View source for Red Sea Flotilla

{{Use British English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Red Sea Flotilla ({{lang|it|Flottiglia del mar rosso}})
|image=File:Gulf of Aden map.PNG
|image_upright = 1.23
|caption=Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with modern boundaries
|dates= to June 1940
|country= Italy
|allegiance=
|branch= {{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}}
|type=
|role=
|size= {{ubl|
|7 [[destroyer]]s
|8 [[submarine]]s
|5 {{lang|it|[[MAS (motorboat)|Motoscafo armato silurante]]}} (motor torpedo boat)
|9 [[auxiliary ship]]s}}
|command_structure=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
|disbanded= April 1941
<!-- Commanders -->
|commander1=[[Carlo Balsamo di Specchia-Normandia]] (1939 – December 1940)
|commander1_label={{lang|it|contrammiraglio}}
|commander2=[[Mario Bonetti]] (December 1940 – April 1941)
|commander2_label={{lang|it|contrammiraglio}}
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|notable_commanders=
<!-- Insignia -->
|identification_symbol=
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|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|identification_symbol_3=
|identification_symbol_3_label=
|identification_symbol_4=
|identification_symbol_4_label=
<!-- Aircraft -->
|aircraft_attack=
|aircraft_bomber=
|aircraft_electronic=
|aircraft_fighter=
|aircraft_helicopter=
|aircraft_helicopter_attack=
|aircraft_helicopter_cargo=
|aircraft_helicopter_multirole=
|aircraft_helicopter_observation=
|aircraft_helicopter_transport=
|aircraft_helicopter_utility=
|aircraft_interceptor=
|aircraft_patrol=
|aircraft_recon=
|aircraft_trainer=
|aircraft_transport=
}}
{{Campaignbox East African Campaign (World War II)}}
{{WWIITheatre}}

The '''Red Sea Flotilla''' ('''{{lang|it|Flottiglia del mar rosso}}''') was part of the {{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}} (Italian Royal Navy) based at [[Massawa]] in the colony of [[Italian Eritrea]], part of [[Italian East Africa]]. During the [[Second World War]], the Red Sea Flotilla fought the [[East Indies Station]] of the [[Royal Navy]] from the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940 until the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.

The [[flotilla]] was isolated from the main Italian bases in the [[Mediterranean]] by distance and British dispositions. Without an overland route (via [[Sudan]]) or via the [[Suez Canal]], supply was virtually impossible. The submarines in the flotilla suffered from faulty air conditioning, that poisoned crews when submerged, causing several losses. Attempts to attack ships in the [[Red Sea]] and the [[Persian Gulf]] had meagre results and British intelligence successes caused the loss of several ships.

Rear Admiral [[Mario Bonetti]] ordered the harbour facilities to be denied to the British by the [[scuttling]] of more than thirty vessels in the harbour approaches. Bonetti directed the harbour workers to destroy their [[machine tool]]s, two floating [[dry dock]]s and a floating crane. The capture of Massawa and other Italian ports in the region brought the {{lang|it|Flottiglia del mar rosso}} to an end in April 1941.

==Background==

{{main|East African Campaign (World War II)|l1=East African Campaign}}

[[File:Map of Massawa.png|thumb|{{center|Diagram of Massawa and its harbours}}]]
After the {{lang|it|Flotta d'evasione}} (evasion fleet) intended for the Indian Ocean, based in the ports of Italian Somaliland proved to be too expensive, Rear Admiral [[Carlo Balsamo di Specchia-Normandia]], the commander of the East African naval squadron, based a smaller force at Massawa.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|p=99}} On 10 June 1940, the Red Sea Flotilla had seven [[destroyers]] in two [[Squadron (naval)|squadrons]], a squadron of five [[MAS (ships)|MAS]] ({{lang|it|Motoscafo Armato Silurante}} [[motor torpedo boat]]s) and eight [[submarines]] in two squadrons. The main base was at [[Massawa]], with other bases at [[Assab]] (also in Eritrea) and [[Kismayu]], in southern [[Italian Somaliland]]. The Red Sea Flotilla would have to operated cautiously because its finite stock of fuel and ammunition.{{sfnm|1a1=Stewart|1y=2016|1p=245|2a1=O'Hara|2y=2009|2pp=99–100}}

The base at Massawa and the smaller base at Assab on the Eritrean coast, was convenient for attacks on convoys sailing from the [[Gulf of Aden]] through the [[Red Sea]] to the [[Suez Canal]], which became much more important after the Mediterranean was closed to Allied merchant ships, forcing them to sail around the [[Cape of Good Hope]].{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=99–100}} A strategy of a [[fleet-in-being]] and the denial of the Red Sea to British shipping was the only practical strategy open to the Italians, using submarines offensively for a war of six months' duration. Because of the Flotilla, the US government declared the Red Sea a war zone and out of bounds to American ships, depriving the British of an important source of tonnage to supply the British forces in Egypt.{{sfn|Stewart|2016|p=245}}

