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[[Image:GiovanniVerrazano.jpg|thumb|250px|Translation of Italian Caption:<br>« Giovanni ... da Verrazzano,<br>Florentine [[patricianship|Patrician]], Great Captain, Naval Commander of the Very Christian King Francis I and Discoverer of New France. Born circa 1485, Dead n 1525... ».]]
{{Infobox Military Conflict
'''Giovanni da Verrazzano''' <ref>Often spelled also ''Verrazano'', sometimes also "de" instead of "da".</ref> (c. 1485 &ndash; c. 1528) was an [[Italy|Italian]] [[explorer]] of [[North America]], in the service of the [[France|French]] [[King Louis XIV|crown]]. He is renowned as the first [[Europe]]an to explore the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of North America between [[South Carolina]] and [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], including [[New York Harbor]] and [[Narragansett Bay]], in 1524.
|conflict=First Battle of Sirte
|image=[[Image:Duilio 1948.jpg|280px]]
|caption=Italian battleship ''Caio Duilio''
|partof=[[World War II]]
|date=[[17 December]] [[1941]]
|place=[[Gulf of Sidra|Gulf of Sirte]], [[Mediterranean Sea]]
|result=Tactically inconclusive
|combatant1={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]<br>{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australia]]<br>{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]]
|combatant2=[[Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg|25px]] [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Italy]]
|commander1={{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]]
|commander2=[[Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg|22px]] [[Angelo Iachino]]
|strength1=5 light cruisers<br>14 destroyers
|strength2=4 battleships<br>2 heavy cruisers<br>3 light cruisers<br>13 destroyers
|casualties1=2 destroyers lightly damaged
|casualties2=None
|}}
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{{Campaignbox Mediterranean Campaign}}
{{FixBunching|end}}


The '''First Battle of Sirte''' was a naval battle between the [[Royal Navy]] and the [[Regia Marina]] during the [[Battle of the Mediterranean|Mediterranean campaign]] of [[World War II]].
It took place on [[17 December]] [[1941]], east of [[Malta]], in the [[Gulf of Sidra|Gulf of Sirte]].
The battle itself was relatively uneventful, but has come to describe a week of clashes which illustrate well the cut and thrust of naval warfare in the Mediterranean at the time.


==Background==
The period started on 13th December 1941.
The British [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]]
and the Axis PanzerArmee Afrika were engaged in battles resulting from [[Operation Crusader]].


Crusader had been fought between [[18 November]] and [[4 December]], to defeat the Afrika Korps and relieve the siege of [[Tobruk]].This had been achieved, and the Axis forces were conducting a fighting retreat; by [[13 December]] they were holding a defensive line at [[Gazala]], east of [[Benghazi]].


The Axis were desperate to re-supply their forces, intending to run supplies to [[Tripoli]], their main port in [[Libya]], and Benghazi, the port closest to the front line.
==Death==
The cause of Verrazzano's (also spelled Verrazano) death is not known for certain, but the most popular story places his death in [[1528]], while exploring [[Florida]], the [[Bahamas]], and the [[Lesser Antilles]]. Verrazzano anchored away from shore and rowed in in a little boat to greet the natives. But he found that they were not pleasant natives who wanted to trade. Some say that he died in the Caribbean, killed by cannibals who ate him immediately. {Giovio, Paolo. Elogia vivorum ([[1551]]), quoted by [[Lawrence C. Wroth]] ([[1970]]) ''The Voyages of Giovanni da Verrazzano, 1524-1528'', New Haven : Pierpont Morgan Library by Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-01207-1, p. 237.} His brother was in the main boat that was anchored away from shore. He witnessed this, but could not do anything about it, as he was out of gunshot range, and could not make it to shore in time. According to some other sources, Verrazzano was killed in 1528 on his third voyage to the New World, by the natives of the Lesser Antilles. Another source says that he was captured by the [[Spain|Spanish]] and hung as a [[pirate]]. Whatever the case, Giovanni da Verrazzano died at the age of 43.


