Battle of Calabria
Italian heavy cruiser Zara shooting during the battle
Conflict: World War II
Date: 9 July 1940
Place: Near Calabria, Italy
Result: Indecisive
Combatants
United Kingdom Australia	Italy
Commanders
Andrew Cunningham	Inigo Campioni
Strength
1 aircraft carrier 3 battleships 5 cruisers 16 destroyers	2 battleships 14 cruisers 16 destroyers
Casualties
1 cruiser damaged 2 destroyers damaged	1 battleship damaged 1 cruiser damaged 1 destroyer sunk
Battle of the Mediterranean Mers-el-Kebir – Calabria – Spada – Taranto – Spartivento – Matapan – Tarigo – Crete – Duisburg – Bon – 1st Sirte – 2nd Sirte – Harpoon – Pedestal – Torch – Skerki

The Battle of Calabria, also known as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle between ships of Italian Regia Marina on one side and the British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy on the other. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy (Calabria), on 9 July 1940. Both sides claimed victory, while in fact the battle was a draw and both sides returned to their bases as soon as possible. However a massive propaganda effort on the part of the Allies served to convince the Italian forces that they had won outright, and from that point on the Italian fleet was hesitant to leave port. RN Zara during the Battle of Punta Stilo Marina Militare official site [1]. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... Bronze bust of Lord Cunningham, looking at Nelsons column and Whitehall Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (7 January 1883 - 12 June 1963), familiarly known as ABC, was the most famous British admiral of World War II, winning distinction in Mediterranean battles in 1940 and 1941, then... Battle of Mediterranean Conflict World War II Date Place Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory The Naval Battle of the Mediterranean was waged during World War II, to attack and keep open the respective supply lines of Allied and Axis armies, and to destroy the opposing sides ability to wage... The Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, French North Africa (now Algeria), by the British Royal Navy took place on 3 July 1940. ... Battle of Cape Spada Conflict World War II Date 19 July 1940 Place Mediterranean near Crete Result Allied victory The battle of Cape Spada was a naval battle of World War II fought in the Mediterranean off Cape Spada, the north-western extremity of Crete on 19 July 1940 An... The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November – 12 November 1940 during World War II. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft naval battle in history, flying a small number of aircraft from a single aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean and attacking the Italian... The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a minor engagement between naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina on 27 November 1940, during World War II. The battle ended in a draw, but served to convince the... Battle of Cape Matapan Conflict World War II Date March 27, 1941 – March 29, 1941 Place Mediterranean off United Kingdom, Italy Commanders Andrew Cunningham Angelo Iachino Strength 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 7 light cruisers, 17 destroyers 1 battleship, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 17 destroyers Casualties 1 torpedo plane... To lose Crete because we had not sufficient bulk of forces there would be a crime. ... Second Battle of Sirte Conflict World War II Date 22 March 1942 Place Mediterranean, east of Malta Result Italian win The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the World War II. It took place on 22 March 1942, in... Military history records three operations named Harpoon. ... British shells fall astern of the Italian light cruiser Muzio Attendolo during the battle Operation Pedestal was an attempt to get vital supplies to the island of Malta during World War II in 1942. ... Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started November 8, 1942. ... The French battleship Orient burns, 1 August 1798, during the Battle of the Nile A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. ... The Royal Italian Navy, Regia Marina, was created after the Italian unification. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Royal Australian Navy Ensign The Royal Australian Navy (or RAN) is the navy of Australia and part of the Australian Defence Force. ... Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Prior to battle

When World War II opened, it was much to the surprise of the Italian forces, who, like many in Europe, did not expect war until 1941 at the earliest. At the time their forces in Libya were woefully underprepared for war, and the Italian fleet was forced to start large resupply operations in order to bring them up to fighting condition. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ...