==1940==
===Early operations===
[[File:RedSea.A2004273.1050.250m.jpg|thumb|{{center|Satellite photograph of the Red Sea}}]]
Italy declared war on 10 June 1940 and the Flotilla tried to attack [[Royal Navy]] ships and Allied convoys from Massawa but the British had suspended sailings to the Red Sea on 24 May 1940. On 7 June, the {{sclass|Azio|minelayer}} ''Ostia'' laid 470 mines in eight barrages and the destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Pantera||2}}, laid two barrages with 110 mines off Assab.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=26}} Leakage of [[chloromethane]] refrigerants into the Italian submarines while submerged caused [[central nervous system]] poisoning; {{ship|Italian submarine|Macallé||2}} ran aground while the crew was incapacitated by the gas and was wrecked on 15 June.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=100–101}}{{efn|Chloromethane was a cheaper substitute for [[freon]] which was tested under conditions found to be unrealistic once hostilities began.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=100–101}}}} The next day, {{ship|Italian submarine|Galileo Galilei||2}} sank the [[Norway|Norwegian]] freighter ''James Stove'' (8,215 GRT) off [[Djibouti]]. On 19 June, when the submarine engaged the armed trawler ''Moonstone'', all the officers except a midshipman were killed in two shell explosions and the vessel was captured, along with its operational orders and taken to Aden on the same day.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|pp=281–283}}

The British sent the sloop {{HMS|Falmouth|L34|6}} to find {{ship|Italian submarine|Galvani||2}} in the [[Persian Gulf]], where it had sunk the sloop {{HMIS|Pathan|K26|6}}. ''Galvani'' was sunk on 24 June and ''Torricelli'', en route to take over from {{ship|Italian submarine|Galileo Ferraris|1934|2}}, after another chloromethane poisoning incident off Djibouti, was damaged by British ships on 21 June and forced to turn back.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=100–101}} ''Torricelli'' was spotted on 23 June near Massawa by the destroyers {{HMS|Kandahar|F28|6}}, {{HMS|Khartoum|F45|2}}, {{HMS|Kingston|F64|2}} and the {{sclass|Shoreham|sloop}} {{HMS|Shoreham|L32|6}}, aided by aircraft from [[Aden]]. ''Shoreham'' was damaged by ''Torricelli'' before it was sunk and ''Khartoum'' was sunk soon afterwards by an internal explosion.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|pp=281–283}} {{ship|Italian submarine|Archimede|1939|2}}, {{ship|Italian submarine|Guglielmotti|1938|2}} and {{ship|Italian submarine|Perla||2}} sailed from 19 to 21 June, ''Perla'' running aground on 26 June and being severely damaged on a shoal, then recovered.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|pp=27, 34}}

From 26 to 31 July, ''Guglielmotti'' searched and failed to find two Greek ships heading south from Suez. On an offensive sweep, the torpedo boats {{ship|Italian destroyer|Cesare Battisti||2}} and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Francesco Nullo|1925|2}} also found nothing. From 21 to 25 August, ''Guglielmotti'' and ''Ferraris'', the torpedo boats ''Nullo'' and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Nazario Sauro||2}} from 24 to 25 August, ''Battisti'' and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Daniele Manin||2}} from 30 to 31 August, ''Pantera'' and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Tigre||2}} from 28 to 29 August searched for ships reported by spies and reconnaissance aircraft, with no result. On the night of 5/6 September, ''Battisti'', ''Manin'' and ''Sauro'' and over the night of 6/7 September, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Leone||2}} and ''Tigre'' with ''Battisti'' and ''Sauro'' tried to intercept [[Convoy BN 4]], that had been spotted by air reconnaissance but failed to find it; ''Ferraris'' and ''Guglielmotti'', further to the north, also failed to make contact but ''Guglielmotti'' sank the Greek tanker ''Atlas'' (4,009 GRT) on 6 September at 15°50'N, 41°50'E.{{sfnm|1a1=Rohwer|1a2=Hümmelchen|1y=2005|1pp=27, 34, 37, 39|2a1=Jordan|2y=2006|2pp=221, 524}} From 19 to 21 September, ''Leone'' and ''Pantera'', ''Battisti'' and ''Manin'' with the submarines ''Archimede'' and ''Guglielmotti'', searched for [[Convoy BN 5]] but failed to find  it; ''Bhima'' (5,280 GRT) was bombed, ran aground and towed back to Aden.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=41}}

===Attack on Convoy BN 7===

{{main|Attack on Convoy BN 7}}

[[File:Destroyer Pantera.JPG|thumb|{{centre|Italian destroyer ''Pantera''}}]]
The Italian destroyers sailed on 20 October, the destroyers operating in pairs, Section I comprising the faster ''Sauro'' (Commander Moretti degli Adimari) and ''Francesco Nullo'' (Lieutenant Commander [[Costantino Borsini]]). Section II, the slower, better armed ''Pantera'' and ''Leone'' were to divert the escorts and then attack the convoy with torpedoes. The convoy was about {{cvt|35|nmi}} north-north-west of [[Jabal al-Tair Island]] at 02:19 on 21 October, when the New Zealand cruiser, ''Leander'', sighted two patches of smoke bearing north. ''Pantera'' fired over ''Yarra'' at the convoy, inflicting some splinter damage to a [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] on the convoy commodore's ship. ''Auckland'' opened fire and the Italian ships separated and turned away at full speed west-south-west, towards Massawa, firing their aft guns. ''Pantera'' fired two torpedoes at 23:31 and another pair at 23:34.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|p=103}} Observers in ''Yarra'' thought that the leading enemy vessel was hit by their fourth or fifth salvo.{{sfn|Gill|1957|pp=227–228}}