Meanwhile the island garrison of Malta was under siege, and the British were keen to run in supplies to restore their forces there.
==Modern reputation==


==Prelude==
A thousand years ago, the [[Norseman]] [[Bjarni Herjólfsson]] discovered the [[Coast of Labrador]] (northeastern continental [[Canada]]), which with [[Greenland]] and [[Newfoundland]] comprised the [[Vinland]] of the [[Vikings]]. Bjarni is believed to have been the first European to view the mainland of [[North America]]. The following Europeans known to have arrived on the coasts of the [[North America|North American continent]] were several [[Spain|Spanish]] [[explorers]] who disembarked on the coasts of [[Texas]] and other lands of the [[Gulf of Mexico]], in the 15th century. In April, 1513, again a [[Spaniard]], [[Juan Ponce de León]], explored the [[Atlantic]] coast of [[Florida]], including [[Saint Augustine, Florida|Saint Augustine]]. Only 11 years later, Verrazzano landed on northernmost points of the present-day [[United States]]. Nevertheless, his reputation did not endure and proliferate as much as other explorers of that era. As a prime example, in accordance with the practices of the time, Verrazzano gave a European name to the new land he had seen, Francesa, after the French king he had been appointed by. This and other names he bestowed on features he discovered have not survived. [[Image:Verrazzano.jpg|thumb|275px|Verrazzano's statue in his native town.]]
'''M41'''<br />
On 13th December 1941 the Italians were preparing to send a major convoy, of eight ships, designated M41, to Africa.
That morning their previous re-supply attempt, two fast cruisers carrying fuel to Tripoli, had failed when both ships were sunk at the [[Battle of Cape Bon]] by a force of destroyers ''en route'' to [[Alexandria]].


Convoy M41 consisted of eight merchant ships in three groups, with a close escort of five destroyers, and a Distant Cover Force of two battleships, [[Italian battleship Littorio|''Littorio'']] and [[Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto|''Vittorio Veneto'']], four destroyers and two torpedo boats.
The most important evidence for Verrazzano's voyage is a long letter he wrote to Francis I describing the geography, flora, fauna and native population of the east coast of North America. In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a great debate in the United States about the letters authenticity, some considered it a fake by someone who had not been on the voyage.<ref>Thrower, Norman (2003) "Verrazzano, Giovanni Da", in: Speake, Jennifer (ed.) ''Literature of Travel and Exploration: An Encyclopedia'', Vol. 3, New York ; London : Fitzroy Dearborn, ISBN 1-57958-247-8</ref> Others thought it was true, and it is almost universally accepted as authentic today<ref>Wroth, Lawrence (1970) ''The Voyages of Giovanni da Verrazzano, 1524-2003', New Haven : Pierpont Morgan Library by Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-01207-1</ref>, particularly after the discovery of the letter signed by Francis I which referred to Verrazzano's letter.<ref>Thrower, Norman (1979) "New Light on the 1524 Voyage of Verrazzano", ''Terrae Incognitae'', '''11''', p. 59-65.</ref> This debate minimized considerably Verrazzano's reputation (in the United States at least) as the European discoverer of the mid-Atlantic coast of North America, but he has always remained a French and Italian hero.


Meanwhile the British planned to run supplies to Malta using the fast merchant ship ''Breconshire'', covered by a force of cruisers and destroyers, while the destroyers from the Cape Bon engagement, at Malta after the battle, would proceed to Alexandria covered by the Malta Strike Force groups, [[Force K]] and [[Force B]].
Verrazzano's reputation was particularly obscure in [[New York City]], where the 1609 voyage of [[Henry Hudson]] came to be regarded as the ''de facto'' start of the European exploration of New York. It was only with great effort in the 1950s and 1960s that Verrazzano's name and reputation as the European discoverer of the harbour was re-established, during an effort to have the newly built Narrows bridge named after him. ''See [[Verrazano-Narrows Bridge#Naming controversy|Naming controversy of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge]].'' A Staten Island ferryboat that served New York from the 1950s to the 1990s was also named for him (oddly, the ferry was named the "Verra'''zz'''ano", while the bridge, another Staten Island landmark, was named "Verra'''z'''ano", indicating the ongoing confusion over the spelling of his name). There are numerous other commemorations on Staten Island itself to the explorer — a Little League is named for him, for instance — reflecting not only his connection to Staten Island but also the large number of descendants of Italians who live there. In Narragansett Bay, the [[Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge]] is also named for him.
This operation would commence on [[15th December]].


