11 Sep 1935 - Naval Operations in the Mediterranean

[Diarist]

A series of 'fireships' were employed at the following ports: Genoa (1), La Spezia (2), Naples (2), La Maddalena, Sardinia (2), Taranto (1), Brindisi (1), Venice (1), Trieste (1), Leros, Dodecanese (1), Tripoli, Libya (1), Benghazi, Libya (1) and Bardia, Libya (1). Highly successful were the attacks at Naples and La Maddalena whereas Venice was a total failure. The remainder were a moderate success causing more confusion rather than damage to the Italian Navy. This confusion contributed to the successful attacks made by capital ships, air attacks then submarines firing torpedoes into the ports shortly afterwards.

Task Force 'G' with the aircraft-carrier HMS Furious and the battleships HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson attacked Naples then moved north to attack Livorno.

Task Force 'C' with the aircraft-carrier HMS Hermes and the battleships HMS Renown and HMS Repulse attacked Leros then Rhodos in the Aegean Sea then headed to the Adriatic Sea.

Task Force 'A' split up into two groups with the aircraft-carrier HMS Eagle and the battleship Queen Elizabeth attacking Benghazi then Derna in Cyrenaica, Libya. The other group, the battleships HMS Barham and HMS Warspite, attacked Bardia then Tobruk. The combined Force then went to Tripoli and Palermo, Sicily to bombard not only the ports but also airfields near to the coast. It will then return to Britain to strengthen the Home Fleet.

Task Force 'M' with the aircraft-carrier HMS Courageous and the battleships HMS Revenge, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Royal Sovereign attacked Taranto then Otranto, Bari and Brindisi before heading north in the Adriatic Sea.

Task Force 'W' with the French aircraft-carrier Béarn and the battleships HMS Ramilles and HMS Resolution attacked the Libyan port of Tripoli and nearby airfields then paid Benghazi a 2nd visit while its aircraft attacked the Benina airfields south of Benghazi. They were joined by RAF aircraft attacking from Malta. It then headed to support British forces in Egypt.

The French Navy was primarily involved in supporting the French Army's advance along the Italian coast but there were three squadrons operating separately. The battleships Jean Bart, Courbet and Paris bombarded Genoa before going to Savona to support the 25th Motorized Division. The battleships Provence, Bretagne and Lorraine attacked La Spezia before heading to Sardinia. Finally the heavy cruisers Algérie, Duquesne and Tourville attacked ports and airfields in Sicily and the 'toe' of Italy. They are then to head to Brest on the Atlantic coast.

It is too early to assess the damage to the Italian Navy, Air Force and the infrastructure. Photo-reconnaissance flights will be sent out in the morning. No Allied ships have been sunk but a dozen destroyers have been hit by coastal batteries, the heavy cruiser HMS Cavendish was torpedoed NE of Benghazi and is being escorted to Alexandria. The battleship HMS Ramilles was damaged in an air attack near Leros while the battleship Jean Bart had a turret knocked-out by an air-attack off Genua. Two British Odin-class submarines were sunk near Naples.

[Diarist]

In the afternoon Task Force 'G' bombarded Livorno and La Spezia before retiring to Toulon to reload ammunition. The TF was attacked many times by the Regia Aeronautica which sustained heavy losses without any significant success against the ships.

Task Force 'C' arrived in the Adriatic Sea in the late evening bombarding the submarine yards at Brindisi, again, and several airfields near Foggia before dark. Task Force 'M', also in the Adriatic Sea had sailed north in order to bombard the Italian naval base at Pola then Trieste. HMS Royal Oak has been hit twice by bombs but all turrets are still operational. The Italian Air Force is very active here but the attacks are not coordinated. They have suffered heavy losses to anti-aircraft fire.

In addition to the naval bases, dozens of airfields have been attacked by air and naval gunfire. Bombers operating from Corsica have repeatedly attacked the naval bases at La Maddalena and Naples. The fires, many of which are out of control, will make it easy for night-bombers to find their targets later tonight.