''Sauro'' fired a torpedo at ''Leander'' which missed and  made another ineffective torpedo attack at 02:07. ''Nullo'' was not able to attack after its rudder jammed for several minutes and it went round in circles, losing contact with ''Sauro''. Borsini ordered ''Nullo'' towards the Italian batteries on [[Harmil]], an island off Massawa. When the gunfire ceased, ''Leander'' altered course to the north-west to intercept the ships at the South Massawa Channel (the Harmil Passage) and at 02:45, opened fire; the range was increasing and the ship was lost to sight after the first salvos. At 02:20 ''Leander'' damaged ''Nullo''{{'}}s [[gyrocompass]] and gunnery director then lost contact in the haze. ''Nullo'' headed toward Harmil with ''Leander'' in pursuit and at 03:00, ''Leander'' challenged a destroyer which turned out to be ''Kimberley'', also in pursuit. After five minutes, the cruiser altered course east to rejoin the convoy, since the Italian ship was drawing away at the rate of {{cvt|7|kn}} and the convoy was still vulnerable.{{sfnm|1a1=Waters|1y=1956|1pp=89–90|2a1=O'Hara|2y=2009|2p=103}}

====Action off Harmil====
[[File:Dahlak reliefmap.png|thumb|{{centre|[[Dahlak Kebir|Harmil Island]] in the [[Dahlak Archipelago]] off Massawa}}]]
At 05:40, off Harmil, lookouts on ''Kimberley'' and ''Nullo'' spotted each other at {{cvt|7|nmi}}. When ''Kimberley'' opened fire at 05:53, ''Nullo'' was taken by surprise, having mistakenly identified the British ship as Italian. ''Kimberley'' closed to {{cvt|5000|yd|nmi+km}} and at 06:20, ''Nullo'' scraped a reef, damaging a propeller and springing a leak. As ''Nullo'' rounded Harmil at about 06:25, it was hit several times. ''Nullo'' lost all power and Borsini gave the order to abandon ship, trying to run ''Nullo'' aground on Harmil. ''Nullo'' was then hit by a torpedo at 06:35, breaking in two.{{sfnm|1a1=Waters|1y=1956|1pp=90–91|2a1=O'Hara|2y=2009|2pp=104–105}}

At 06:15 the four naval guns on Harmil engaged ''Kimberley'' and hit it in the engine-room. While adrift {{cvt|10000|yd|nmi+km}} from the shore battery, ''Kimberley'' silenced two of the guns. ''Kimberley'' managed to get under way, its speed reduced to {{cvt|15|kn}} and the shore battery ceased fire when ''Kimberley'' was {{cvt|19000|yd|nmi+km}} distant. ''Leander'' left the convoy and at 06:54 increased speed to {{cvt|26|kn}}. At about 10:00, ''Leander'' arrived and took ''Kimberley'' in tow.{{sfnm|1a1=Waters|1y=1956|1pp=90–91|2a1=O'Hara|2y=2009|2pp=104–105}}

===December 1940===
From 3 to 5 December, ''Tigre'', ''Leone'', ''Manin'' and ''Sauro'' sortied with ''Ferraris'' in another abortive attempt to find a convoy.<!--Possibly Convoy BN 10--> From 12 to 22 December, ''Archimede'' conducted two more sorties with no result and from 23 to 30 December ''Ferraris'' lay off Port Sudan.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|pp=51–53}}

==1941==
===February 1941===
===Attack on Convoy BN 14===
On the night of {{nowrap|2/3 February}} 1941, the Italian destroyers ''Pantera'', ''Tigre'' and ''Sauro'' sailed from Massawa to intercept Convoy BN 14, consisting of 39 merchant ships, escorted by the cruiser {{HMS|Caledon|D53|6}}, the destroyer ''Kingston'' and the sloops {{HMIS|Indus|U67|6}} and ''Shoreham''. ''Sauro'' sighted the convoy, got off a sighting report and fired three torpedoes, then fired again at a ship seen in a cloud of smoke, before turning away at high speed. The two other ships did not receive the sighting report from ''Sauro'' but ten minutes later, ''Pantera'' saw the ships and fired torpedoes, hearing explosions and claiming probables on two merchantmen; ''Tigre'' failed to find the convoy. In the South Massawa Channel, ''Sauro'' ran into ''Kingston'' but had no torpedoes left. Fearful that the British were trying to spring ambush, the other Italian ships converged on ''Sauro'' and called by wireless for air cover at dawn, reaching port unharmed. Local Italian press reports claimed that two ships had been hit but this report was mistaken.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=106–107}}

