Red Sea Flotilla
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Red Sea Flotilla was a unit of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) based in Massawa, Eritria, when Massawa was part of Italian East Africa. During the early stages of World War II, the Red Sea Flotilla was active against the British Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet. This opposition lasted from Italy's declaration of war on 10 June 1940 to the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.
Contents |
[edit] Purpose and organization
- Further information: East African Campaign (World War II)
While in general the Red Sea Flotilla was not used aggressively by the Italians, the British viewed it as a potential threat to Allied convoys traveling in the Horn of Africa area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. The Red Sea Flotilla was especially well situated to attack convoys headed from the Gulf of Aden through the Red Sea and to the Suez Canal, forcing Allied ships to take a much longer passage around the Cape of Good Hope.
The home port for the Red Sea Flotilla was the port of Massawa in Eritrea. As Italian fuel supplies in Massawa dwindled, so did the offensive capability of the Red Sea Flotilla. Ultimately, the vessels of the flotilla became what is known as a "fleet in being" and rarely left port.
On 10 June 1940, the Italian Red Sea Flotilla had seven destroyers organized into two squadrons, five MAS (Motoscafo Armato Silurante) motor torpedo boats organized into one squadron, and eight submarines organized into two squadons.
On 8 April 1941, Massawa fell and, after a "do or die" mission which accomplished almost nothing, the Red Sea Flotilla ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. Few vessels of the flotilla survived the East African Campaign. All seven destroyers, all five MAS, and all but four submarines were lost during the course of the campaign.
[edit] Destroyers, motor torpedo boats, and submarines
The seven destroyers (four Sauro class and three Leone class) [1] were organized as follows:
- 3rd Destoyer Squadron
- 5th Destoyer Squadron
The five MTBs were organized as follows:
- 21st MAS Squadron
The eight submarines were organized in the 8th Submarine Group as follows:
- 81st Submarine Squadron
- 82nd Submarine Squadon
[edit] Other vessels
- Colonial ship "Eritrea" (2,170 tons displacement) - Sailed to Kobe, Japan, and surrendered to the Allies in Columbo, Ceylon, when Italy quit the war
- Torpedo boat "Vincenzo Giordano Orsini" (670 tons displacement) - Scuttled 8 April 1941
- Torpedo boat "Giovanni Acerbi" (670 tons displacement) - Scuttled in the mouth of the harbor at Massawa as a blockship
- Gun boat "G. Biglieri" (620 tons displacement) - Lost
- Gun boat "Porto Corsini" (290 tons displacement) - Lost
- Minelayer "Ostia" (620 tons displacement) - Sunk by British Royal Air Force attack within the harbor at Massawa; all mines still racked
- Auxiliary cruiser "Ramb I" (3,667 tons displacement) - Lost 27 February 1941
- Auxiliary cruiser "Ramb II" (3,667 tons displacement) - Sailed to Kobe, Japan, and placed into the service of the Imperial Japanese Navy when Italy quit the war
- Hospital ship "Aquileia" - former "Ramb IV" - Lost and placed into the service of the British Royal Navy
[edit] References
- D'Adamo, Cristiano. Royal Italian Navy in the Red Sea. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- Ellsberg, Commander Edward (1946). Under the Red Sea Sun. Dodd, Mead and Co.
- Heddlesten, James. Comando Supremo: Italy at War. Events of 1941. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- Porch, Douglas (2004). The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II. New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. ISBN 978-0374205188.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Porch, The Path to Victory, p. 129.
