Sinking of HMS York
Encyclopedia
The Raid on Souda Bay was an Italian Navy
's small craft assault on Souda Bay
, Crete
, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The Royal Navy
heavy cruiser
and the Norwegian tanker Pericles were disabled by Italian motor launches and eventually lost.
had spotted a number of naval and auxiliary steamers at anchor in Souda Bay, Crete.
On 25 March 1941, the Italian destroyers Crispi
and Sella
departed from Leros
island in the Aegean
at night, each one carrying three 2 LT (2 t) motor assault boats of the known as (MTM). Each MTM (nicknamed : "little boats") carried a 300 kg (661.4 lb) explosive charge inside their bow
. The MTMs were specially equipped to make their way through obstacles such as torpedo nets
. The pilot would steer the assault craft on a collision course at his target ship, and then would jump from his boat before impact and warhead detonation.
s of the base opened fire randomly, believing that the base was under air attack.
All six of the Italian seamen, Luigi Faggioni, Alessio de Vito, Emilio Barberi, Angelo Cabrini, Tullio Tedeschi and Lino Beccati, were captured.
was abandoned, she was wrecked with demolition charges by her crew before the German capture of Crete
, while Pericles, taken in tow by destroyers, sank on 14 April 1941 en route to Alexandria during a gale.
The sinking of HMS York was the source of a controversy between the Regia Marina
and the Luftwaffe
over credit for her sinking. The matter was resolved by British war records and by the ship's own war log, captured by Italian naval officers who boarded the half-sunk cruiser.
After the war, the hull of HMS York was towed to Bari
and scrapped there by an Italian shipbreaker in March 1952.
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
's small craft assault on Souda Bay
Souda Bay
Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano, and runs west to east...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The 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...
heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
and the Norwegian tanker Pericles were disabled by Italian motor launches and eventually lost.
Background
Souda is a naturally protected harbor on the northwest coast of the island. It had been chosen as a target by the Decima months before because of the almost continuous Allied naval activity there. Air recceReconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
had spotted a number of naval and auxiliary steamers at anchor in Souda Bay, Crete.
On 25 March 1941, the Italian destroyers Crispi
Sella class destroyer
Sella class destroyer were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after the Italian capitulation to the Allies...
and Sella
Sella class destroyer
Sella class destroyer were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after the Italian capitulation to the Allies...
departed from Leros
Leros
Leros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride . Leros is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit...
island in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
at night, each one carrying three 2 LT (2 t) motor assault boats of the known as (MTM). Each MTM (nicknamed : "little boats") carried a 300 kg (661.4 lb) explosive charge inside their bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
. The MTMs were specially equipped to make their way through obstacles such as torpedo nets
Torpedo nets
Torpedo nets were a passive naval warship defensive device against torpedoes. Their use was common practice from the 1890s through World War II...
. The pilot would steer the assault craft on a collision course at his target ship, and then would jump from his boat before impact and warhead detonation.
The attack
At 23:30, the MTM were released by the destroyers 10 mi (8.7 nmi; 16.1 km) off Souda. Once inside the bay, the six boats, under the command of Lieutenant Luigi Faggioni, identified their targets: the heavy cruiser HMS York, a large tanker (the Norwegian Pericles of 8300 LT (8,433.2 t)), another tanker and a cargo ship. At 4:46, two MTMs hit HMS York amidships, flooding her aft boilers and magazines, and the ship was beached by her own crew to avoid capsizing. Two seamen were killed by the explosions. The oiler Pericles was severely damaged and settled on the bottom, while the other tanker and the cargo ship were sunk, according to Italian sources. According to British reports, the other barchini apparently missed their intended targets, and one of them ended stranded on the beach. The anti-aircraft gunAnti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
s of the base opened fire randomly, believing that the base was under air attack.
All six of the Italian seamen, Luigi Faggioni, Alessio de Vito, Emilio Barberi, Angelo Cabrini, Tullio Tedeschi and Lino Beccati, were captured.
Aftermath
HMS York was disabled. After a salvage operation involving a submarine dispatched from AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
was abandoned, she was wrecked with demolition charges by her crew before the German capture of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
, while Pericles, taken in tow by destroyers, sank on 14 April 1941 en route to Alexandria during a gale.
The sinking of HMS York was the source of a controversy between the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
and the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
over credit for her sinking. The matter was resolved by British war records and by the ship's own war log, captured by Italian naval officers who boarded the half-sunk cruiser.
After the war, the hull of HMS York was towed to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
and scrapped there by an Italian shipbreaker in March 1952.