M41’s passage started badly; soon after sailing on 13th, one group was attacked by the British submarine [[HMS Upright (N89)|''Upright'']], and two ships were sunk; later that day two other ships collided and had to return to base, while the Distant Cover Force was sighted by submarine [[HMS Urge (N17)|''Urge'']]. The battleship ''Vittorio Veneto'' was torpedoed, and forced to return.


The Italian Supermarina, rattled by these losses, and a report that a British force of two battleships was abroad ( in fact it was a decoy mission carried out by the minelayer ''Abdiel'') ordered the ships to return to await reinforcement.
==External links==
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=572 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
*[http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/verrazano.htm "Giovanni da Verrazzano (Giovanni da Verrazano)" at Greve in Chianti]
*[http://bc.barnard.columbia.edu/~lgordis/earlyAC/documents/verrazan.htm "The Written Record of the Voyage of 1524 of Giovanni da Verrazano as recorded in a letter to Francis I, King of France, July 8th, 1524"]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15364a.htm Verrazzano in the Catholic Encyclopedia]
*[http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cul.nys/docviewer?did=nys158&seq=3&frames=0&view=50 The voyage of John de Verazzano: along the coast of North America, from Carolina to Newfoundland, A. D. 1524 ] by Giovanni da Verrazzano.  Cornell University Library New York State Historical Monographs Collection. {Reprinted by} [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1429739118/corneunivelib-20/ Cornell University Library Digital Collections]
*[http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-094/index.asp ''Voyage of John de Verazzano, along the Coast of North America, from Carolina to Newfoundland, A.D. 1524''], scanned from "Collections of the New-York Historical Society". (New York: New York Historical Society, 1841). Hosted by American Journeys, Wisconsin Historical Society.
*[http://nabbhistory.salisbury.edu/resources/wroten/wroten_verrazano.html Verrazano's 1524 Letter Describes Early Eastern Shore Exploration - Delmarva Heritage Series]


'''Galatea'''<br />
*His death is cited at [http://www.east-buc.k12.ia.us/00_01/Exp/gvd/gvd.htm Giovanni da Verrazzano' Life]
The British were also preparing their operation, but their force was depleted when the cruiser [[HMS Galatea (71)|''Galatea'']] was torpedoed and sunk by ''U-557'', just before midnight on the 14th. Ironically, [[Unterseeboot 557|U-557]] was accidentally sunk less than 48 hours later, by the Italian Torpedo Boat ''Orione''.
* A [http://www.timespacemap.com/search/eventsearch.htm?_what=verrazano&_maptype=0 Map and Timeline ] of Verrazano's voyage of 1524


On [[15th December]], ''Breconshire'' sailed from [[Alexandria]]; with her as escort were the three cruisers, and eight destroyers, under Rear Admiral [[Philip Vian]] (in ''Naiad'').
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
On the 16th , the four destroyers of 4th Flotilla, under Cdr G Stokes (in ''Sikh''), left Malta, covered by Force K, two cruisers and two destroyers under Capt. W G "Bill" Agnew (in ''Aurora'').
{{Persondata

|NAME              = da Verrazzano, Giovanni
'''M42'''<br />
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = often spelled Verrazano; sometimes also "de" instead of "da"
On December 16, the four-ship Italian convoy, re-designated M42, left [[Taranto]], picking up escorts along the way.
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = the first [[Europe]]an to explore the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland
the close escort was provided by seven destroyers and a torpedo boat, giving direct protection over the merchant ships.
|DATE OF BIRTH     = c. 1485
By the time they reached [[Sicily]] they were also accompanied by
|PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Castello Verrazzano]]
a "Close Cover Force", comprising
|DATE OF DEATH     = c. 1528
the battleship ''[[Italian battleship Caio Duilio|Caio Duilio]]'',
|PLACE OF DEATH    = uncertain
three light cruisers and three destroyers.
}}

A third group, the "Distant Covering Force", also formed up for detached support, consisting of the battleships ''[[Italian battleship Littorio|Littorio]]'', ''[[Italian battleship Andrea Doria|Andrea Doria]]'' and ''[[Italian battleship Giulio Cesare|Giulio Cesare]]'',
two cruisers and ten destroyers.