On 6 July a convoy of four merchant ships left Naples on their way to Bengazi, while attempting to fool the Allies into thinking they were making for Tripoli. The next day their escort force teamed up to join them from Taranto, after being informed that the Allies had recently left port in Alexandria. The escort consisted of three groups; directly protecting the cargo ships were eight destroyers and four torpedo boats, while a second group sailed 35km to the east and contained six heavy cruisers and another twelve destroyers. Finally the main battle group contained two battleships (Giulio Cesare and Conte di Cavour), eight light cruisers and another thirteen destroyers. July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... Location within Italy Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region. ... Benghazi (Arabic بنغازي, transliterated Banġāzī) is a seaport in Libya, Africa. ... Tripoli (population 1. ... Map of Italy showing Taranto in the bottom right Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport (This template has been listed for deletion) Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria (in Arabic, الإسكندرية, transliterated al-ʼIskandariyyah) is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that countrys second largest city, and the capital of the... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and manouverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to launch torpedoes at larger surface ships. ... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ... HMS Victory in 1884 In naval history, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. ... RN Giulio Cesare, speed tests, 1914 The Giulio Cesare was an Italian Conte di Cavour-class battleship that served in the Regia Marina in both World Wars before joining the Soviet Navy. ... Conte di Cavour was an Italian Conte di Cavour class battleship, that served in the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. It was named after the Italian stateman Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...

Meanwhile the Allies were involved in a similar convoy action from Alexandria, bound for Malta, intending to deliver supplies and take off civilians. Two groups of merchantmen were arranged, one at 13 knots and another at 9 knots. Protecting them were three groups of naval ships, one with five cruisers and a single destroyer, another with the old battleship Warspite and five destroyers, and the main battle group with the slightly newer battleships Royal Sovereign and Malaya, the aircraft carrier Eagle, and ten destroyers. Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport (This template has been listed for deletion) Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria (in Arabic, الإسكندرية, transliterated al-ʼIskandariyyah) is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that countrys second largest city, and the capital of the... HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. ... HMS Royal Sovereign, launched in May 1915, was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Malaya was a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the Royal Navy built by Armstrong Whitworth and launched in March 1915. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy sunk during World War II. The Eagle was laid down at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle-on-Tyne on February 20, 1913. ...

Artigliere and Camicia Nera, Italian destroyers of the Camicia Nera class, during the battle

On the night of 8 July, Italian command deciphered Allied radio signals and told their fleet to prepare for action about 65 miles south east of Punta Stilo. Some sources suggest that the Italians had turned to avoid battle as they were moving north when encounted, but in fact they planned to keep the action close to Italy and were deliberately moving north. During the initial positioning they had technical problems on three destroyers and two light cruisers, so these and several destroyers were sent to refuel in Sicily. In order to make up for these "losses", another destroyer group was called for from Taranto. At this point, the Italian fleet had 16 destroyers. RN Artigliere and Camicia Nera at Punta Stilo. ... RN Artigliere and Camicia Nera at Punta Stilo. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ...

Meanwhile the Allies were having problems as well. The day before the battle, Italian bombers from the mainland had attacked their fleet, and scored a direct hit on the Gloucester's bridge, killing the captain and many bridge crew. For the rest of the battle she would be commanded from the emergency stations. While a serious enough blow, it was perhaps more damaging to the Italians, who were convinced the aircraft had inflicted serious damage to a good deal of the fleet, and had reduced their fighting power considerably. A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...

Cruiser engagement

At noon on 9 July the two fleets were 90 miles apart. Vice Admiral Cunningham could not close the distance with the slower Royal Sovereign and Malaya in tow, and took Warspite in on its own. Meanwhile, at 13:15, Eagle launched several sorties by Fairey Swordfish against Italian heavy cruisers, with no success. The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the war. ...

The Allied cruiser groups were positioned spread out in front of Warspite, and at 15:15 they caught sight of the Italian main battle force and the two groups opened fire at 21,500 metres. Italian rangefinding equipment was better than their Allied counterparts, and within three minutes they had found the distance even though they were firing at extreme range. Although the Allies' rangefinding was not as good and they had trouble with their rounds falling short, the Allied gunlaying equipment was better and they were able to place their rounds in much tighter groups. Generally the gunnery of the two forces was fairly well matched. After only a few minutes the range was down to 20,000 meters and the Allied guns became useful.

