Red Sea Flotilla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Sea Flotilla
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with modern boundaries
Active	to June 1940
Country	Italy
Branch	Regia Marina
Size	7 destroyers, 8 submarines, 5 motor torpedo boats, and 9 auxiliary ships
Disbanded	April 1941
Commanders
Commander	Carlo Balsamo di Specchia-Normandia (1939 – December 1940) Mario Bonetti (December 1940 – April 1941)

The Red Sea Flotilla was a group of ships from the Italian Royal Navy. It was based in Massawa, a port in Italian Eritrea. This area was part of Italian East Africa during World War II.

This naval group was active against the British Royal Navy during the war. Italy declared war on June 10, 1940. The flotilla operated until Massawa fell to British forces on April 8, 1941. The Red Sea Flotilla was far from Italy's main naval bases. This made it hard for them to get supplies or help. When the British took Massawa, Italy's naval presence in the area ended.

What Was the Red Sea Flotilla?

On June 10, 1940, the Red Sea Flotilla had several types of ships. It included seven destroyers, eight submarines, and five Motor Torpedo Boats. There were also nine support ships.

Where Were They Based?

Their main base was in Massawa, Eritrea. They also used smaller bases in Assab, Eritrea, and Kismayu in Italian Somaliland.

Why Was the Flotilla Important?

The Italian forces did not use the flotilla very aggressively. However, the British saw it as a danger. It could attack Allied convoys. These convoys carried important supplies through East African waters. This route was vital for British forces in Egypt. The Red Sea Flotilla was in a good spot to attack ships. These ships traveled from the Gulf of Aden through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. This route became even more important after the Mediterranean Sea was too dangerous for Allied merchant ships.

Key Actions of the Flotilla

The Red Sea Flotilla tried to attack British ships and convoys from Massawa. Some early attempts faced problems.

Submarine Challenges

Italian submarines had issues with their air conditioning systems. These systems were meant to cool the ships in the warm Red Sea. But they caused dangerous leaks of a chemical called chloromethane. This led to poisoning for the crews. About twelve sailors died on the submarine Archimede.

Other submarines, Perla and Macallé, ran aground. Their crews were affected by the chemical. Macallé could not be saved.

Early Submarine Encounters

The submarines Galileo Galilei, Torricelli, and Galvani had early battles. Galileo Galilei sank a Norwegian freighter. But British forces soon forced the submarines to leave the area.

On June 23, Torricelli was found near Massawa. British warships and aircraft searched for it. After a fierce fight, Torricelli was sunk. The British destroyer HMS Khartoum was later destroyed by an internal explosion. As a sign of respect, the Italian captain of Torricelli was honored by the British.

Galileo Galilei was captured on June 18 and taken to Aden. Galvani sank a British ship, HMIS Pathan, but was sunk the next day.

Destroyer Attacks and Decline

In October 1940, Italian destroyers from Massawa attacked Convoy BN 7. This convoy had 32 ships. The British escorts fought off the attack. The Italian destroyer Francesco Nullo was driven ashore and sunk by air attack. The British ship HMS Kimberley was damaged by Italian shore batteries.

As fuel ran low in Massawa, the flotilla's ability to attack decreased. The ships rarely left port. In late March 1941, three large destroyers, Pantera, Tigre, and Leone, tried a night attack on Suez. But Leone ran aground near Massawa and had to be sunk. The attack was called off.

The two remaining destroyers joined three smaller ones for a final raid on Port Sudan in early April. Engine problems kept Cesare Battisti in port. It was later sunk by its crew to prevent capture. The other Italian ships were spotted by aircraft. They came under attack from planes based on land and aircraft carriers. Pantera and Tigre were sunk by their crews on the Arabian coast. Manin and Sauro were sunk by British Fairey Swordfish aircraft.

On April 8, 1941, the British cruiser HMS Capetown was hit by a torpedo from the Italian torpedo boat MAS 213. Capetown was out of action for a long time.

Escape and End of the Flotilla

Some Italian ships tried to escape. The armed merchant cruisers Ramb I, Ramb II, and the colonial ship Eritrea were ordered to reach Japan. Ramb II and Eritrea made it to Kobe, Japan. But Ramb I was stopped and sunk by the British ship Leander.

Four Italian submarines that survived were ordered to join the Italian submarine group in Bordeaux, France. They succeeded in reaching France.

On April 8, 1941, Massawa fell to the British. The Red Sea Flotilla officially ended. Few of its ships survived the East African Campaign.

Ships of the Red Sea Flotilla

The Red Sea Flotilla included different types of naval vessels.

Destroyers

There were seven destroyers, split into two groups:

• 3rd Destroyer Division: These were smaller destroyers.
  • Francesco Nullo – Damaged and sunk by British air attack in November 1940.
  • Nazario Sauro – Sunk by British aircraft in April 1941.
  • Cesare Battisti – Sunk by its crew after engine problems in April 1941.
  • Daniele Manin – Sunk by British aircraft in April 1941.
• 5th Destroyer Division: These were larger destroyers.
  • Pantera – Sunk by its crew after being damaged by British aircraft in April 1941.
  • Tigre – Sunk by its crew after being damaged by British aircraft in April 1941.
  • Leone – Ran aground and was sunk by its crew in April 1941.

Motor Torpedo Boats (MAS)

There were five MAS boats in the 21st MAS Squadron:

• MAS 204, MAS 206, MAS 210, MAS 216 – All lost due to mechanical problems.
• MAS 213 – Sunk by its crew in April 1941.

Submarines

The flotilla had eight submarines in two squadrons:

• 81st Submarine Squadron:
  • Guglielmotti – Sailed to Bordeaux, France.
  • Galileo Ferraris – Sailed to Bordeaux, France.
  • Galileo Galilei – Captured by the British in June 1940.
  • Galvani – Sunk in June 1940.
• 82nd Submarine Squadron:
  • Perla – Sailed to Bordeaux, France.
  • Macallé – Ran aground and was sunk by its crew in June 1940.
  • Archimede – Sailed to Bordeaux, France.
  • Torricelli – Sunk in June 1940.

Other Vessels

The flotilla also included other important ships:

• Colonial ship Eritrea – Sailed to Japan and later joined the Allies.
• Torpedo boat Vincenzo Giordano Orsini – Sunk by its crew in April 1941.
• Torpedo boat Giovanni Acerbi – Sunk by its crew to block the Massawa harbor.
• Gunboat G. Biglieri – Captured by the British.
• Gunboat Porto Corsini – Sunk by its crew.
• Minelayer Ostia – Sunk by British air attack in Massawa harbor.
• Auxiliary cruiser Ramb I – Sunk in battle in February 1941.
• Auxiliary cruiser Ramb II – Sailed to Japan and was used by the Japanese Navy.
• Hospital ship Aquileia – Captured by the British and used by the Royal Navy.

Images for kids

• 

  Map of the Bab el Mandeb strait

• 

  HMS Capetown, which was disabled by Italian motor torpedo boat MAS 213

• 

  Ramb I on fire and sinking

See also

• Italian Royal Navy
• List of Italian destroyers