Some measure of the importance of the mission can be seen in the fact that thirty Italian ships were escorting only four cargo ships.

The two British groups were also at sea and steaming towards each other; the opposing forces were destined to cross each others tracks east of Malta on the 18th.

==The battle of Sirte==
On the 17th, an Italian reconnaissance plane spotted the British west-bound formation near [[Sidi Barrani]], apparently proceeding from Alexandria in order to intercept the Italian convoy. Thereafter the British convoy was shadowed by Axis planes and attacked during the afternoon, though no hits were scored.
Also during the day, Agnew and Stokes met the west-bound convoy.
By late afternoon the Italian fleet was close by, and spotter planes from the battleships had made contact with the British convoy.

At 1742 the fleets sighted each other, and [[Angelo Iachino|Adm Iachino ]] (commander of the Italian forces) moved to intercept, in order to cover his convoy.

Vian also wished to avoid combat, so with the British giving ground and the Italians pursuing with caution, the British were able easily to avoid an engagement.

Just after sunset an air attack attack on the British ships caused them to return fire with their [[anti-aircraft gun]]s, allowing the Italian naval force to spot them at last. Iachino took in the Distant Covering Force and opened fire at about 32,000 metres from the British. This was well out of range of the British guns; the Italians were immune to return fire. Admiral Vian immediately laid smoke moved to attack, while ''Breconshire'' moved away, escorted by two destroyers, ''Decoy'' and ''Havock''

Lacking [[radar]], the Italians justifiably wished to avoid night combat (notably after the disaster at [[Battle of Cape Matapan|Matapan]]). Expecting an attack, Iachino fired for only fifteen minutes before disengaging and returning westward to protect his convoy. Only two British destroyers suffered the effects of Italian gunfire. The [[J, K and N class destroyer|HMS ''Kipling'']], was hit by a near-miss from a 8" round, presumably fired by the Italian cruiser [[Italian cruiser Gorizia|''Gorizia'']] with the loss of one seaman. [[HMAS Nizam (G38)|HMAS ''Nizam'']] was also struck by near-misses from the Italian destroyer [[Maestrale class destroyer|''Maestrale'']].

==Aftermath==
'''Tripoli'''<br />
After dark Vian and Agnew parted company, Vian to return with Stokes to Alexandria, Agnew to bring ''Breconshire'' to Malta. In this he was joined by Force B, one cruiser (the other was under repair) and two destroyers.
''Breconshire'' and her escorts arrived in Malta at 1500 on the 18th.

At midday on the 18th the Italian force also split up; three ships headed for Tripoli, accompanied by the Close Cover Force, while the other merchant ship, the German supply ship ''Ankara'', headed for Benghazi.

The Distant Cover Force remained on station in the [[Gulf of Sirte]] until evening, before heading back to base.

The British had now realized that the Italians had a convoy in the area; Vian searched for it without success as he returned to Alexandria.

On the afternoon of the 18th the position of the Tripoli group was established, and the Malta Strike Force, one cruiser and two destroyers of Force B, and two cruisers and two Destroyers of Force K under the command of Capt O’Conor (of ''Neptune''), sortied at 1800 to intercept.

However, the force ran into a minefield 20 miles off Tripoli, in the early hours of [[19th December]]
The minefield took the British by surprise, as the depth was 100 fathoms at this point, and they had thought it impossible to fix a minefield in such depth.

The cruiser ''Neptune'' struck four mines and sank and the destroyer ''Kandahar'' also struck a mine and was scuttled the following day. The cruisers ''Aurora'' and ''Penelope'' were heavily damaged but were able to return to Malta. Overall, about 830 Allied seamen, many of them New Zealanders from the ''Neptune'', lost their lives in the disaster.

