The Battle of Cape Bon was a Second World War naval action off Cape Bon, Tunisia. It took place on December 13th, 1941, between two Italian light cruisers and a British destroyer flottilla. The lost of the two cruisers was a big blow for the Regia Marina. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... 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. ... 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 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. ... 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... The Battle of Cape Matapan was a World War II naval battle fought off the Peleponnesian coast of Greece from March 27 to March 29, 1941. ... The Battle of Crete (German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) began on the morning of May 20, 1941, during World War II, when Germany launched an airborne invasion under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur (Operation Mercury). ... The First Battler of Sirte was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the World War II. It took place on 17 December 1941, in the Mediterranean, north to the Gulf of Sirte, west of Malta, between the Regia Marina and royal Navy. ... 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 the Mediterranean, north to the Gulf of Sirte, west of Malta. ... 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. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable 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). ... The Royal Italian Navy, Regia Marina (literally: Royal Navy), dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification. ...

The Italian 4th Cruiser Division, commanded by Contrammiraglio Admiral Antonio Toscano and consisting of two Di Giussano class light cruisers (Alberto di Giussano and Alberico da Barbiano) and a torpedo boat (Cigno), sailed from Palermo, bound for Tripoli, carrying an urgent supply of aircraft fuel (nearly 2000 tons) for Libya. The fuel load was so overhelming, that fuel tanks were even put on the decks of the ships. City nickname: Location Location of Palermo within the island of Sicily. ... This page refers to Tripoli, the capital of Libya. ...

In the meantime, the British 4th Destroyer flotilla — four destroyers (HMS Sikh, HMS Maori, HMS Legion and the Dutch destroyer Isaac Sweers) commanded by Commander G. H. Stokes — was bound for Malta. HMS Sikh was a Tribal class destroyer of the Fourth destroyer flotilla of the British Navy. ... HMS Maori (L-24/F-24/G-24) was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 6 June 1936, launched on 2 September 1937 by Mrs. ...

The British flotilla was spotted by an Italian aircraft, but Italian HQ judged that the British would not able to reach Cape Bon before the 4th Cruiser Division was passed. However, the British, with intercepted signals from Ultra, ordered their destroyers to intercept the Italian cruisers. Ultra (sometimes capitalised ULTRA) was the name used by the British for intelligence resulting from decryption of German communications in World War II. The term eventually became the standard designation in both Britain and the United States for all intelligence from high-level cryptanalytic sources. ...

On December 13 at 03:25 both forces met. Arriving from astern in the dark and using Radar, the British achieved complete surprise, launching torpedoes and opening fire. Both Italian cruisers were sunk, the Da Barbiano a towering inferno. The action was over quickly and the British flotilla left. Cigno rescued 500 survivors, while others reached the coast or were later saved by Italian Anti Submarine Motorboats (MAS). Over 900 men lost their lives, including Admiral Toscano. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ...

External links

• Dutch destroyer Isaac Sweers
• Italian description