Edited from material
by Mike Yaklich, et al
1941
January 1941:
British destroyer Gallant badly damaged by Italian mine near
Malta (later bombed while under repair, never sails again). Italian-flown Ju-87 dive-bomber scores one of
the six bomb hits that severely damage British aircraft carrier
Illustrious. Free French submarine
Narval sunk by destroyer escort Clio.
British merchantman Clan Cumming torpedoed by sub Neghelli but reaches
port. British tanker Desmoulea torpedoed
by destroyer escort Lupo (towed back to port).
February 1941:
British gunboat Ladybird damaged (not seriously) by Italian
air attack during unsuccessful commando raid on island of Kastelorizo. Italian bombing raids on Benghazi force the
British to stop using the port for the time being.
March 1941:
British heavy cruiser York severely damaged (beached, never
sailed again) and tanker Pericles sunk by Italian “explosive
motorboats” (launched from destroyers Crispi and Sella) in Suda Bay. British light cruiser Bonaventure sunk by Italian
sub Ambra.
April 1941:
British destroyer Mohawk torpedoed and sunk by Italian
destroyer Tarigo (itself also sinking) in action against Italian convoy off the
Kerkenah light buoy. British tanker
British Science (7,300 tons) sunk by SM79 torpedo planes. Greek destroyer escort Proussa sunk by
Italian Ju-87s. Small freighter Susanah (900 tons) hit by Italian Ju-87s,
beached, later destroyed in another attack by Italian Ju-87s. British fleet oiler British Lord damaged by
SM79 torpedo planes. British salvage
vessel Viking sunk by SM79s. Freighter Devis (6,000 tons) damaged by SM81s
(multiple bomb hits, seven men killed, 14 wounded, on fire but rejoins British
convoy). (1)
May 1941:
During battle of Crete, British destroyer Juno sunk by
Italian Z1007s in level bombing attack; destroyer Imperial sunk by Italian SM84
bombers; light cruiser Ajax damaged (20 serious casualties) by Italian SM84s.
(2) British submarine Usk sunk either by Italian destroyers (Pigafetta and
Zeno) or Italian mines. British submarine
Undaunted sunk either by Italian destroyer escorts (Pegaso or Pleiadi) or
Italian mines. British transport
Rawnsley hit by SM79 torpedo planes (previously damaged by German bombers-
towed to Crete after Italian attack, later sunk there). British gunboat Ladybird sunk by Italian
Ju-87s at Tobruk.
June 1941:
Australian destroyer Waterhen sunk in combined attack by
German and Italian Ju-87s (Italian pilot Ennio Tarantola was credited with a
near-miss that caused serious damage).
July 1941:
During Malta convoy operation, British destroyer Fearless
sunk by SM79 torpedo bombers; British light cruiser Manchester damaged by SM79
torpedo bombers (38 killed, out of action nine months); British destroyer
Firedrake damaged by Italian bomb (boilers and steering out, towed back to
port); freighter Sydney Star torpedoed in attacks by MAS 532 and MAS 533, but
reaches Malta. Tanker Hoegh Hood (9,350
tons), returning to Gibraltar from Malta empty in simultaneous operation, hit
by Italian torpedo plane but makes port.
British destroyer Defender sunk by Italian aircraft off Sidi Barrani.
(3) British sub Union sunk by destroyer
escort Circe. British sub Cachalot
rammed and sunk by destroyer escort Papa.
August 1941:
British light cruiser Phoebe damaged by Italian torpedo
plane (out of action eight months).
British sub P. 32 sunk by Italian mines while trying to enter port of
Tripoli. British sub P. 33 sunk in same
area, presumably by Italian mines.
British tanker Desmoulea damaged by SM79 torpedo planes. Belgian tanker
Alexandre Andre damaged by SM79 torpedo planes. British tanker Turbo sunk by SM79 torpedo
planes. British small armaments carrier
Escaut sunk by SM79 torpedo planes.
British netlayer Protector severely damaged by SM79 torpedo planes (out
of action four years).
September 1941:
During Malta convoy operation, British battleship Nelson
damaged by SM84 torpedo bombers (one torpedo hit, out of action six months);
merchantman Imperial Star (12,000 tons) sunk by SM79 torpedo planes. British small tanker Fiona Shell, fleet oiler
Denbydale, and merchantman Durham (11,000 tons) sunk at Gibraltar by
“piloted torpedoes” launched from submarine Scire (however, Denbydale
and Durham settled in shallow water and were both later recovered).
October 1941:
British merchantman (blockade runner to Malta) Empire
Guillemot sunk by SM84 torpedo planes.
