Battle of Cape Spada
The Battle of Cape Spada was held on July 19, 1940 instead of between Allied and Italian naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cape Spada, which is in the northwest of Crete.
Background
At the naval battle occurred when an Allied Association who crossed the Aegean, met two Italian light cruisers, the Leros in the Dodecanese, which was an Italian colony, relocated from Tripoli.
The Allied Association was commanded by the Australian Captain John Collins, who rose later to the Admiral on board the also Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney, while the Italian commander Rear Admiral Ferdinando Casardi on the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Division RN Giovanni dalle Bande Nere was located. The latter consisted of two light cruisers that were designed for high speed, but had only light armor.
Course of action
When it came around 7:30 clock to the first battle of contact between the Italian light cruisers and British destroyers, light cruisers HMAS Sydney was of the destroyer HMS Havock about 40 nm north. The Allied Association ran immediately to the north in order to draw the enemy on Collins ' flagship HMAS Sydney. After the light cruiser that had the enemy ships spotted a few minutes earlier, had opened fire at 8:29 clock, the Italian cruiser turned immediately from the southwest.
During the ensuing firefight the RN Bartolomeo Colleoni was hit hard several times by the HMAS Sydney. After the rudder had been taken against 9:23 clock by a fluke, the cruiser was unable to maneuver lie. This indeed continue firing, but no more controllable ship was sunk by torpedoes at 9:59 clock the destroyer HMS Hyperion and HMS Ilex.
The Allies broke the fight from then, because the ammunition on their ships became scarce. The Giovanni dalle Bande Nere returned to Benghazi. From the Bartolomeo Colleoni 555 men were rescued, 121 went down with the ship.
Participating ships
Regia Marina
- Rear Admiral Ferdinando Casardi 2 Light Cruisers: RN Bartolomeo Colleoni ( decreased ), RN Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
Ally
- Captain John Collins
- Royal Australian Navy: 1 light cruiser HMAS Sydney ( slightly damaged )
- Royal Navy: 5 destroyers HMS Hasty, HMS Havock ( damaged) HMS Hero, HMS Hyperion, HMS Ilex