers Zara, Fiume, Pola, and 2 destroyers37 sunk; light cruiser38 badly damaged by gunfire and V. Veneto by aerial torpedoes. |
Apr. 15, 41 |
Sicilian Channel |
Mohawk39 Nubian39 Janus19 Jervis19 |
Luca Tarigo40 Lampo41 Torpedo boat15 (5 supply ships) |
All Italian ships sunk except Lampo and 1 supply ship, beached with heavy damage; H.M.S. Mohawk sunk. |
May 21, 41 |
North of Crete |
3 cruisers42 Destroyers |
Destroyer (convoy: 4 supply ships, 30-40 caiques) |
Italian destroyer, all supply ships, and 25-30 caiques sunk with heavy loss of life. |
Nov. 9, 41 |
Ionian Sea, 275 miles S. of Taranto, Italy |
Aurora43 Penelope43 Lance44 Lively44 |
Trento45 Trieste45 6-8 destroyers (10 supply ships) |
2 Italian destroyers and 9-10 supply ships sunk; Trento, Trieste, and remaining destroyers fled. |
Dec. 2, 41 |
Central Mediter ranean |
Aurora43 Destroyers |
Alvise da Mosto40 (1 tanker) |
Alvise da Mosto and tanker sunk. |
Dec. 13, 41 |
Off Cape Bon, Tunis |
Maori39 Sikh39 Legion44 Isaac Sweers46 |
A. da Barbiano13 A. di Giussano13 Destroyers Torpedo boats Motor torpedo boats (convoy) |
Albcrico da Barbiano, Alberto di Giussano, 1 M.T.B., and 3 troopships sunk with heavy loss of life; 1 torpedo boat damaged |
33. Aircraft carrier, 23,000 tons, 60 to 70 planes, 30 knots or more.
34. Gloucester, 9,400 tons, twelve 6-in. guns, 32.3 knots; Ajax, Orion, and Australian Perth, 6,980-7,215 tons, eight 6-in. guns, 32.5 knots.
35. About 20, among them Greyhound, Havock, Jervis, and Australian Stuart.
36. Four Zara class heavy cruisers (10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 32 knots) and 4 light cruisers.
37. Maeslrale and Vincenzo Gioberti, 1,449 and 1,729 tons, respectively.
38. Of Bande Nere class (note 13). It is possible that this cruiser sank, in which case she must have been the Giovanni delle Bande Nere herself.
39. Destroyer, 1,870 tons, eight 4.7-in. guns and four 21-in. T.T., 36.5 knots.
40. Destroyer, 1,628 tons, six 4.7-in. guns and four 21-in. T.T., 38 knots.
41. Destroyer, 1,220 tons, four 4.7-in. guns and six 21-in. T.T., 38 knots.
42. Dido (5,450 tons, ten 5.25-in. guns, 32 knots) and two others, probably of same class.
43. Light cruiser, 5,270 tons, six 6-in. guns, 32.25 knots.
44. Destroyer, 1,920 tons, six 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36.5 knots.
45. Heavy cruiser, 10,000 tons, eight 8-in. guns, 35 knots.
46. Netherlands destroyer, 1,628 tons, five 4.7-in. guns and eight 21-in. T.T., 36 knots.