Battle of Cape Spada

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military conflict

The Battle of Cape Spada was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Template:Lang during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the second World War. It took place on 19 July 1940 in the Mediterranean Sea off Cape Spada, the north-western extremity of Crete.

Prelude

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The action occurred when a Commonwealth squadron patrolling the Aegean encountered two Italian cruisers en route from Tripoli to Leros, an Italian colony in the Dodecanese Islands. The Commonwealth squadron was commanded by the Australian Captain John Collins aboard the light cruiser Template:HMAS with the H-class destroyers Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS and the similar Template:Sclass2 Template:HMS of the Royal Navy. The Italian 2nd Cruiser Division was commanded by Vice-Admiral Ferdinando Casardi aboard the fast light cruiser Template:Ship which included Template:Ship, another light cruiser.<ref>Ammiraglio di Divisione. equivalent to Vice-Admiral.</ref><ref>Coulthard-Clark 2001, pp. 170–171.</ref>

Battle

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When the Italians encountered the Allied destroyers at about 07:30, Sydney and Havock were Template:Convert to the north on a sweep for submarines. The other destroyers led the Italian cruisers on a chase northwards to give Sydney time to come to the rescue. Sydney sighted the Italians at 08:26, opening fire at 08:29, and the Italian cruisers turned away to the south-west. In the chase that followed, Bartolomeo Colleoni was hit several times by Sydney and a shell tore through her unarmored hull; the boilers and guns were disabled at 09:23, leaving her dead in the water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The crew of Bartolomeo Colleoni fought on but were unable to manoeuvre or use the main armament; despite the fire from her Template:Convert guns, she was sunk by three torpedoes launched from Ilex and Hyperion at 09:59. Sydney continued to engage Bande Nere. Sydney was hit in the funnel by an Italian shell but hit Bande Nere at least twice, killing eight in the bow and the hangar. Later, Sydney disengaged because she was short of ammunition, Bande Nere returned to Benghazi, shadowed by the battleship Template:HMS and a screen of destroyers.<ref>O'Hara 2009, p. 46.</ref>

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Despite their speed advantage, the Italian cruisers failed to outrun Sydney because they had to steer south-southwest, instead of the most obvious route of escape to the south, to avoid being trapped between their opponents and the Cretan coast. This gave the Australian cruiser the chance to close the range. The light armour of Colleoni and Bande Nere was unable to withstand SydneyTemplate:'s shells. The lack of aerial reconnaissance was another factor contributing to the successful Commonwealth chase.<ref>Greene & Massignani, pp. 84–85</ref> Template:Clear

Aftermath

Casualties

Of the crew of Bartolomeo Colleoni there were 555 survivors but 121 men, including the captain, Umberto Novaro, died.<ref>O'Hara 2009, p. 46.</ref>

Subsequent operations

The British destroyers were bombed by Italian aircraft after the battle, damaging Havock, whose no. 2 boiler was flooded. A floatplane from Warspite, which was searching for Bande Nere, ditched in the sea and was lost near Tobruk, the crew being taken prisoner by the Italians. Allied Convoy AN 2 was ordered to sail back to Port Said and remain there until Bande Nere reached Benghazi.<ref>Titterton, p. 48</ref>

Orders of battle

Italy

Kingdom of Italy
2nd Cruiser Division Regia Marina (Rear-Admiral Ferdinando Casardi)

Commonwealth

RN Ensign
2nd Destroyer Flotilla Royal Navy (Captain John Collins)

Notes

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References

Further reading

Template:World War II

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