British sub Tetrarch presumed sunk by Italian mines off Sicily.
November 1941:
British merchantmen (blockade runners to Malta) Empire
Defender and Empire Pelican sunk by Italian torpedo planes. During sinking of “Duisburg”
convoy, British destroyer Lively suffers minor splinter damage from near misses
of 8-inch shells from Italian heavy cruisers.
December 1941:
British battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, tanker
Sagona, and destroyer Jervis (tied alongside Sagona for fueling) damaged at
Alexandria by “piloted torpedoes” launched from sub Scire (Queen
Elizabeth sank but settled in shallow water:
raised and repaired, out of action almost a year and a half. Valiant out of action eight months. Sagona henceforth used only as a stationary
fuel bunker. Jervis under repair one
month). British light cruiser Neptune,
destroyer Kandahar sunk (only one survivor from Neptune!), light cruisers
Aurora and Penelope damaged by mines laid by light cruisers of Italian 7th
Division (Aurora out of action eight months). British destroyer Kipling suffers
minor splinter damage from near misses (one man killed) during “First
Battle of Sirte.” Small British steamer
Volo (1,500 tons) sunk by SM79 torpedo bombers.
NOTES
(1) Italian SM79s also claimed the sinking of the British
transport Homefield, however according to Shores et al (“The Air War for
Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete”) the damage that resulted in this ship
being scuttled was inflicted in a later attack by German Ju-88s. Shores states that the Italian torpedo
bombers which claimed a hit were mistaken, and that all damage resulted from
(German) bomb hits.
(2) Italian torpedo bombers also claim to have fatally
damaged British destroyer Hereward during the Crete battle. Bragadin (“The Italian Navy in World War
II”) repeats this claim, and also says that the badly-damaged Hereward was
scuttled as Italian MAS torpedo boats approached. Greene and Massignani (“The Naval War in
the Mediterranean”) accept the account of Shores et al (op cit) that
Hereward was hit by German Ju-87s (although, contrary to much of the book,
Shores does not specify the exact unit or mission for the attacking aircraft),
and refute Bragadin, Sadkovich, and others.
Shores does also note that survivors were picked up by Italian MAS
boats, as do other British accounts. My
own conclusion is that the best evidence is for the ship being fatally damaged
by German air attack, but that the Italians may be accorded a small role, as
the appearance of the MAS probably prompted the decision to scuttle.
(3) A number of
accounts list this as a combined attack by German and Italian planes, but
sources I consulted seemed to agree that Italian aircraft should get either
full or partial credit for the sinking.
1942
January 1942:
British sub Triumph sunk, apparently by Italian mines off
Greek island of Milo.
February 1942:
British sub Tempest sunk by Italian antisubmarine forces,
including destroyer escort Circe.
British sub P. 38 sunk by Italian convoy escorts, again including
Circe. British sub Thresher badly damaged
while attacking Italian convoy.
March 1942:
During Malta convoy operation (“second battle of
Sirte”) British light cruiser Cleopatra hit by 6-inch shell from light
cruiser Bande Nere (radio and antiaircraft fire director knocked out, 15 men
killed: splinters from near misses kill
one more man); light cruiser Euryalus suffers splinter damage from near-miss by
15-inch shell from battleship Littorio; destroyer Kingston hit by 15-inch shell
from Littorio (passes through ship without exploding, but kills 14, wounds 20,
and starts a small fire); destroyer Havock hit by splinters of 15-inch shell
from Littorio (seven killed, nine wounded, one boiler flooded); destroyer
Lively hit by 15-inch splinters from Littorio (minor flooding, funnel on fire);
destroyer Sikh straddled by 15-inch shells, but only minor damage. (4) British destroyer Southwold sunk by Italian
mine outside Malta.
April 1942:
British sub Upholder sunk by destroyer escort Pegaso. British sub Urge sunk (exact cause uncertain,
but all sources which cite cause agree it was to Italian action: most probably Italian mines, possibly to
destroyer escort Pegaso or to Italian aircraft). British subs Pandora and P. 36 sunk by
Italian bombers in raid on port at Malta.
British destroyer Havock torpedoed by sub Aradam, but only after it had
been run aground, abandoned, and largely demolished by its crew. (5)
May 1942:
(None found?)
