Recent from talks
Action off Cape Passero
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Action off Cape Passero
The Action off Cape Passero, was a naval engagement in the Second World War between the British light cruiser HMS Ajax, three torpedo boats and seven destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina, in the central Mediterranean, to the south-east of Sicily, on the night of 11/12 October 1940.
In Operation MB 6, the Mediterranean Fleet covered Convoy MF 3 from Alexandria to Malta and Convoy MF 4 from Malta to Alexandria. Supermarina had prepared the Strait of Sicily Device (Dispositivo del Canale di Sicilia) with torpedo boats, MAS (Motoscafo armato siluranti, torpedo-armed motorboats), minefields and submarines against ships trying to pass the Sicilian Narrows at night.
The Dispositivo was implemented on the night of 11/12 October and ships were sent to the east of Malta in case the British returned to Alexandria. Three torpedo boats and four destroyers attacked the cruiser Ajax which suffered minor damage. Two torpedo boats were sunk and several torpedo boats and destroyers were damaged.
The next morning, Artigliere, a damaged destroyer, was sunk by HMS York. Supermarina was dismayed by the superiority of the British in night-fighting against some of their best ships and crews. On 13 October, Illustrious, with escorts, detached from the Mediterranean Fleet towards the Dodecanese and its Swordfish bombed the Italian airfield on Leros.
The covering force for Convoy MF 3 (Alexandria to Malta) and Convoy MF 4 (Malta to Alexandria), comprised HMS Warspite (flagship, Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham) Valiant, Malaya and Ramillies, the aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and Illustrious, the cruisers HMS York, Gloucester and Liverpool of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron and HMS Ajax, Orion and HMAS Sydney of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, with the destroyers HMS Dainty, Decoy, Defender, Hyperion, Havock, Hero, Hasty, Hereward, Ilex, Imperial, Jervis, Janus, Juno, Nubian, Stuart, HMAS Vampire, Vendetta, HMAS Voyager, Waterhen and Wryneck.
In early October, four merchant ships that had sailed the long route to Alexandria from Britain via the Cape of Good Hope, Clan Macauley (10,492 GRT, Clan Ferguson (7,347 GRT), Lanarkshire (8,167 GRT) and Memnon (7,506 GRT) had arrived. Chosen for their similarities in tonnage and speed, each had been loaded in Britain by the Sea Transport Division of the Ministry of War Transport with a selection of stores for Malta, to prevent the sinking of one ship depriving Malta of a class of cargo. Convoy MF 3 (Malta Fast 3) sailed on 8 October, with a close escort of the anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and Coventry with the destroyers Stuart, Voyager, Wryneck and Waterhen. The convoy arrived at Malta on 11 October, bad weather having prevented the Italian fleet from sailing. Some damage was suffered by the destroyer Imperial with the Mediterranean Fleet on a mine and it was towed into Grand Harbour by Decoy.
Convoy MF 4 comprised Volo (1,587 GRT), the Leaf-class tanker RFA Plumleaf (5,916 GRT) from Convoy MF 2 and the gunboat HMS Aphis departed Malta at 10:30 p.m. on 11 October for the return journey to Alexandria. The main body of the Mediterranean Fleet had waited to the south of Malta and the 7th Cruiser Squadron formed a line to sweep to the north-east. The light cruiser, Ajax, the northernmost ship in the line was sailing a zig-zag at about 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph), 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) to the east of Malta.
An Italian civilian aircraft spotted the Mediterranean Fleet about 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) south-east of Malta, to the surprise of the Italian naval headquarters, Supermarina, which remained dubious as no other aircraft reported any sightings. As a precaution, Supermarina implemented the Dispositivo del Canale di Sicilia the (Strait of Sicily Device) a plan to attack ships passing the Sicilian Narrows at night with torpedo boats, MAS (Motoscafo armato siluranti, torpedo-armed motorboats), minefields and submarines. A force of destroyers was sent to Cape Bon, in case the British warships were going west to Gibraltar.
