A Royal Navy and HMAS Sydney victory off Crete that sank Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni and damaged Giovanni delle Bande Nere.
Key Facts
- Date
- 19 July 1940
- Location
- Cape Spada, north-western Crete
- Italian cruiser sunk
- Bartolomeo Colleoni
- Italian killed (Colleoni)
- 121 men
- Italian survivors (Colleoni)
- 555 men
- Italian commander fate
- Capitano Umberto Novaro mortally wounded, died 23 July
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In July 1940, Italian and British naval forces were contesting control of the Mediterranean. The Italian 2nd Cruiser Division, comprising light cruisers Giovanni delle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni, was operating in the Aegean when it encountered Royal Navy forces in a chance meeting engagement off north-western Crete.
On the morning of 19 July 1940, the two Italian fast light cruisers engaged the British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla alongside the light cruiser HMAS Sydney and destroyer HMS Havock. During the battle, Bartolomeo Colleoni was sunk and Giovanni delle Bande Nere was damaged, while HMAS Sydney sustained only minor damage.
The battle resulted in 121 Italian sailors killed and 555 survivors rescued from Bartolomeo Colleoni. Italian commander Capitano di vascello Umberto Novaro died of wounds on 23 July. The engagement was an Allied tactical success, eliminating one Italian cruiser and weakening the 2nd Cruiser Division's operational capacity in the Mediterranean.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Umberto Novaro.