Battle of the Cigno Convoy
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Cigno Convoy was a naval engagement between two British
Royal Navy
destroyer
s and two Italian Regia Marina
torpedo boat
s which took place southeast of Marettimo
island, on the early hours of 16 April 1943. The Italian units were escorting the transport ship Belluno, of 4200 LT (4,267.4 t).
and Sicily
. Their aim was to isolate and defeat the bulk of the German
Afrika Corps and the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) in Tunis
by strangling their supply lines. The struggle was so fiercely contested that the maritime area between Italy and Africa was dubbed the "route of death". By April, Axis merchant ship losses reached an average of 3.3 per day. The huge extension of minefields planted by both sides made surface trips against Axis shipping more unlikely than during the Libyan campaign. The supply route for the Regia Marina
(Italian Royal Navy) was also shorter but the Allied air supremacy
and the attrition of the war made it almost impossible to assemble large convoys. This along with a shortage of fuel, forced the Italians to use small and fast destroyers or torpedo boats to escort their cargo ships heading to Africa. The convoys were only capable of making 8 kn (9.7 mph; 15.7 km/h) in practice, due to the loss of the main high-speed cargo ships by 1943.
One of these small convoys—comprising two Italian Spica-class torpedo boat
s Cigno and Cassiopea escorting the 4200 LT (4,267.4 t) transport Belluno—sailed from Trapani
bound for Tunis on 15 April. A rearguard escorting force composed of the torpedo boats Tifone and Climene was scheduled to depart a couple of hours later from Palermo
to reinforce the convoy. At 02:38 on the 16th, the forward escort spotted two British destroyers approaching, and . This was one of the few night engagements in the Mediterranean in which the British failed to take their opponents by surprise, owing to the full moon. The moonlight was decisive to the outcome of the battle. The fire power of Pakenham and Paladin was fairly superior to that of the Italian side. In fact, they were armed with five 4 in (101.6 mm) guns, compared to the three 3.9 in (99.1 mm) of the Italians. The armour protection also favoured the Royal Navy ships. The first vessel to suffer the effects of gunfire was Cigno, which was almost immediately knocked out. The Italian unit continued to fire on the British ships until a torpedo sank her at 03:00. Around 100 seamen went down with the ship. Nonetheless, Cassiopea, albeit also struck by several rounds, was able to counter attack by launching a torpedo at Paladin and raking Pakenham with gunfire. The port side of the latter was hit at least four times and the engine room was seriously damaged. Several of her crew were scalded by the explosion of a boiler. Nine men were killed, another died of his wounds two days later. Paladin was also damaged by shell splinters. During the clash, Belluno turned back to the northeast under the protection of the rear escorting force; the British ceased fire and withdrew. The torpedo boat Cassiopea, almost disabled, was assisted by Climene, which towed her back to Trapani and later to Taranto
for repairs. After trying to reach Malta
with an auxiliary engine, Pakenham broke down off Sicily and then Paladin, unable to take her in tow, scuttled her sister ship
with a torpedo at 06:30 at the position 37°26′N 12°30′E. The transport Belluno reached her destination safely some hours later.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s and two Italian Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s which took place southeast of Marettimo
Marettimo
Marettimo is one of the Aegadian Islands in the Mediterranean Sea west of Sicily, Italy. It forms a part of the municipality of Favignana in the Province of Trapani. From Trapani, the island takes about an hour to reach.Marettimo is the second largest of the Aegadian Islands...
island, on the early hours of 16 April 1943. The Italian units were escorting the transport ship Belluno, of 4200 LT (4,267.4 t).
Background
The battle was part of the daily aerial, naval and submarine campaign mounted by the Allies against Axis forces, in the spring of 1943, in order to achieve a complete naval and air supremacy around North AfricaNorth Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Their aim was to isolate and defeat the bulk of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Afrika Corps and the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
by strangling their supply lines. The struggle was so fiercely contested that the maritime area between Italy and Africa was dubbed the "route of death". By April, Axis merchant ship losses reached an average of 3.3 per day. The huge extension of minefields planted by both sides made surface trips against Axis shipping more unlikely than during the Libyan campaign. The supply route for the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
(Italian Royal Navy) was also shorter but the Allied air supremacy
Air supremacy
Air supremacy is the complete dominance of the air power of one side's air forces over the other side's, during a military campaign. It is the most favorable state of control of the air...
and the attrition of the war made it almost impossible to assemble large convoys. This along with a shortage of fuel, forced the Italians to use small and fast destroyers or torpedo boats to escort their cargo ships heading to Africa. The convoys were only capable of making 8 kn (9.7 mph; 15.7 km/h) in practice, due to the loss of the main high-speed cargo ships by 1943.
The action
Spica class torpedo boat
The Spica-class were a class of torpedo boats of the Regia Marina during World War II. These ships were built as a result of a clause in the Washington Naval Treaty, which stated that ships with a tonnage of less than 600 tons could be built in unlimited numbers...
s Cigno and Cassiopea escorting the 4200 LT (4,267.4 t) transport Belluno—sailed from Trapani
Trapani
Trapani is a city and comune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.-History:...
bound for Tunis on 15 April. A rearguard escorting force composed of the torpedo boats Tifone and Climene was scheduled to depart a couple of hours later from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
to reinforce the convoy. At 02:38 on the 16th, the forward escort spotted two British destroyers approaching, and . This was one of the few night engagements in the Mediterranean in which the British failed to take their opponents by surprise, owing to the full moon. The moonlight was decisive to the outcome of the battle. The fire power of Pakenham and Paladin was fairly superior to that of the Italian side. In fact, they were armed with five 4 in (101.6 mm) guns, compared to the three 3.9 in (99.1 mm) of the Italians. The armour protection also favoured the Royal Navy ships. The first vessel to suffer the effects of gunfire was Cigno, which was almost immediately knocked out. The Italian unit continued to fire on the British ships until a torpedo sank her at 03:00. Around 100 seamen went down with the ship. Nonetheless, Cassiopea, albeit also struck by several rounds, was able to counter attack by launching a torpedo at Paladin and raking Pakenham with gunfire. The port side of the latter was hit at least four times and the engine room was seriously damaged. Several of her crew were scalded by the explosion of a boiler. Nine men were killed, another died of his wounds two days later. Paladin was also damaged by shell splinters. During the clash, Belluno turned back to the northeast under the protection of the rear escorting force; the British ceased fire and withdrew. The torpedo boat Cassiopea, almost disabled, was assisted by Climene, which towed her back to Trapani and later to Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
for repairs. After trying to reach Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
with an auxiliary engine, Pakenham broke down off Sicily and then Paladin, unable to take her in tow, scuttled her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
with a torpedo at 06:30 at the position 37°26′N 12°30′E. The transport Belluno reached her destination safely some hours later.