June 1942:
During Malta convoy operation, destroyer Bedouin sunk by
SM79 torpedo plane, after having been heavily damaged in surface action by
ships of Italian 7th Division (hit by 12 shells, mostly 6-inch, some of which
passed through the ship without exploding); Dutch merchantman Tanimbar (8,000
tons) sunk by SM79 torpedo plane; British light cruiser Liverpool damaged by
SM79 torpedo plane (towed back, out of action almost two years); freighter Burdwan
and tanker Kentucky sunk by ships of Italian 7th Division (both had been badly
damaged in previous air attacks); antiaircraft cruiser Cairo damaged in surface
action with 7th Division (one armor-piercing 6-inch shell- used because the
Italian light cruisers had run out of the more effective high-explosive
ammunition- penetrates fuel bunker but fails to do fatal damage because it
failed to explode); destroyer Partridge damaged by ships of 7th Division
(stopped but gets under way again); minesweeper Hebe hit by one shell from
ships of 7th Division (badly damaged).
(6) British destroyer Nestor,
badly damaged by German air attack but being towed back to port (SM79s also
participated in that attack but scored no hits), is scuttled on appearance of
more Italian aircraft due to the risk to the towing vessel.
July 1942:
Tanker Antares (Turkish but in British service) sunk by sub
Alagi. Small British freighters Meta,
Shuma, Snipe, and Baron Douglas (total approx. 10,000 tons) sunk at Gibraltar
by Italian “frogman” swimmers.
August 1942:
During major Malta convoy operation, British antiaircraft
cruiser Cairo sunk, light cruiser Nigeria damaged (52 killed, severe structural
damage), and tanker Ohio (10,000 tons) damaged by sub Axum (Ohio stopped and on
fire, but fires are extinguished by water pouring in through large torpedo hole
in its side!); light cruiser Manchester sunk by large torpedo boats MS 16 and
MS 22 (each scored one hit); destroyer Foresight sunk by SM79 torpedo bomber;
freighter Glenorchy (9,000 tons) sunk by large torpedo boat MS 31; freighter
Wairangi (12,400 tons) sunk by torpedo boat MAS 552; freighter Almeria Lykes
(7,700 tons) sunk by torpedo boat MAS 554; freighter Santa Elisa (8,300 tons)
sunk by torpedo boat MAS 557; freighter Empire Hope (12,600 tons) sunk by sub
Bronzo after being severely damaged by (German) air attack and abandoned; light cruiser Kenya damaged (three killed,
one wounded; sonar knocked out and extensive flooding- however, the ship
remained with the convoy) by sub Alagi; freighter Rochester Castle (7,800 tons)
damaged by torpedo boat MAS 564, but makes it to Malta; aircraft carrier
Victorious hit by two 1,386-lb bombs by Re2001 fighter-bombers, but one bounces
over the side before exploding, other one does minor damage to flight deck (six
killed, two wounded); aircraft carrier Indomitable hit by one 220-lb bomb by
CR42 fighter-bomber which does minimal damage to flight deck; battleship Rodney
hit by one bomb by Italian Ju-87s, but it bounces off main gun turret before
exploding and does no damage; tanker Ohio damaged again by near-miss from
Italian Ju-87, which buckles bow plates and causes more flooding; freighter
Port Chalmers hit on paravane of minesweeping gear by torpedo from SM79, but
this is cut loose and the torpedo explodes underwater, causing no damage. (7)
British destroyer Eridge damaged beyond repair by MTM small assault
torpedo boats off North African coast (towed back to Alexandria but written
off). British sub Thorn sunk by destroyer escort Pegaso.
September 1942:
During foiled large-scale commando raid on Tobruk, British
destroyer Sikh sunk and destroyer Zulu badly damaged by combined fire of
Italian and German shore batteries (Zulu later sunk by air attack); British
torpedo boats MTB 308, MTB 310, MTB 312, were sunk and MTB 314 was captured [She
was later used by the Germans] in same raid, along with two motor launches, by
Italian MC200 fighter-bombers and/or Italian shore batteries. (8)
British small freighter Raven’s Point sunk at Gibraltar by Italian
swimmers.
October 1942:
(None found?)
November 1942:
British sub Utmost sunk by destroyer escort Groppo. British sloop Ibis sunk by Italian torpedo
plane. British auxiliary antiaircraft
ship Tynwald and troopship Awatea (13,400 tons) sunk by submarine Argo (Awatea
had previously been heavily damaged by bombing). (9)
British minesweeper Algerine sunk by submarine Asciangi. British minesweeper Cromer sunk by Italian
mines off Mersa Matruh. French tanker
Tarn damaged by sub Dandolo but makes port.