The Malta Strike Force which had been such an active threat to Axis shipping to Libya during most of 1941, was much reduced in its effectiveness, and was later forced to withdraw to Gibraltar.

'''Jervis'''<br />
As Vian’s force returned to Alexandria, [[HMS Jervis (F00)|''Jervis'']], one of his destroyers, encountered a submarine, which was attacked and presumed sunk. However, this was not confirmed, as no submarine in the area was reported lost, or having been attacked.

'''Alexandria'''<br />
The submarine was not the [[Italian submarine Sciré (1938)|''Scire'']], although she was in the vicinity with a group of [[Luigi Durand De La Penne| Italian frogmen]] equipped with [[manned torpedo]]es.
Shortly after Vians force arrived in [[Alexandria]], on the night of the 18th/19th December,
they penetrated the harbour and attacked the fleet there. ''Jervis'' was damaged in the attack, which crippled the two British battleships,
[[HMS Valiant (1914)|HMS ''Valiant'']] and [[HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)|HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'']].
This represented a strategic change of fortunes against the Allies in the central Mediterranean for several months.

==Conclusion==
It is hard to describe this series of actions as anything other than inconclusive.
Both sides achieved their strategic objectives; the British got supplies through to Malta, which was restored, at least for a while;
The Axis got their ships through to Tripoli and Benghazi, though Benghazi fell to the Eighth army five days later, on [[24th December]].

Tactically, of the nine actions described here, four were British, and three were Axis successes, while two of them, including the eponymous First Battle of Sirte, were inconclusive.

==Order of battle==
From [http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Mediterranean/OOB_WWII_First-Sirte.htm#prof www.navweaps.com]

===Italy===
[[Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg|40px]]

Vice Admiral Angelo Iachino (on ''Littorio'')

* Close covering force - Rear Admiral Raffaele de Courten (on ''Duca d'Aosta''):
** 1 [[battleship]]: [[Italian battleship Caio Duilio|''Caio Duilio'']];
** 3 [[light cruiser]]s (''7a Divisione Incrociatori''): [[Italian cruiser Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta|''Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta'']], [[Italian cruiser Muzio Attendolo|''Muzio Attendolo'']], [[Italian cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli|''Raimondo Montecuccoli'']];
** 3 [[destroyer]]s: ''Ascari'', ''Aviere'', and ''Camicia Nera''.

* Distant covering force - Rear Admiral Angelo Parona (on ''Gorizia''):
** 3 battleships: [[Italian battleship Andrea Doria|''Andrea Doria'']], [[Italian battleship Giulio Cesare|''Giulio Cesare'']], and [[Italian battleship Littorio|''Littorio'']];
** 2 [[heavy cruiser]]s: [[Italian cruiser Gorizia|''Gorizia'']], and [[Italian cruiser Trento|''Trento'']];
** 10 destroyers: ''Vincenzo Gioberti'', ''Alfredo Oriani'' (''9a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Maestrale'' (''10a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Carabiniere'', ''Corazziere'' (''12a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Alpino'', ''Bersagliere'', ''Fuciliere'', ''Granatiere'' (''13a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Antoniotto Usodimare'' (''16a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere'').

* Close escort:
** 6 destroyers: ''Saetta'' (''7a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Antonio da Noli'', ''Ugolino Vivaldi'' (''14a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Lanzerotto Malocello'', ''Nicolò Zeno'' (''15a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere''); ''Emanuele Pessagno'' (''16a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere'');
** 1 [[torpedo boat]]: ''Pegaso''.

* M42 convoy:
** 3 [[motorship]]s: ''Monginevro'', ''Napoli'', ''Vettor Pisani'';
** 1 [[freighter]]: ''Ankara'' (German).