===Operation Composition===
On 14 February, in Operation Composition, 14 [[Fairey Albacore|Albacore]] bombers from {{HMS|Formidable|67|6}} attacked Massawa, sinking ''Moncaliere'' (5,723 GRT) and damaging other ships and freighters. On 21 February another seven Albacores dive-bombed the ships.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|pp=58–59}}

===Action of 27 February 1941===

{{main|Action of 27 February 1941}}

{{Ship|Italian ship|Ramb I||2}} (3,667 GRT) (Lieutenant commander {{ill|Alfredo Bonezzi|it}})  was a refrigerated merchant ship (reefer) built for the {{lang|it|Regia Azienda Monopolio delle Banane}} (RAMB, the Royal Banana Monopoly Company) in 1933. The ship was adapted for naval service as an [[armed merchant cruiser]]. ''Ramb'' I had departed Suez on 10 June 1940 for Massawa, from where the ship made short cruises along the coast of Eritrea but was mainly used for anti-aircraft defence of the port. In January 1941, the colonial ship [[Eritrea (ship)|''Eritrea'']], the auxiliary cruisers, ''Ramb'' I and {{Ship|Italian ship|Ramb II||2}}, were to operate as commerce raiders.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|p=281}} As British troops neared the port, ''Ramb'' I and ''Coburg'' (7,400 GRT), a German freighter, escaped from Massawa on the night of 20/21 February 1941 and passed into the Gulf of Aden. At {{nowrap|10:37 a.m.,}} on 27 February, west of the [[Maldives]], the New Zealand cruiser {{HMS|Leander||6}} sighted a merchant resembling an Italian ''Ramb''-class fruit carrier (''Ramb'' I). Soon after {{nowrap|11:15 a.m.}} the ship hoisted the Italian merchant flag and trained its guns on ''Leander''.{{sfnm|1a1=Waters|1y=1956|1p=97|2a1=Rohwer|2a2=Hümmelchen|2y=2005|2p=59}}

[[File:Ramb1.jpg|thumb|{{center|''Ramb I'' on fire and sinking}}]]
The cruiser was broad on the beam of ''Ramb'' I and at {{cvt|3000|yd|nmi+mi+km}} was an easy target for its guns and torpedoes. At {{nowrap|11:53 a.m.,}} the Italian ship opened fire and thirty seconds later, ''Leander'' replied. The Italian fire was inaccurate and it was estimated that only about three shells were fired from each gun. ''Leander'' fired five salvos in a minute and hit the ship several times. A fire spread and an Italian officer in the water called out to a boarding party that they should not approach the ship, as it was burning and laden with ammunition. The boarding party laid off and as the fire spread, a big explosion before the bridge shot flames and smoke high into the sky, the ship settling bow first. As the fire burned, there was another explosion and five minutes later the ship sank under a cloud of black smoke. ''Leander'' recovered the boarding party and the Italian lifeboats, while edging away.{{sfn|Waters|1956|p=97}}

===March 1941===
On 1 March five Albacores raided Massawa again but caused little damage. As the Italians depleted their fuel at Massawa, the offensive capability of the Red Sea Flotilla declined and it returned to a strategy of a fleet-in-being. On 23 March the German ''Oder'' (8,516 GRT) and the Italian ''India'' (6,366 GRT) sailed from Massawa but ''Oder'' was intercepted by ''Shoreham'' at the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] Strait and scuttled; ''India'' docked at Assab. On 29 March ''Bertram Rickmers'' (4,188 GRT) sailed and was scuttled on 1 April when intercepted by ''Kandahar''. ''Piave'' tried to break the blockade on 30 March and got as far as Assab and ''Lichtenfels'' sailed on 1 April but was turned back. On 31 March 1941, ''Pantera'', ''Tigre'' and ''Leone'', attempted a night attack on [[Suez]] but ''Leone'' ran aground off Massawa and had to be scuttled by gunfire, the delay causing the operation to be cancelled. The two remaining ships joined ''Sauro'', ''Battisti'' and ''Daniele Manin'' on a final raid against [[Port Sudan]] on 2 April. Engine trouble kept ''Battisti'' in port and it was scuttled off the coat of Arabia on 3 April. The Italian ships were spotted by aircraft about {{cvt|10|nmi}} off the port and came under attack from the [[Fairey Swordfish|Swordfish]] bombers of {{HMS|Eagle|1918|6}} flying from the Port Sudan airfield that sank ''Manin'' and ''Sauro''. ''Pantera'' and ''Tigre'' were scuttled on the Arabian coast.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|pp=59, 65–66}}