However, by 15:22, the Italian fire came dangerously close to the Allied cruisers, and Admiral John Towey decided to disengage. At this point a shell from Giuseppe Garibaldi hit Neptune, damaging its catapult and the reconnaissance aircraft. The cruisers began drifting apart, and at 15:30 fire ceased. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1933) was an Italian Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser, that served Regia Marina during World War II. Actions 1940 9 July: battle of Calabria, during which a shell from Giuseppe Garibaldi hit Neptune, damaging its catapult and the reconnaissance aircraft 1 September: operation Hats 29 September: operation... The ninth HMS Neptune was a Royal Navy Leander-class cruiser built by Portsmouth Dockyard, with pennant 20. ... A military aircraft used for monitoring enemy activity, usually carrying no armament. ...

Battleships engagement

One group of Italian light cruisers, mistaken for the very latest heavy cruiser Zara class, was on the Allied side of the battle line, and was soon within range of the charging Warspite. Once again the Allied rounds fell short, and neither of her targets, Alberico da Barbiano and Alberto di Giussano, received any damage in the initial salvos. However by this time Warspite was also out of position, and looped in place in order to allow Malaya to catch up (Royal Sovereign was still well to the rear). A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... Zara class cruisers in Trieste The Zara class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the early 1930s, considered by many to be one of the best cruiser designs of World War II. Four ships of the class were completed, Zara, Fiume, Pola and Gorizia, all...

The Italian commander, Vice Admiral Inigo Campioni, decided to take on Warspite, and started moving his own two battleships into position for a duel. At 15:52 Giulio Cesare opened fire at a range of 26,400 metres. Conte di Cavour did not fire, a decision many have questioned. Their strategy was to have only one ship targeted at a time, as it was learned during the battle of Jutland that with more than one firing at a single target it became very difficult for the rangefinding parties to tell which rounds were theirs. Conte di Cavour was thus tasked with taking on Malaya and Royal Sovereign, which was further back and did not enter in the engagement. The Battle of Jutland, known in Germany as the Battle of the Skagerrak (Skagerrakschlacht), was the largest naval battle of World War I, and the only full-scale clash of battleships in that war. ...

Warspite, not aware of the Italian firing patterns, split her guns between the two ships. During the exchange one of Giulio Cesare's rounds fell long and caused damage to Warspite's escorting destroyers (Hereward and Decoy), which had formed up on he far side of the action. At 15:54 Malaya started firing, well out of range, hoping to cause some confusion on the Italian ships. Meanwhile the Italian heavy cruisers came into action and started firing on Warspite at 15:55, but had to break off as the Allied cruisers returned. HMS Hereward (H93), named after Hereward the Wake, was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 28 February 1935, launched on 10 March 1936 and commissioned on 9 December 1936. ... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ...

At 15:59 two shells from Giulio Cesare fell very close to Warspite. Almost immediately thereafter one of Warspite's 381 mm rounds hit the rear deck of Giulio Cesare, setting off the stored ammunition for one of her 37mm anti-aircraft guns. The fumes from the burning ammunition were sucked down into the engine room, which had to evacuate and shut down half of the boilers. Giulio Cesare's speed quickly fell off to 18 knots, and Conte di Cavour took over. Giulio Cesare and Warspite were well over 24,000 meters (26,000 yards) apart at the time of the hit, setting the record for naval gunnery against a moving target that stands to this day.

It would appear that Warspite was now in excellent position to deal some serious blows to the now-slowing Giulio Cesare, but at this point she executed another tight turn to allow Malaya to catch up. With her guns suddenly silenced during the turn, the rangefinders on Malaya discovered what the Italians had been intending to avoid, that her rounds were falling 2,700 yards short of Giulio Cesare and they had been watching Warspite's rounds all along.