===Allies===
[[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|border|40px]] [[Image:Naval Ensign of Australia.svg|border|40px]] [[Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|40px]]

*Convoy Escort - Rear Admiral Philip Vian (on ''Naiad'')
** 3 light cruisers: [[HMS Naiad (93)|''Naiad'']], [[HMS Euryalus (42)|''Euryalus'']], [[HMS Carlisle (D67)|''Carlisle'']];
** 8 destroyers (''14th Destroyers Flotilla''): [[HMS Jervis (F00)|''Jervis'']], [[HMS Kimberley (F50)|''Kimberley'']], [[HMS Kingston (F64)|''Kingston'']], [[HMS Kipling (F91)|''Kipling'']] (damaged), [[HMAS Nizam (G38)|HMAS ''Nizam'']] (damaged), [[HMS Havock (H43)|''Havock'']], [[HMS Hasty (H24)|''Hasty'']], [[HMS Decoy (D106)|''Decoy'']].
*Convoy
** 1 fast merchantman: ''Breconshire''

*Force K
** 2 light cruisers: [[HMS Aurora (12)|''Aurora'']] (heavily damaged), [[HMS Penelope (97)|''Penelope'']] (damaged),
** 2 destroyers [[L and M class destroyer|''Lance'']], [[L and M class destroyer|''Lively'']]
*Force B
** 1 cruiser: [[HMS Neptune (20)|''Neptune'']] (sunk);
** 2 destroyers: [[HMS Jaguar (F34)|''Jaguar'']], [[HMS Kandahar|''Kandahar'']] (sunk);

*4th Destroyer Flotilla
** 4 destroyers (''4th Destroyers Flotilla''): [[HMS Sikh (F82)|''Sikh'']], [[HMS Maori (F24)|''Maori'']], [[HMS Legion (G74)|''Legion'']], [[Gerard Callenburgh class destroyer|Hr.Ms. ''Isaac Sweers'']].

==References==
* Eric Groves : ''Sea Battles in Close-Up'' Vol II ( 1993) . ISBN 0 7110 2118 X
* Stephen Roskill : ''The War at Sea 1939-1945 '' Vol I (1954) : ISBN (none)
* G.G.Connell, ''Mediterranean Maelstrom: HMS Jervis and the 14th Flotilla'' (1987): ISBN

==External links==
* [http://www.regiamarina.net/battles/sirte1/sirte1_us.htm First Sirte]
* [http://digilander.libero.it/planciacomando/WW2/primasirte1.htm Prima battaglia della Sirte] - Plancia di Commando


[[Category:Battle of the Mediterranean|Sirte, First]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verrazzano, da Giovanni}}
[[Category:1480s births]]
[[Category:Naval battles involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1520s deaths]]
[[Category:World War II in Libya|Gulf of Sirte, First]]
[[category:1941 in Italy]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Florence]]
[[Category:Italian explorers]]
[[Category:Explorers of Canada]]


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[[he:ג'ובני דה וראזאנו]]
[[ka:ჯოვანი და ვერაძანო]]
[[la:Ianus Verazanus]]
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[[zh:乔瓦尼·达韦拉扎诺]]

Revision as of 00:41, 13 October 2008

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First Battle of Sirte
Part of World War II

Italian battleship Caio Duilio
Date17 December 1941
Location
Gulf of Sirte, Mediterranean Sea
Result Tactically inconclusive
Belligerents
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Australia Australia
Netherlands Netherlands		 Italy
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino
Strength
5 light cruisers
14 destroyers		 4 battleships
2 heavy cruisers
3 light cruisers
13 destroyers
Casualties and losses
2 destroyers lightly damaged None

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The First Battle of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the Mediterranean campaign of World War II. It took place on 17 December 1941, east of Malta, in the Gulf of Sirte. The battle itself was relatively uneventful, but has come to describe a week of clashes which illustrate well the cut and thrust of naval warfare in the Mediterranean at the time.

Background

The period started on 13th December 1941. The British Eighth Army and the Axis PanzerArmee Afrika were engaged in battles resulting from Operation Crusader.

Crusader had been fought between 18 November and 4 December, to defeat the Afrika Korps and relieve the siege of Tobruk.This had been achieved, and the Axis forces were conducting a fighting retreat; by 13 December they were holding a defensive line at Gazala, east of Benghazi.

The Axis were desperate to re-supply their forces, intending to run supplies to Tripoli, their main port in Libya, and Benghazi, the port closest to the front line.

Meanwhile the island garrison of Malta was under siege, and the British were keen to run in supplies to restore their forces there.