===Massawa, April 1941===
[[File:HMS Capetown.jpg|thumb|{{center|HMS ''Capetown'' was disabled by the motor torpedo boat MAS 213}}]]
The defenders of Massawa managed to resist several attacks but the main British effort began on 6 April. The light cruiser {{HMS|Capetown|D88|6}} was torpedoed by the motor torpedo boat MAS 213 off Massawa and was towed to Port Sudan by the sloop {{HMAS|Parramatta|U44|6}} for repairs. Attacks on land, combined with air and sea bombardments led the defences to crumble by 8 April. MAS 213, ''Orsini'', MAS 204, 206, 210 and 216 and other ships were scuttled as the British troops entered the town. More than thirty vessels, including eleven Italian and six German, were scuttled in the harbour approaches, including large commercial ships, smaller coastal steamers, tugs and several naval vessels to a total of 89,870 GRT. The Italian harbour workers were to destroy their [[machine tool]]s, two floating [[dry dock]]s and a floating crane. The four remaining submarines were ordered to join the {{lang|it|[[BETASOM]]}} flotilla at Bordeaux and evaded British attempts to intercept them.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|pp=281–283}}

On 8 April Massawa fell, five ships were sunk at Harmil (38,125 GRT) where two ships bombed earlier lay and three ships of 23,765 GRT were sunk at Assab.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=66}} British efforts to bring the harbour back to service were frustrated by the extreme heat and humidity. Commander [[Joseph Stenhouse]] was able to re-float one oil tanker before he was killed at sea. On 11 April, President Roosevelt announced that the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden we no longer war zones, allowing US ships to sail in them.{{sfn|Playfair|1957|p=442}} A British civilian contractor was hired but he and his team failed to float any scuttled vessels. [[Edward Ellsberg]], a commander in the U.S. Navy arrived in April 1942 and began systematically to restore the harbour facilities. His staff repaired the largest dry dock and pieced together enough machine tool parts to restore machinist operations. By August 1942, after re-floating several ships, Ellsberg opened access to the harbour sufficiently to enable British warships such as {{HMS|Dido|37|6}} (19 August 1942) to be dry-docked and serviced.{{sfnm|1a1=Playfair|1y=1957|1p=442|2a1=Ellsberg|2y=2014|2pp=16–519|3a1=SSR|3y=1949|3p=705}} Assab, the last Italian-held port on the Red Sea, was attacked in [[Operation Chronometer]] on 10 June and occupied.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=78}}

=={{lang|it|Regia Marina}} order of battle==

===Destroyers===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:RCT Nullo USMM X.jpg|The Italian destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Francesco Nullo|1925|2}}
File:Destroyer Pantera.JPG|The Italian destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Pantera||2}} in 1935
</gallery>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+3rd and 5th Destroyer divisions{{sfn|Brown|1995|pp=39, 43}}
|-
! scope="col" width="80px"  |Ship
! scope="col" width="110px"  |Flag
! width="40px" |Class
! width="25px" |Div
! |Notes
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Francesco Nullo|1925|2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Sauro|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|3rd
|align="left"|Damaged ''Kimberley'', destroyed RAF, 21 November 1940
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Nazario Sauro||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Sauro|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|3rd
|align="left"|Sunk off Jeddah 20°N, 30°E, [[Fleet Air Arm]], 3 April 1941{{efn|Sunk by 813 and 824 Naval Air Squadrons FAA flying from Port Sudan, ship sank in 30 seconds.{{sfn|Brown|1995|p=43}}}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Cesare Battisti||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Sauro|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|3rd
|align="left"|Bombed FAA, scuttled off Scio Aiba, 3 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Daniele Manin||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Sauro|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|3rd
|align="left"|Bombed {{nowrap|7:45 a.m.}} 3 April 1941, capsized 20°20'N, 30°10'E{{efn|Sank {{cvt|100|nmi}} north-east of Port Sudan{{sfn|Brown|1995|p=43}}}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Pantera||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Leone|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|5th
|align="left"|Scuttled off Someina
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Tigre||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Leone|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|5th
|align="left"|Scuttled, Someina 3 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian destroyer|Leone||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{Sclass|Leone|destroyer|5}}
|align="left"|5th
|align="left"|Ran aground 1 April 1941 16°09'N, 39°55'E scuttled
|-
|}

===MAS (Motor torpedo boats)===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:SA-kuva 114392.jpg|MAS leaves its moorings
File:MAScamo.jpg|{{center|MAS at speed}}
</gallery>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+21st MAS ({{lang|it|[[MAS (motorboat)|Motoscafo armato silurante]]}}) Squadron{{sfn|Fraccaroli|1974|pp=161–162}}
|-
! scope="col" width="50px"  |Boat
! scope="col" width="30px"  |Year
! scope="col" width="110px" |Flag
! width="60px" |Class
! |Notes
|-
|align="left"|MAS 204
|align="left"|1918
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|[[Baglietto]] A
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|MAS 206
|align="left"|1918
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|[[Baglietto]] A
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|MAS 210
|align="left"|1918
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|[[Baglietto]] A
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|MAS 213
|align="left"|1918
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|[[Baglietto]] A
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|MAS 216
|align="left"|1918
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|[[Baglietto]] A
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|}

