Battle of Cape Passero (1940)

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Battle of Cape Passero (1940) Part of the Mediterranean Theater of World War II British light cruiser HMS Ajax. Date October 12, 1940 Location Mediterranean, southeast of Sicily Result British victory Belligerents United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Commanders Captain E. D. B. McCarthy Captain Carlo Margottini † Strength 2 cruisers 4 destroyers 3 torpedo boats Casualties and losses 1 cruiser damaged 13 dead 1 destroyer sunk 2 torpedo boats sunk 1 destroyer damaged around 200 dead

v • d • e Battle of the Mediterranean Espero¹² – Mers-el-Kébir – Calabria¹² – Spada – Cape Passero¹ – Taranto – Spartivento¹ – Excess¹ – Abstention – Matapan – Tarigo² – Crete – Substance¹ – Halberd¹ – Duisburg² – Bon² – 1st Sirte¹² – Alexandria raid – 2nd Sirte¹ – Harpoon¹ – Vigorous¹ – Pedestal¹ – Agreement – Torch – Stone Age¹ – Toulon – Skerki² – Cigno² – Sicily – Sinking of Roma ¹ - Involved an Allied convoy • ² - Involved an Axis convoy

The Battle of Cape Passero (1940), was a naval engagement between the British light cruiser HMS Ajax and seven torpedo boats and destroyers of the Regia Marina, southeast of Sicily, on the first hours of October 12, 1940, during the Second World War. It took place in the aftermath of a British supply operation to Malta.

[edit] Background

On October 1940, the Mediterranean Fleet mounted a resupply operation to Malta from Alexandria, code-named MB6. The convoy had four cargo ships escorted by two antiaircraft cruisers and four destroyers. The screening force was leading by Admiral Cunningham flagship, HMS Warspite, three battleships, two carriers, six cruisers and 16 destroyers. The only remarkable incident concerning the convoy was the damage taken on HMS Imperial when she ran into a minefield. The merchantmen reached destiny on 11 October. Until then, bad weather had prevented the intervention of the Italian fleet. An airliner spotted the returning formation shortly after it departed Malta. The HMS Ajax, meanwhile, was detached along the other cruisers in a scouting mission, at a speed of 15 knots.^[1]

[edit] The engagement

The Italian fleet commander, Admiral Inigo Campioni, ordered a force of destroyers to steam out to Cape Bon, just in case the British warships were heading to Gibraltar. He determined that it was too late for Italians heavy units to operate against the convoy. A flotilla of four destroyers and three torpedo boats were at the same time scouting between 35º 45'N and 35º 25'N of latitude,^[2] each ship spaced some 3 miles apart, in full moonlight.^[3] The Italian destroyers, all of them of the Soldati class, were the Artigliere, the Camicia Nera, the Aviere and the Geniere. The torpedo boat line comprised the Spica class Ariel, the Alcione and the Airone.

[edit] Torpedo boat action

At 01:37 AM, the Ajax was sighted from the Alcione crow's nest steaming to east, 19,600 yards at port side. At 01:48, the three torpedo boats were closing to the British cruiser at full speed. The cruiser was completely unaware of the enemy approach.^[4] At 01:57, the Alcione fired two torpedoes. The range was of just 1,900 yards.^[5] Captain Banfi, commander of the formation, ordered the flagship Airone to open fire on the enemy with her 3.9in guns, followed by her sister ships. Three rounds hit home, two on the bridge and the another 6 feet under the waterline.^[6] Meanwhile, at 1:55, the Ajax had realized she was under attack, and consequently she opened fire to the nearest torpedo boat, while steaming at full speed. This ship came to be the Ariel, which was shattered by the salvos. The torpedo boat sank only 20 minutes after. It's believed that she was able to fire one of her torpedoes.^[7] Captain Mario Ruta, his second in command and most of the crew was killed.^[8] The Airone was the next Italian ship to be hit. She managed to launch two torpedoes before. The torpedo boat was disabled and caught fire almost immediately, her bridge and upper deck machine-gunned by the Ajax at short range.^[9] She sank a few hours later. Banfi was among the survivors. Then the Alcione, the only Italian warship undamaged, broke contact at 2:03.^[10]

[edit] Destroyer action

Meanwhile, the Ajax, after diverting course during the fighting, had reversed it back to the eastward. At 02:15, her fire-control radar began to track two Italian destroyers, whose commander, Captain Carlo Margottini, had sighted the firing from the south. A radio mishap prevented Margottini to attack in full strength, when three of his destroyers headed to the north-west, instead of the north as ordered.^[11] The Aviere was battered by a sudden broadside from the British cruiser, and was forced to pull out south, heavily damaged. She was unable to launch torpedoes, as her commander intended to do.^[12] At 2:30, Maringotti sighted the Ajax. He was about to launch torpedoes when his ship was fired on by the cruiser's guns. The Artigliere managed to fire a torpedo and three full salvos at 2,800 yards before being hit and crippled. The torpedo missed, but four 4.7in rounds struck two secondary artillery turrets in the Ajax and disabled her radar.^[13] After firing at the Camicia Nera without results, the Ajax, with 13 dead onboard and more than 20 wounded, broke off the action. She had fired 490 rounds of different caliber and four torpedoes. The cruiser repairs took almost a full month before she was back to action again.^[14] The disabled Artigliere, with her commander and most of the staff officers killed, was taken in tow by the Camicia Nera. They were surprised at first light by the cruiser HMS York, which scared off the Camicia Nera and finished the Artigliere. The survivors were rescued the next day by the Italian navy.^[15]

[edit] Aftermath

The Regia Marina realized for first time the superior skills and equipment of the British warship in night operations. The extensive use of starshells, searchlights and incendiary rounds by the Royal Navy had to be counter if the Italians wanted to close the technical gap. They also suspected the use of radar by the enemy, but by this time this was only speculation.^[16] They concluded that the flawed air surveillance hampered the quick reaction of the Italian heavy units, giving the advantage to the British of avoiding contact where the conditions were not favorable to them.^[17]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Bragadin, Marc'Antonio: The Italian Navy in World War II, United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, 1957. ISBN 0405130317.

• Green, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro: The Naval War in the Mediterranean, 1940-1943, Chatam Publishing, London, 1998. ISBN 1861760574.

• Sierra, Luis de la: La guerra naval en el Mediterráneo, 1940-1943, Ed. Juventud, Barcelona, 1976. ISBN 84-261-0264-6. (In Spanish).

[edit] External links

• Battle off Cape Passero