Prelude

M41
On 13th December 1941 the Italians were preparing to send a major convoy, of eight ships, designated M41, to Africa. That morning their previous re-supply attempt, two fast cruisers carrying fuel to Tripoli, had failed when both ships were sunk at the Battle of Cape Bon by a force of destroyers en route to Alexandria.

Convoy M41 consisted of eight merchant ships in three groups, with a close escort of five destroyers, and a Distant Cover Force of two battleships, Littorio and Vittorio Veneto, four destroyers and two torpedo boats.

Meanwhile the British planned to run supplies to Malta using the fast merchant ship Breconshire, covered by a force of cruisers and destroyers, while the destroyers from the Cape Bon engagement, at Malta after the battle, would proceed to Alexandria covered by the Malta Strike Force groups, Force K and Force B. This operation would commence on 15th December.

M41’s passage started badly; soon after sailing on 13th, one group was attacked by the British submarine Upright, and two ships were sunk; later that day two other ships collided and had to return to base, while the Distant Cover Force was sighted by submarine Urge. The battleship Vittorio Veneto was torpedoed, and forced to return.

The Italian Supermarina, rattled by these losses, and a report that a British force of two battleships was abroad ( in fact it was a decoy mission carried out by the minelayer Abdiel) ordered the ships to return to await reinforcement.

Galatea
The British were also preparing their operation, but their force was depleted when the cruiser Galatea was torpedoed and sunk by U-557, just before midnight on the 14th. Ironically, U-557 was accidentally sunk less than 48 hours later, by the Italian Torpedo Boat Orione.

On 15th December, Breconshire sailed from Alexandria; with her as escort were the three cruisers, and eight destroyers, under Rear Admiral Philip Vian (in Naiad). On the 16th , the four destroyers of 4th Flotilla, under Cdr G Stokes (in Sikh), left Malta, covered by Force K, two cruisers and two destroyers under Capt. W G "Bill" Agnew (in Aurora).

M42
On December 16, the four-ship Italian convoy, re-designated M42, left Taranto, picking up escorts along the way. the close escort was provided by seven destroyers and a torpedo boat, giving direct protection over the merchant ships. By the time they reached Sicily they were also accompanied by a "Close Cover Force", comprising the battleship Caio Duilio, three light cruisers and three destroyers.

A third group, the "Distant Covering Force", also formed up for detached support, consisting of the battleships Littorio, Andrea Doria and Giulio Cesare, two cruisers and ten destroyers.

Some measure of the importance of the mission can be seen in the fact that thirty Italian ships were escorting only four cargo ships.

The two British groups were also at sea and steaming towards each other; the opposing forces were destined to cross each others tracks east of Malta on the 18th.

The battle of Sirte

On the 17th, an Italian reconnaissance plane spotted the British west-bound formation near Sidi Barrani, apparently proceeding from Alexandria in order to intercept the Italian convoy. Thereafter the British convoy was shadowed by Axis planes and attacked during the afternoon, though no hits were scored. Also during the day, Agnew and Stokes met the west-bound convoy. By late afternoon the Italian fleet was close by, and spotter planes from the battleships had made contact with the British convoy.

At 1742 the fleets sighted each other, and Adm Iachino (commander of the Italian forces) moved to intercept, in order to cover his convoy.

Vian also wished to avoid combat, so with the British giving ground and the Italians pursuing with caution, the British were able easily to avoid an engagement.

Just after sunset an air attack attack on the British ships caused them to return fire with their anti-aircraft guns, allowing the Italian naval force to spot them at last. Iachino took in the Distant Covering Force and opened fire at about 32,000 metres from the British. This was well out of range of the British guns; the Italians were immune to return fire. Admiral Vian immediately laid smoke moved to attack, while Breconshire moved away, escorted by two destroyers, Decoy and Havock

Lacking radar, the Italians justifiably wished to avoid night combat (notably after the disaster at Matapan). Expecting an attack, Iachino fired for only fifteen minutes before disengaging and returning westward to protect his convoy. Only two British destroyers suffered the effects of Italian gunfire. The HMS Kipling, was hit by a near-miss from a 8" round, presumably fired by the Italian cruiser Gorizia with the loss of one seaman. HMAS Nizam was also struck by near-misses from the Italian destroyer Maestrale.

