¹ — Involved an Allied convoy or delivery mission
² — Involved an Axis convoy or delivery mission
The Battle of the Espero Convoy (Battaglia del convoglio Espero) on 28 June 1940, was the first surface engagement between Italian and Allied warships of the Second World War. Three 36 kn (41 mph; 67 km/h) Italian destroyers made a run from Taranto for Tobruk in Libya to transport Blackshirt (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale) anti-tank units, in case of an armoured attack from Egypt by the British.
By coincidence, the Mediterranean Fleet was at sea to conduct a destroyer anti-submarine sweep around Crete and provide cover for three Allied convoys to Egypt, one from Turkey and two from Malta. British aircraft from Malta spotted the Italian destroyers and the 7th Cruiser Squadron turned to intercept them; a running fight took place south-west of Crete, in which the destroyers were impeded by their cargoes and an adverse sea.
The Italian destroyer Espero (Captain Enrico Baroni) was sunk while covering the escape of the destroyers Zeffiro and Ostro to Benghazi; 53 of the 225 crew and passengers were rescued, three of whom died of their wounds. The British and Australian cruisers expended a huge amount of ammunition and the Malta convoys had to be postponed until they had replenished from the eight hundred 6-inch shells in reserve. Convoy AS 1 from Turkey arrived safely by 3 July.
and 22 Related for: Battle of the Espero Convoy information
theEsperoconvoy and thebattleof Cape Spada. To reduce the threat posed by the Italian fleet, which was based in the port of Taranto, to convoys sailing...
literature. BattleoftheEsperoConvoy, a naval battle in the Mediterranean during WWII. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title...
Battleof mid-August), known in Malta as Il-Konvoj ta' Santa Marija (Santa Maria Convoy), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta...
attack British convoy, sinking three merchant ships. 28 June BattleoftheEsperoConvoy British cruiser HMS Orion sinks Italian destroyer Espero 3 July Mers-el-Kebir...
a list of naval vessels sunk or otherwise severely damaged with loss of life during the Second World War. List of maritime disasters List of maritime...
TheBattleof Taranto took place on the night of 11/12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham...
TheBattleof Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, Greek: Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (German: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major...
sacrifice in fact allowed the two sister ships to escape and reach Benghazi and then Tobruk. Espero, after a solitary two-hour battle against Tovey's ships...
The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoysofthe Second World War. Theconvoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta...
sailing of an Italian battle fleet comprising one battleship, six heavy and two light cruisers, plus destroyers to attack the merchant convoys supplying...
TheBattleof Cape Spartivento, known as theBattleof Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during theBattleofthe Mediterranean in the Second World...
TheBattleofthe Duisburg Convoy (Battleofthe BETA Convoy) was fought on the night of 8/9 November 1941 between an Italian convoy, its escorts and four...
TheBattle off Zuwarah (19/20 January 1943) was a naval night encounter during the Second World War. Thebattle took place in Libyan waters between the...
Malta, during the Second World War. The escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta held off a much more powerful squadron ofthe Regia Marina (Italian...