===VIII Submarine Group===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:Italian Submarine Galileo Galilei.jpg|{{ship|Italian submarine|Galileo Galilei||2}} towed by {{HMS|Kandahar|F28|6}}
File:RSMG Adua.jpg|{{sclass|Adua|submarine}}
</gallery>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 81st and 82nd Submarine squadrons{{sfn|Mallett|2005|p=267}}
|-
! scope="col" width="80px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="110px"  |Flag
! scope="col" width="50px"  |Class
! Notes
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Guglielmotti|1938|2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Brin|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Arrived [[Bordeaux]], 6 May 1941{{sfn|Blair|1996|p=739}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Galileo Ferraris|1934|2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Archimede|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Arrived [[Bordeaux]] 9 May 1941{{sfn|Blair|1996|p=739}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Galileo Galilei||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Archimede|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Sank ''James Stove'' (8,215 GRT) captured by {{HMS|Moonstone|T90|6}}, 19 June 1940{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=27}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Galvani||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Brin|submarine|4}}
|align="left"|Sank {{HMIS|Pathan|K26|6}}, sunk 23 June 1940 off Persian Gulf by {{HMS|Falmouth|L34|6}}{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=27}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Perla||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Perla|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Arrived [[Bordeaux]] 20 May 1941{{sfn|Blair|1996|p=739}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Macallé||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Adua|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Ran aground and lost 15 June 1940{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=27}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Archimede|1939|2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Brin|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Arrived [[Bordeaux]],  7 May 1941{{sfn|Blair|1996|p=739}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian submarine|Torricelli|1939|2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Brin|submarine|5}}
|align="left"|Sunk [[Perim]], 23 June 1940, by {{HMS|Kandahar|F28|6}}, {{HMS|Khartoum|F45|2}}, {{HMS|Kingston|F64|2}}, {{HMS|Shoreham|L32|2}}{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=27}}
|-
|}

===Other naval vessels===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:RAMB II in Adriatic.jpg|{{ship|Italian ship|Ramb II||2}} in 1937
File:ITALIAN WARSHIP SURRENDERS AT COLOMBO. 14 SEPTEMBER 1943. THE ITALIAN COLONIAL SLOOP ERITREA A 2170 TONS, ESCORT VESSEL WITH A SPEED OF 20 KNOTS, ENTERED COLOMBO HARBOUR RECENTLY TO SURRENDER. A19586.jpg|{{ship|Italian sloop|Eritrea||2}} surrendering, 14 September 1943
</gallery>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Miscellaneous naval vessels (Data from Brown [1995] and Jordan [2006] unless indicated.){{sfnm|1a1=Brown|1y=1995|1p=43|2a1=Jordan|2y=2006|2pp=243, 535}}
|-
! scope="col" width="140px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="120px"  |Flag
! scope="col" width="30px"  |GRT
! scope="col" width="180px" |Type
! Notes
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian sloop|Eritrea||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|2,170
|align="left"|Colonial ship
|align="left"|Escaped to [[Kobe]], [[Japan]]{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=59}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Vincenzo Giordano Orsini||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|670
|align="left"|{{sclass|Giuseppe Sirtori|destroyer}}
|align="left"|Scuttled 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Giovanni Acerbi||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|670
|align="left"|{{sclass|Giuseppe Sirtori|destroyer}}
|align="left"|Bombed RAF, left a hulk
|-
|align="left"|''G. Biglieri''
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|620
|align="left"|Gunboat
|align="left"|Captured
|-
|align="left"|''Porto Corsini''
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|290
|align="left"|Gunboat
|align="left"|Scuttled
|-
|align="left"|''Ostia''
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|620
|align="left"|{{sclass|Azio|minelayer|1}}
|align="left"|Scuttled Massawa, 8 April 1941
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian ship|Ramb I||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|3,667
|align="left"|[[Armed merchantmen|Auxiliary cruiser]]
|align="left"|Escaped to [[Kobe]], [[Japan]]{{efn|Requisitioned, sunk [[Action of 27 February 1941]] 01°N,68°30'E, 150 killed, 100 rescued{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=535}}}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian ship|Ramb II||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|3,685
|align="left"|[[Armed merchantmen|Auxiliary cruiser]]
|align="left"|Escaped to [[Kobe]], [[Japan]]{{efn|Requisitioned, scuttled, 8 September 1943, sunk USAAF, 12 January 1945{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=535}}}}
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian ship|Ramb IV||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|3,676
|align="left"|Hospital ship
|align="left"|Captured{{efn|RN, hospital ship, bombed Luftwaffe 10 May 1942, 31°17'N, 29°23'E, 165 killed, 119 rescued{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=535}}}}
|-
|}