Aftermath

Tripoli
After dark Vian and Agnew parted company, Vian to return with Stokes to Alexandria, Agnew to bring Breconshire to Malta. In this he was joined by Force B, one cruiser (the other was under repair) and two destroyers. Breconshire and her escorts arrived in Malta at 1500 on the 18th.

At midday on the 18th the Italian force also split up; three ships headed for Tripoli, accompanied by the Close Cover Force, while the other merchant ship, the German supply ship Ankara, headed for Benghazi.

The Distant Cover Force remained on station in the Gulf of Sirte until evening, before heading back to base.

The British had now realized that the Italians had a convoy in the area; Vian searched for it without success as he returned to Alexandria.

On the afternoon of the 18th the position of the Tripoli group was established, and the Malta Strike Force, one cruiser and two destroyers of Force B, and two cruisers and two Destroyers of Force K under the command of Capt O’Conor (of Neptune), sortied at 1800 to intercept.

However, the force ran into a minefield 20 miles off Tripoli, in the early hours of 19th December The minefield took the British by surprise, as the depth was 100 fathoms at this point, and they had thought it impossible to fix a minefield in such depth.

The cruiser Neptune struck four mines and sank and the destroyer Kandahar also struck a mine and was scuttled the following day. The cruisers Aurora and Penelope were heavily damaged but were able to return to Malta. Overall, about 830 Allied seamen, many of them New Zealanders from the Neptune, lost their lives in the disaster.

The Malta Strike Force which had been such an active threat to Axis shipping to Libya during most of 1941, was much reduced in its effectiveness, and was later forced to withdraw to Gibraltar.

Jervis
As Vian’s force returned to Alexandria, Jervis, one of his destroyers, encountered a submarine, which was attacked and presumed sunk. However, this was not confirmed, as no submarine in the area was reported lost, or having been attacked.

Alexandria
The submarine was not the Scire, although she was in the vicinity with a group of Italian frogmen equipped with manned torpedoes. Shortly after Vians force arrived in Alexandria, on the night of the 18th/19th December, they penetrated the harbour and attacked the fleet there. Jervis was damaged in the attack, which crippled the two British battleships, HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth. This represented a strategic change of fortunes against the Allies in the central Mediterranean for several months.

Conclusion

It is hard to describe this series of actions as anything other than inconclusive. Both sides achieved their strategic objectives; the British got supplies through to Malta, which was restored, at least for a while; The Axis got their ships through to Tripoli and Benghazi, though Benghazi fell to the Eighth army five days later, on 24th December.

Tactically, of the nine actions described here, four were British, and three were Axis successes, while two of them, including the eponymous First Battle of Sirte, were inconclusive.

Order of battle

From www.navweaps.com

Italy

Vice Admiral Angelo Iachino (on Littorio)

  • Distant covering force - Rear Admiral Angelo Parona (on Gorizia):
    • 3 battleships: Andrea Doria, Giulio Cesare, and Littorio;
    • 2 heavy cruisers: Gorizia, and Trento;
    • 10 destroyers: Vincenzo Gioberti, Alfredo Oriani (9a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Maestrale (10a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Carabiniere, Corazziere (12a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Alpino, Bersagliere, Fuciliere, Granatiere (13a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Antoniotto Usodimare (16a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere).
  • Close escort:
    • 6 destroyers: Saetta (7a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Antonio da Noli, Ugolino Vivaldi (14a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Lanzerotto Malocello, Nicolò Zeno (15a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere); Emanuele Pessagno (16a Squadriglia Cacciatorpediniere);
    • 1 torpedo boat: Pegaso.

Allies

References

  • Eric Groves : Sea Battles in Close-Up Vol II ( 1993) . ISBN 0 7110 2118 X
  • Stephen Roskill : The War at Sea 1939-1945 Vol I (1954)  : ISBN (none)
  • G.G.Connell, Mediterranean Maelstrom: HMS Jervis and the 14th Flotilla (1987): ISBN

External links

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