Hub AI
Action off Cape Passero AI simulator
(@Action off Cape Passero_simulator)
Action off Cape Passero
The Action off Cape Passero, was a naval engagement in the Second World War between the British light cruiser HMS Ajax, three torpedo boats and seven destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina, in the central Mediterranean, to the south-east of Sicily, on the night of 11/12 October 1940.
In Operation MB 6, the Mediterranean Fleet covered Convoy MF 3 from Alexandria to Malta and Convoy MF 4 from Malta to Alexandria. Supermarina had prepared the Strait of Sicily Device (Dispositivo del Canale di Sicilia) with torpedo boats, MAS (Motoscafo armato siluranti, torpedo-armed motorboats), minefields and submarines against ships trying to pass the Sicilian Narrows at night.
The Dispositivo was implemented on the night of 11/12 October and ships were sent to the east of Malta in case the British returned to Alexandria. Three torpedo boats and four destroyers attacked the cruiser Ajax which suffered minor damage. Two torpedo boats were sunk and several torpedo boats and destroyers were damaged.
The next morning, Artigliere, a damaged destroyer, was sunk by HMS York. Supermarina was dismayed by the superiority of the British in night-fighting against some of their best ships and crews. On 13 October, Illustrious, with escorts, detached from the Mediterranean Fleet towards the Dodecanese and its Swordfish bombed the Italian airfield on Leros.
The covering force for Convoy MF 3 (Alexandria to Malta) and Convoy MF 4 (Malta to Alexandria), comprised HMS Warspite (flagship, Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham) Valiant, Malaya and Ramillies, the aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and Illustrious, the cruisers HMS York, Gloucester and Liverpool of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron and HMS Ajax, Orion and HMAS Sydney of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, with the destroyers HMS Dainty, Decoy, Defender, Hyperion, Havock, Hero, Hasty, Hereward, Ilex, Imperial, Jervis, Janus, Juno, Nubian, Stuart, HMAS Vampire, Vendetta, HMAS Voyager, Waterhen and Wryneck.
In early October, four merchant ships that had sailed the long route to Alexandria from Britain via the Cape of Good Hope, Clan Macauley (10,492 GRT, Clan Ferguson (7,347 GRT), Lanarkshire (8,167 GRT) and Memnon (7,506 GRT) had arrived. Chosen for their similarities in tonnage and speed, each had been loaded in Britain by the Sea Transport Division of the Ministry of War Transport with a selection of stores for Malta, to prevent the sinking of one ship depriving Malta of a class of cargo. Convoy MF 3 (Malta Fast 3) sailed on 8 October, with a close escort of the anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and Coventry with the destroyers Stuart, Voyager, Wryneck and Waterhen. The convoy arrived at Malta on 11 October, bad weather having prevented the Italian fleet from sailing. Some damage was suffered by the destroyer Imperial with the Mediterranean Fleet on a mine and it was towed into Grand Harbour by Decoy.
Convoy MF 4 comprised Volo (1,587 GRT), the Leaf-class tanker RFA Plumleaf (5,916 GRT) from Convoy MF 2 and the gunboat HMS Aphis departed Malta at 10:30 p.m. on 11 October for the return journey to Alexandria. The main body of the Mediterranean Fleet had waited to the south of Malta and the 7th Cruiser Squadron formed a line to sweep to the north-east. The light cruiser, Ajax, the northernmost ship in the line was sailing a zig-zag at about 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph), 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) to the east of Malta.
An Italian civilian aircraft spotted the Mediterranean Fleet about 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) south-east of Malta, to the surprise of the Italian naval headquarters, Supermarina, which remained dubious as no other aircraft reported any sightings. As a precaution, Supermarina implemented the Dispositivo del Canale di Sicilia the (Strait of Sicily Device) a plan to attack ships passing the Sicilian Narrows at night with torpedo boats, MAS (Motoscafo armato siluranti, torpedo-armed motorboats), minefields and submarines. A force of destroyers was sent to Cape Bon, in case the British warships were going west to Gibraltar.
Recent media