December 1942:
British destroyer Quentin sunk by SM79 torpedo bomber. British corvette Marigold sunk by Italian torpedo
planes. British sub P. 222 sunk by
destroyer escort Fortunale. British sub
P. 48 sunk by destroyer escorts Ardente and Ardito. British sub P. 311 sunk by Italian mines
outside port of Maddalena. British light
cruiser Argonaut hit by two torpedoes from sub Mocenigo (only three men killed,
but out of action eleven months). Small
Norwegian freighter Berto (1,400 tons) sunk, freighters Ocean Vanquisher (7,000 tons), Empire Centaur (7,000 tons), and Armattan
(4,500 tons) damaged in port at Algiers by “piloted torpedoes” and
swimmers launched from sub Ambra.
NOTES
4) There are many conflicting reports of damage inflicted at
Second Sirte. The above reflects only what I have been able to verify from
sources on the British side. The
Italians believed they had also damaged light cruiser Penelope and destroyers
Lance and Legion, and at least one British source I consulted also gives this
information. On the other hand, the
British thought they had torpedoed battleship Littorio and hit light cruiser
Bande Nere and an unidentified heavy cruiser, when in actuality they only
scored one hit, a 120mm (4.7-inch) shell which struck Littorio doing minimal
damage. The fog of war was apparently
very thick in this battle (literally, given the effective British use of
smokescreens), as the Italians thought that Kingston had been hit by a heavy
cruiser, variously reported as Trento or Gorizia, and some Italian accounts
also credit Trento (not Bande Nere) with having hit Cleopatra.
(5) Italian accounts
almost unanimously reverse the cause and effect, saying that Havock was first
torpedoed, and then beached- including eyewitness reports from the crew of
Aradam, which surfaced and reported seeing the British destroyer on fire. I have accepted the British version, not
necessarily incompatible with that eyewitness testimony.
(6) There are claims that Burdwan was crippled by Italian
SM84s which were mistakenly reported as German planes. Kentucky was eventually finished off by the
guns of light cruiser Montecuccoli and a torpedo from destroyer Oriani.
(7) Great confusion surrounds the August 12 night action
against the “Pedestal” convoy, which is perhaps understandable given
repeated attacks by Italian submarines and various Axis aircraft, sometimes
virtually overlapping, over a period of about two hours. Sadkovich (op cit, p. 292-296, citing several
other sources) mentions Italian claims that freighter Brisbane Star was hit by
Italian sub Dessie (a claim often repeated but now generally considered to have
been in error, the sub’s crew probably having heard the successful torpedo hits
of Axum and assumed they were their own); that the sub Alagi also hit the
freighter Clan Ferguson (this is far more
plausible, but as Sadkovich times the attack at 21:18, while Clan Ferguson with
its load of ammunition had been reported hit by a German He-111 torpedo plane
at 21:02, the ship would have already been abandoned, on fire, and rapidly
sinking when this occurred); and that
sub Bronzo also crippled Glenorchy (this ship was at any rate credited to
Italian action, as it was confirmed sunk by an Italian torpedo boat later that
night). Sadkovich also claims that
Italian Ju-87s hit destroyer Ashanti while attacking Ohio on August 13, but I
have been unable to find any other reference which verifies this, or indeed
that Ashanti was damaged at all during “Pedestal” (the ship was
providing close escort to Ohio at a time when Italian Ju-87s scored a near-miss,
and was heavily engaged). Other sources mention Brisbane Star as having been
torpedoed by an SM79 (a possibility, since there were only seven He-111 torpedo
planes involved in the German air attack- the other German aircraft being 30
Ju-88s armed with bombs- and these already appear to have accounted for Clan
Ferguson, the previously-damaged Deucalion, and possibly Empire Hope, which had
a 15-foot hole in its side that sounds like a torpedo hit. However, I have not come across anything that
gives more specifics on any Italian planes involved in these air attacks), and
still other sources list Deucalion as a victim of Italian rather than German
torpedo planes (probably an error).
British destroyer Wolverine had its bows badly damaged when it rammed
and sank Italian sub Dagabur with all hands, but I hesitate to classify that as
“damage inflicted by the Italians,” given the circumstances.
(8) Again, it is difficult to decipher exactly who did what
in this action. By the best accounts, Sikh was hit twice by a German 88mm
battery and took at least three more shells of unknown origin. From accounts of those aboard, the best
reconstruction of its fate seems to be that the ship was crippled by the German
guns and then finished off by the Italian (152mm). Zulu was probably hit by an
Italian battery. The exact identity of
the aircraft that sank Zulu also remains unclear. Many Italian sources credit MC200
fighter-bombers. The MC200s definitely
did effectively bomb and strafe British motor torpedo boats, claiming to sink
three and badly damage a fourth. Another
four British torpedo boats were claimed by Italian shore batteries. British reported losses of small craft, as
seen above, were four torpedo boats and two motor launches.