===Merchant ships (Massawa)===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Freighters scuttled at Massawa (Data from Rohwer Hümmelchen [2005] unless indicated){{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=66}}
|-
! scope="col" width="100px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="30px"  |Year
! scope="col" width="110px"|Flag
! scope="col" width="25px"  |GRT
! scope="col" width="50px"  |Type
! Notes
|-
|align="left"|''Adua''
|align="left"|1922{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=236}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|3,564
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=530}}
|-
|align="left"|''Antonia C''
|align="left"|1921{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=227}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|6,025
|align="left"|Tanker
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=530}}
|-
|align="left"|''MV Arabia''
|align="left"|1926{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=237}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|7,025
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941, refloated 11 August{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=530}}
|-
|align="left"|''Brenta''
|align="left"|1920{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=237}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,400
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, with a mine attached, 4 April 1941, salvaged 1942{{sfnm|1a1=Jordan|1y=2006|1p=531|2a1=Ellsberg|2y=2014|2pp=453, 515}}
|-
|align="left"|''Clelia Campanella''
|align="left"|1917{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=227}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|3,245
|align="left"|Tanker
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941, salvaged 1942{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=531}}
|-
|align="left"|''Colombo''
|align="left"|1917{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=236}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|11,760
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 8 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=531}}
|-
|align="left"|''Impero''
|align="left"| —
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|488
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Moncalieri''
|align="left"|1918{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=238}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,267
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, refloated{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=534}}
|-
|align="left"|''Riva Ligure''
|align="left"|1906
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|2,100
|align="left"|Tanker
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941,
|-
|align="left"|''Romolo Gessi''
|align="left"|1917
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,100
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Tripolitania''
|align="left"|1918{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=238}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|2,722
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 6 April 1941, salvaged March 1943{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=539}}
|-
|align="left"|''Vesuvio''
|align="left"|1914{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=242}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,430
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=536}}
|-
|align="left"|''XXIII Marzo''
|align="left"|1927{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=230}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,003
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=537}}
|-
|align="left"|''Crefeld''
|align="left"|1922{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=75}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|8,045
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, broken up{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=568}}
|-
|align="left"|''Frauenfels''
|align="left"|1920{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=66}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|7,487
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, salvaged 13 November 1942{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=469}}
|-
|align="left"|''Gera''
|align="left"|1923{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=63}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|5,155
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, salvaged 1942{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=470}}
|-
|align="left"|''Lichtenfels''
|align="left"|1929{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=66}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|7,566
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, broken up{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=473}}
|-
|align="left"|''Liebenfels''
|align="left"|1922{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=66}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|6,318
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941, salvaged 30 September 1942{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=473}}
|-
|align="left"|''Olivia''
|align="left"|7,885
|align="left"|{{flag|Nazi Germany|23px}}
|align="right"|7,886
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled, April 1941
|-
|}

