Battle of Durazzo (1918) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Durazzo |
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| Part of World War I, Battle of the Mediterranean, Battle of the Adriatic | |||||||
 The Italian dreadnought battleship Dante Alighieri. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Allies: Kingdom of Italy United Kingdom United States Australia |
 Austria-Hungary |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Osvaldo Paladini Charles P. Nelson |
 Heinrich Pauer |
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| Strength | |||||||
 :1 battleship 3 armoured cruisers 3 light cruisers 7 destroyers 8 torpedo boats several MAS boats numerous aircraft  :5 light cruisers 14 destroyers  :12 submarine chasers  :2 destroyers |
Land: 3 shore batteries Sea: 2 destroyers 1 torpedo boat 2 submarines 1 hospital ship |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5 light cruisers damaged 1 destroyer damaged |
1 steamer sunk 2 destroyers damaged 1 torpedo boat damaged 2 submarines damaged 2 steamers damaged 3 shore batteries destroyed |
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The Second Battle of Durazzo, also called the Bombardment of Durazzo, was a naval battle during World War I. It happened in the Adriatic Sea on October 2, 1918. A large fleet of Allied ships attacked the port of Durazzo in Albania. This port was controlled by Austria-Hungary.
The Allied fleet was mainly from Italy. But ships from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia also joined the fight. The Allied ships destroyed the Austrian shore defenses. They also fought a small group of Austrian naval ships. This battle was the largest naval action the United States took part in during World War I. Much of the city of Durazzo was destroyed by the bombing.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In September 1918, a French general named Louis Franchet d'Espèrey led a big Allied army. They fought in Macedonia and won. This victory led to Bulgaria surrendering.
General d'Espèrey worried that the remaining enemy forces might retreat to Durazzo. They could use the port to get supplies. So, he asked for an Allied naval fleet to attack Durazzo. This would stop the city from supplying the enemy.
The plan was approved. The Italian Navy, called the Regia Marina, agreed to lead the attack. Rear Admiral Osvaldo Paladini was put in charge. He commanded the operation from his ship, the cruiser San Marco.
Allied and Austrian Forces
The Allies had two main goals for the attack. They wanted to bomb Durazzo. They also wanted to attack any Austrian ships in the harbor. The Allied fleet was split into two groups. One group would do the bombing. The other group would protect the attacking ships from enemy submarines.
The Allied fleet was very strong. It included the Italian battleship Dante Alighieri. This battleship was part of the covering force. There were also three Italian armoured cruisers and three Italian light cruisers. The British sent five light cruisers and 14 destroyers. Australia sent two destroyers, HMAS Swan and Warrego.
Italy also had seven destroyers, eight torpedo boats, and several MAS boats. The United States sent 12 submarine chasers. These were small, fast ships designed to hunt submarines. They were led by Captain Charles P. Nelson. Allied aircraft also took part in the battle.
Before the battle, the Austro-Hungarian government decided to pull most of their warships out of Durazzo. Only two destroyers, one torpedo boat, and two U-boats (submarines) were left to face the Allied fleet. However, Austrian soldiers on shore operated at least three different shore batteries. These batteries fired at the Allied ships. There was also a hospital ship in the port. Austrian forces were commanded by Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Pauer.
The Battle Begins
The Second Battle of Durazzo started on the morning of October 2, 1918. First, British and Italian aircraft attacked. They bombed enemy troops and artillery batteries. This happened while the fleet was still sailing towards Durazzo.
After the air attacks, some Italian and British cruisers formed a line. They began their bombardment from about 8,000 meters (about 8,750 yards) off the coast. Meanwhile, the MAS boats and some American and British ships attacked the three Austro-Hungarian naval ships. These were SMS Dinara, Scharfschütze, and No. 87.
The three Austrian warships moved around Durazzo harbor. They fired their guns and tried to avoid torpedoes and shells. Torpedo boat No. 87 and the two destroyers were chased by Allied destroyers. They fled north along the coast and managed to escape. Scharfschütze was hit a few times. Three sailors were killed, and five were wounded. Torpedo boat No. 87 was hit by a torpedo, but it did not explode. Dinara was not hit at all.
The Italian armored cruisers San Giorgio, San Marco, and Pisa shelled the port. Three merchant ships, Graz, Herzegovina, and Stambul, were hit. Stambul sank, but the other two were not completely destroyed. The Austro-Hungarian hospital ship Baron Call was stopped and searched by British destroyers. It was then allowed to continue its journey.
Submarine Hunt and Damage
Most of the American forces were part of the covering force. At the start of the battle, they cleared a path through a sea mine field near Durazzo. Some of the American submarine chasers were fired on by shore batteries. But none of them were damaged. After that, they protected the other Allied ships from submarine attacks.
The Americans patrolled north and south of the battle area. They found and fought two Austro-Hungarian U-boats, U-29 and U-31. At 11:05 AM, a sailor on submarine chaser No. 129 spotted U-29. They dropped depth charges for 15 minutes, damaging the submarine heavily. However, U-29 still managed to survive.
U-31 was also hit by depth charges but survived. At one point, No. 129 was fired on by enemy shore batteries. The closest shot landed about 50 meters (about 55 yards) from the ship. But the Americans did not have any casualties. Later, American forces reported sinking both submarines, but this was not true.
The submarines did manage to damage at least one Allied light cruiser. HMS Weymouth was hit by a torpedo from U-31. The torpedo blew off a large part of her back end and killed four men. Weymouth was shelling targets inland with four other British cruisers when it was hit. It spent the rest of the war being repaired. Other British light cruisers were lightly damaged by shore battery fire. A British destroyer was also hit by a torpedo.
The battle ended by 1:30 AM on October 3. Civilians started to leave the city as soon as the bombing began. By October 11, the busy port was quiet. On October 10, the last Austro-Hungarian units left Durazzo. Italian forces then occupied the city on October 16.
The Allied bombing targeted the small port area and its wooden piers. Many innocent civilians were hurt, even though they tried to flee. The Old City, which was next to the harbor, was largely destroyed. This included important public buildings. The Royal Palace of Durrës, where Prince Wilhelm zu Wied of Albania once lived, was completely destroyed.
Images for kids
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The Italian dreadnought battleship Dante Alighieri.
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The Adriatic Sea. Durazzo is on the coast of Albania.
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HMS Weymouth in Greece during World War I.
See also