(9) Italian SM79 torpedo bombers also claimed Awatea in the
original air attacks, but most accounts have it set afire by German Ju-88s.
1943
January 1943:
British corvette Samphire sunk by sub Platino.
February 1943:
British minesweeping trawler Tervani sunk by sub Accaio.
March 1943:
British sub Turbulent sunk either by Italian anti-submarine
trawler or by Italian mines outside La Maddalena. British sub Thunderbolt sunk by corvette
Cicogna.
April 1943:
British destroyer Pakenham sunk as a result of gun battle
with destroyer escorts Cassiopea and Cigno (Cigno was also sunk in this
encounter). British sub Sahib sunk by corvette Gabbiano (after being attacked
by German Ju-88s). British torpedo boat
MTB 639 sunk by destroyer escort Sagittario.
May 1943:
Freighters Pat Harrison (7,000 tons), Marhsud (7,500 tons),
and Camerata (4,800 tons) sunk at Gibraltar by “piloted torpedoes”
operated from derelict freighter Olterra (interned by Spanish at nearby
Algeciras and converted by Italians into secret base for missions against
Gibraltar). British minelayer Fantome
sunk by Italian mines off Bizerte.
June 1943:
(None found?)
July 1943:
During invasion of Sicily, British carrier Indomitable
seriously damaged by SM79 torpedo plane (out of action seven months); British
light cruiser Cleopatra damaged by sub Dandolo (out of action four months); US
transport Timothy Pickering sunk by Re2002s (166 killed, including British
troops aboard); US transport Joseph G Cannon damaged by Re2002s (hit by bomb
which failed to explode, returned to Malta); British torpedo boat MTB 316 sunk
by light cruiser Scipione Africano; sub Flutto inflicts 17 casualties before
being sunk in surface battle with British torpedo boats MTB 640, MTB 651, and
MTB 670. Greek steamship Orion (4,800
tons) sunk by mine planted by Italian swimmer in neutral Turkish harbor one
week earlier (the swimmer, Lt. Luigi Ferraro, smuggled in by undercover agents
of naval intelligence, as were the mines).
Freighter Kaituna (4,900 tons) damaged by mine placed by same swimmer
(Ferraro mined two other ships which were saved by underwater inspections after
British found a second unexploded mine on Kaituna).
August 1943:
Tanker Thorshoud (10,000 tons), freighter Harrison Grey Otis
(7,000 tons), and freighter Stanbridge (6,000 tons) sunk at Gibraltar by
“piloted torpedoes” from Olterra.
British sub Saracen sunk by corvettes Minerva and Euterpe.
September 1943:
(none found?)
French Ships
See below. My
comments marked *.
– French “super-destroyer” Albatros hit by 6-inch
shell from Italian coastal battery during bombardment of Genoa (ten men
killed).
* 14/6/40: the “contre-torpilleur” Albatros was
indeed hit by a 152mm round from the Pegli coastal battery; 12 men in all died
from burn wounds.
– Small freighter Elgo (1,900 tons) sunk by sub Capponi
while en route to a French North African port.
* 22/6/40: the Elgo was a Swedish freighter going from Tunis
to Sfax.
– Small French steamer Cheik (1,000 tons) sunk by sub Scire.
* 10/7/40: torpedoed by error on the Marseille-Alger route;
13 men missing. I suppose this does not
count as a legitimate sinking since the Franco-Italian armistice was already in
effect. The Italian sub rescued the survivors,
later repatriated to Corsica on board Italian minesweeper Argo.
* Other reported incidents involving Vichy French vessels in
the Mediterranean:
* Note: there could be more cases, but the attacker often
remains unidentified, or no damage was done.
* 13/9/40: a French convoy (11 merchantmen) drifted a bit
from its Bone-Marseille route and entered an Italian minefield near San Pietro
(Sardinia). The liner Cap Tourane struck
a mine first but kept afloat; 3 dead and 17 missing among military
passengers. The freighter Cassidaigne,
coming to help, then struck a mine too and sank rapidly. Finally, the freighter Ginette-Leborgne,
bringing up the rear of the convoy, suffered the same fate. No other casualties are reported.
* 28/7/41: Tunisian sail-ship Sidi Fredg attacked by 3
Italian seaplanes (somewhere between Nabeul and Korba); 2 wounded, ship
abandoned, later retrieved.