At 16:01 the Italian destroyerd generated smoke and the battleships got under smoke cover. There is some debate about this point today, the Allied position being that the battleships were leaving battle, the Italian that they were attempting to made a torpedo attack with their destroyers from within the smoke. A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

Final actions

The Italian heavy cruisers were a serious threat in their own right, and could have evened the battle between the main battleships, but with Warspite in the battle the Allied cruisers returned and the Italians turned to restart their initial fight with them. A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ...

At 15:58 Fiume re-opened fire on her counterpart in the Allied line, Liverpool, and soon two groups of Italian cruisers were in combat with the main Allied cruiser battle group. Firing continued as both groups attempted to form up, and at 16:07 the Italian cruiser Bolzano took three hits, temporarily locking her rudder. A near miss on the destroyer Vittorio Alfieri caused minor damage. The mechanics on Giulio Cesare were able to repair two of the four damaged boilers, allowing the battleship to reach 22 knots. Admiral Campioni, considering the possibilities of his remaining battleship, Conte di Cavour, against three enemy battleships and an aircraft carrier, decided to withdraw the battleships towards Messina. The sixth HMS Liverpool (C11) was an 11,930 ton light cruiser of the Gloucester class, a sub-class of the Town class. ... The Trento class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the late 1920s. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ...

Over the next hour both fleets attempted to make torpedo runs with their destroyer groups without success. At 14:40, the Italian air force made an attack with 126 aircraft, reporting damages on Eagle, Warspite and Malaya; because of some misunderstanding, 50 of the Italian aircraft attacked the Italian ships, without causing damages. The battle finally concluded at 16:55 with both sides withdrawing. A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

One final victim was the destroyer Leone Pancaldo, sent to Augusta in Sicily, which was hit by a torpedo launched from a Swordfish at 09:40 the next day. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ...

Outcome

After the battle both fleets turned for home. This allowed the Italians to claim a victory of sorts, as their cargo ships were already past the action by this time and sailed safely for Libya, while the Allied ships turned for home along with their escort. However Allied gunnery proved superior, and while the damage to Giulio Cesare was light and repaired within a month, the Allies claimed that they had suffered no damage at all, and eventually it seems the Italians came to believe them. Italian fleet was "gun shy" from that point on. While in general terms the battle was a draw, strategically it was an Allied win.

One question is why the Italians did not sortie their two remaining battleships at Taranto, both ready for action and only a few hours from the scene. The answer appears to be that they were afraid to send them out without the destroyer escort, which had been sent out earlier to make up for "losses" in the main fleet. These two ships would have tipped the balance of fire well onto the Italian side. Map of Italy showing Taranto in the bottom right Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ...

Even without these ships the fleets were fairly evenly matched. The Italian superiority in aircraft due to the nearby land-based aircraft of the Regia Aeronautica should have been overwhelming. In fact they played almost no part at all, with the exception of the damage to Gloucester, yet their battle reports were inflated to the point of claiming damage to half of the Allied fleet. The Regia Aeronautica, during World War II, was the Italian air force. ...

Order of battle

Allies

Force B commanded by Vice Admiral Andrew Cunningham and Force C commanded by Vice-Admiral H. A. Pridham-Wippel. The White Ensign of the Royal Navy. ... The source for an SVG image of the Royal Australian Navy Ensign can be found at User:David Newton/SVG Graphics/Royal Australian Navy Ensign. ... Bronze bust of Lord Cunningham, looking at Nelsons column and Whitehall Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (7 January 1883 - 12 June 1963), familiarly known as ABC, was the most famous British admiral of World War II, winning distinction in Mediterranean battles in 1940 and 1941, then...

• 3 battleships: Warspite, Malaya, and Royal Sovereign.
• 5 light cruisers: Orion, Neptune (damaged), HMAS Sydney, Gloucester, and Liverpool.
• 1 aircraft carrier: Eagle.
• 16 destroyers: Nubian, Mohawk, Hero, Hereward (damaged), Decoy (damaged), HMAS Stuart, Hyperion, Hostile, Hasty, Ilex, Dainty, Defender, Juno, Janus, HMAS Vampire, and HMAS Voyager.

HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. ... HMS Malaya was a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the Royal Navy built by Armstrong Whitworth and launched in March 1915. ... HMS Royal Sovereign, launched in May 1915, was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy. ... The Leander-class light cruiser HMS Orion: Royal Navy, Penant 85 Displacement: 7,215 tons Speed: 32. ... The ninth HMS Neptune was a Royal Navy Leander-class cruiser built by Portsmouth Dockyard, with pennant 20. ... The second HMAS Sydney was a modified Leander-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. ... The sixth HMS Liverpool (C11) was an 11,930 ton light cruiser of the Gloucester class, a sub-class of the Town class. ... HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy sunk during World War II. The Eagle was laid down at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle-on-Tyne on February 20, 1913. ... HMS Mohawk (L-31/F-31/G-31) was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by John I. Thornycroft and Company at Woolston in Southampton on 16 July 1936, launched on 5 October 1937 and commissioned on 7 September 1938. ... HMS Hero (H99) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 28 February 1935, launched on 10 March 1936 and commissioned on 23 October 1936. ... HMS Hereward (H93), named after Hereward the Wake, was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 28 February 1935, launched on 10 March 1936 and commissioned on 9 December 1936. ... HMS Hyperion (H97) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the Greek mythological character Hyperion. ... HMS Hostile (H55) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering at Greenock in Scotland on 27 February 1935, launched on 24 January 1936 and commissioned on 10 September 1936. ... HMS Hasty (H24) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by William Denny, Brothers and Company, Limited, of Dumbarton in Scotland on 15 April 1935, launched on 5 May 1936 and commissioned on 11 November 1936. ... HMS Ilex (D61), named after the Holly genus, was an I-class destroyer laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 10 March 1936, launched on 28 January 1937 and commissioned on 7 July 1937. ... HMS Juno (F46) was a J class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 5 October 1937, launched on 8 December 1938 and commissioned on 25 August 1939. ... HMS Janus (F53), named after the Roman god, was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne on 29 September 1937, launched on 10 November 1938 and commissioned on 5 August 1939. ... HMAS Vampire (D68/I68) was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy. ... Two ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named Voyager. ...

Regia Marina

Italian force commanded by Vice Admiral Inigo Campioni. Ensign of the Regia Marina. ...

• 2 battleships: Conte di Cavour and Giulio Cesare (damaged).
• 6 heavy cruisers: Zara, Fiume, Goriza, Pola, Bolzano (damaged), and Trento.
• 8 light cruisers: Eugenio di Savoia, Duca d'Aosta, Muzio Attendolo, Raimondo Montecuccoli, Alberico da Barbiano, Alberto di Giussano, Duca degli Abruzzi, and Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• About 16 destroyers, among which Pancaldo (sunk) Vittorio Alfieri, Artigliere, Lanciere, and Leone Pancaldo.

Conte di Cavour was an Italian Conte di Cavour class battleship, that served in the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. It was named after the Italian stateman Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. ... RN Giulio Cesare, speed tests, 1914 The Giulio Cesare was an Italian Conte di Cavour-class battleship that served in the Regia Marina in both World Wars before joining the Soviet Navy. ... Zara was an Italian Zara class heavy cruiser, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. Her keel was laid down 1928 at , La Spezia; she was launched on 27 April 1930, and her construction was completed in 1931. ... The Trento class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the late 1920s. ... The Trento class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the late 1920s. ... Giuseppe Garibaldi (1933) was an Italian Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser, that served Regia Marina during World War II. Actions 1940 9 July: battle of Calabria, during which a shell from Giuseppe Garibaldi hit Neptune, damaging its catapult and the reconnaissance aircraft 1 September: operation Hats 29 September: operation...

External links

• Action off Calabria