===Merchant ships (Dahlak Kebir)===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Tugs and other vessels scuttled at [[Harmil]] off Massawa (Data from Jordan [2006]{{sfn|Jordan|2006|pp=236–237, 242, 245, 247, 531–536}}
|-
! scope="col" width="100px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="30px"  |Year
! scope="col" width="120px"|Flag
! scope="col" width="25px"  |GRT
! scope="col" width="50px"  |Type
! Notes
|-
|align="left"|''Ausonia''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Capitano Bottego''
|align="left"|1933{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=242}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|2,316
|align="left"|Fruit carrier
|align="left"|Scuttled, 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=531}}
|-
|align="left"|''Giove''
|align="left"|1914
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|5,211
|align="left"|Tanker
|align="left"|Scuttled 4 April 1941, salvaged 1942{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=532}}
|-
|align="left"|''Giuseppe Mazzini''
|align="left"|1926{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=236}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|7,669
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Bombed 2 March 1941, sunk{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=533}}
|-
|align="left"|''Malamocco''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Nazario Sauro''
|align="left"|1924{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=237}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|8,150
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled 6 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=534}}
|-
|align="left"|''Oneglia''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Panaria''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Pirano''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Porto Venere''
|align="left"|—
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|—
|align="left"|Tug
|align="left"|Scuttled April 1941
|-
|align="left"|''Prometeo''
|align="left"|1922{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=245}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|4,958
|align="left"|Tanker
|align="left"|Scuttled 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=535}}
|-
|align="left"|''Urania''
|align="left"|1916{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=237}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="right"|7,099
|align="left"|Freighter
|align="left"|Scuttled 4 April 1941{{sfn|Jordan|2006|p=536}}
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Action of 8 May 1941]]
* [[Italian Royal Navy]]
* [[List of Italian destroyers]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
===Books===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Clay |last=Blair |title=Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942 |publisher=Random House |year=1996 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-58839-1}}
* {{cite book |first=David |last=Brown |title=Warship Losses of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1995 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-55750-914-7}}
* {{cite book |first=Edward |last=Ellsberg |author-link=Edward Ellsberg |title=Under the Red Sea Sun |year=2014 |orig-year=1946 |publisher=Dodd, Mead and Co. |location=New York |edition=ePUB repr. Open Road Integrated Media, NY |oclc=1311913}}
* {{cite book |last=Fraccaroli |first=Aldo |title=Italian Warships of World War II |year=1974 |orig-year=1968 |publisher=Ian Allen |location=London |isbn=0-7110-0002-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |series=[[Australia in the War of 1939–1945]], Series 2 |title=Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942 |chapter=Chapter 5, R. A. N. Ships Overseas June–December 1940 |pages=140–246 |year=1957 |chapter-url=https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070340--1-.pdf |access-date=28 February 2016 |volume=I |publisher=[[Australian War Memorial]] |location=Canberra, ACT |edition=online scan |oclc=848228}}
* {{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Ashley |title=The British Empire and the Second World War |publisher=Hambledon Continuum |year=2006 |location=London |isbn=978-1-85285-417-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Jordan |first=Roger W. |title=The World's Merchant Fleets 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 Ships |year=2006 |orig-year=1999 |publisher=Chatham/Lionel Leventhal |location=London |edition=2nd |isbn=978-1-86176-293-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Mallett |first=Robert |title=The Italian Navy and Fascist Expansionism 1935–1940 |year=2005 |orig-year=1998 |publisher=Frank Cass |location=London |edition=ePUB |isbn=978-1-1367-1323-1}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Hara |first=Vincent P. |year=2009 |title=Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-59114-648-3}}
* {{cite book |ref={{harvid|Playfair|1957}} |first1=I. S. O. |last1=Playfair |author1-link=Ian Stanley Ord Playfair |first2=G. M. S. |last2=Stitt |first3=C. J. C. |last3=Molony |first4=S. E. |last4=Toomer |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=J. R. M. |editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler |series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series |title=The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Early Successes Against Italy (to May 1941) |volume=I |publisher=HMSO |year=1957 |orig-year=1954 |edition=4th |isbn=978-1-84574-065-8 |display-authors=1}}
* {{cite book |first1=Jürgen |last1=Rohwer |first2=Gerhard |last2=Hümmelchen |title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |year=2005 |orig-year=1972 |publisher=Chatham |location=London |edition=3rd rev. |isbn=1-86176-257-7}}
* {{cite magazine |ref={{harvid|SSR|1949}} |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Salvage in Massawa |magazine=Shipbuilding and Shipping Record |publisher=IPC Industrial Press |location=Westminster |date=16 June 1949 |volume=73 |page=705 |issn=0037-3850}}
* {{cite book |title=The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign |last=Stewart |first=A. |year=2016 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, CT |edition=1st |isbn=978-0-300-20855-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Waters |first=S. D. |series=Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45 |title=The Royal New Zealand Navy |year=1956 |publisher=War History Branch, Dept. of Internal Affairs |location=Wellington, NZ |edition=online scan |via=New Zealand Electronic Text Centre |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy.html |oclc=11085179}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=J. |last2=Massignani |first2=A. |title=The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940–1943|year=2002 |orig-year=1998 |publisher=Chatham |location=Rochester |edition=repr. pbk. |isbn=978-1-86176-190-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Hague |first=Arnold |title=The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2000 |location=Annapolis, MD |isbn=978-1-55750-019-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hinsley |first1=Harry |last2=Thomas |first2=E. E. |last3=Ransom |first3=C. F. G. |last4=Knight |first4=R. C. |series=History of the Second World War |title=British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations |year=1981 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=0-521-242908}}
* {{cite book |first=Douglas |last=Porch |title=The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II |publisher=Farrar, Straus & Giroux |year=2004 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-374-20518-8}}
* {{cite book |series=History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series: The War at Sea 1939–1945 |title=The Defensive |volume=I |last=Roskill |first=S. W. |author-link=Stephen Roskill |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=J. R. M. |editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler |year=1957 |orig-year=1954 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |edition=4th impr. |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-I/index.html |access-date=14 November 2017 |oclc=881709135}}
* {{cite book |last=Roskill |first=S. W. |series=[[History of the Second World War]]: The War at Sea 1939–1945 |title=The Period of Balance |volume=II |publisher=[[HMSO]] |location=London |year=1962 |orig-year=1956 |edition=3rd impression |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-II/index.html |access-date=14 November 2017 |oclc=174453986}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter C. |title=Eagle's War: Aircraft Carrier HMS Eagle 1939–1942 |year=2009 |orig-year=1995 |publisher=Crécy Publishing |location=Manchester |edition=2nd pbk. |isbn=978-0-9075795-3-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Whitley |first=M. J. |title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopaedia |publisher=Arms and Armour Press |year=2000 |location=London |pages=158–161 |isbn=978-1-85409-521-3}}

==External links==
* [http://www.regiamarina.net/others/redsea/redsea_us.htm The Royal Italian Navy in the Red Sea Cristiano D'Adamo]
* [http://www.comandosupremo.com/1941.html Comando Supremo: Italy at War ''Events of 1941'' James Heddlesten]

{{Portal bar|Italy}}
{{World War II}}

[[Category:History of the Red Sea]]
[[Category:Middle East theatre of World War II|Red Sea]]
[[Category:Regia Marina|Red Sea]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Italy in World War II|Red Sea]]
[[Category:World War II naval ships of Italy|Red Sea]]
[[Category:World War II orders of battle|Red Sea]]
[[Category:East African campaign (World War II)]]
[[Category:Military history of the Indian Ocean]]