1940 naval battle of World War II
The Battle of Cape Spada was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the 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.
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 with the H-class destroyers , , , and the similar of the Royal Navy. The Italian 2nd Cruiser Division was commanded by Vice-Admiral Ferdinando Casardi aboard the fast light cruiser which included , another light cruiser.
Battle.
When the Italians encountered the Allied destroyers at about 07:30, "Sydney" and "Havock" were 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.
The crew of "Bartolomeo Colleoni" fought on but were unable to manoeuvre or use the main armament; despite the fire from her 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 and a screen of destroyers.
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 "Sydney"'s shells. The lack of aerial reconnaissance was another factor contributing to the successful Commonwealth chase.
Aftermath.
Casualties.
Of the crew of "Bartolomeo Colleoni" there were 555 survivors but 121 men, including the captain, Umberto Novaro, were killed.
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.
Orders of battle.
Italy.
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2nd Cruiser Division "Regia Marina" (Rear-Admiral Ferdinando Casardi) ;br ;
Commonwealth.
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2nd Destroyer Flotilla Royal Navy (Captain John Collins) ;br ;
Notes.
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