Red Sea Flotilla
Encyclopedia
The Red Sea Flotilla was a unit of the Italian Royal Navy
(Regia Marina Italia
) based in Massawa
, Eritrea
, when Massawa was part of Italian East Africa
. In World War II
, the Red Sea Flotilla was active against the British
Royal Navy
's Eastern Fleet from Italy's declaration of war on 10 June 1940 until the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.
The location of the squadron meant it was isolated from the main Italian bases in the Mediterranean by distance and enemy dispositions. British capture of Massawa and other Italian ports in the region ultimately ended the Italian naval presence in the region in April 1941.
, the British viewed it as a potential threat to Allied
convoys traveling in the Horn of Africa
area between the Mediterranean Sea
and the Indian Ocean
. This was a critical resupply route for British forces operating from Egypt. The Red Sea Flotilla was especially well situated to attack convoys headed from the Gulf of Aden
through the Red Sea
and to the Suez Canal
, forcing Allied ships to take a much longer passage around the Cape of Good Hope
.
On 10 June 1940, the day Italy declared war, the Italian Red Sea Flotilla had seven destroyers organized into two squadrons, a squadron of five Motor Torpedo Boats (Motoscafo Armato Silurante, or MAS), and eight submarines organized into two squadrons. The main base was at Massawa
, with other bases at Assab
(also in Eritrea) and Kismayu
, in southern Italian Somaliland
.
and Allied convoys from Massawa. The three submarines, Galileo Galilei, Torricelli and Galvani struck early; Galilei sank the freighter James Stove off Djibouti
before British counter measures forced the submarines to depart the area.
Torricelli was spotted on 23 June while approaching Massawa and an intensive search ensued involving four warships and aircraft from Aden
. After a fierce resistance on surface, during which HMS Khartoum was damaged beyond repair and HMS Shoreham
was also damaged, the Torricelli was sunk. As a mark of respect for his crew's gallantry, the Italian captain was guest of honour at a dinner at the British naval base. Galilei had also been found on 18 June, captured and taken to Aden on the same day. Galvani sunk HMIS Pathan at the same time that her sisters were fighting and was herself sunk on the following day.Jackson, pp.281-283
The destroyers based at Massawa attacked the 32-ship British convoy BN 7 with negigible results in October 1940. The convoy's escort beat off the attack and the Nullo
was driven ashore and sunk by air attack the following day. On the British side, only the leading transport ship of the convoy sustained minor splinter damage, while HMS Kimberley was crippled by Italian shore batteries and had to be towed to Aden by the cruiser HMS Leander
.
As Italian fuel supplies in Massawa dwindled, so did the offensive capability of the Red Sea Flotilla. Ultimately, the vessels of the flotilla became what is known as a "fleet in being
", offering a threat without action, and rarely left port.
In late March 1941, the three large destroyers, Leone
, Pantera
and Tigre
, were to attempt a night attack on Suez
but Leone ran aground off Massawa and had to be sunk by gunfire. The delay caused the operation to be cancelled. Instead the two remaining ships joined three smaller destroyers - Battisti
, Manin
and Sauro
, on a final raid on Port Sudan
in early April. Engine problems kept Battisti in port, where she was subsequently scuttled to prevent her capture by the British. The Italian ships were spotted by aircraft while en route and came under attack from land and carrier based aircraft. Pantera and Tigre were scuttled on the Arabian coast and Manin and Sauro were sunk by Fairey Swordfish
aircraft.
The armed merchant cruisers Ramb I
and Ramb II
and the colonial despatch ship Eritrea
were ordered to escape and reach Japan. Ramb II and Eritrea reached Kobe
successfully but Ramb I was intercepted and sunk by HMS Leander. The four Italian submarines that had survived were ordered to join the Italian submarine flotilla at Bordeaux
, which they all did successfully, despite concerted British attempts to intercept them. All motor-torpedo boats (MAS) were lost, but one, MAS 213 made a successful torpedo attack on the light cruiser HMS Capetown
, causing serious damage.
On 8 April 1941, Massawa fell to the British and the Red Sea Flotilla ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. Few vessels of the flotilla survived the East African Campaign
.
The five MAS were organized as follows:
The eight submarines were organized in the 8th Submarine Group as follows:
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
(Regia Marina Italia
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
) based in Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, when Massawa was part of Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Red Sea Flotilla was active against the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Eastern Fleet from Italy's declaration of war on 10 June 1940 until the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.
The location of the squadron meant it was isolated from the main Italian bases in the Mediterranean by distance and enemy dispositions. British capture of Massawa and other Italian ports in the region ultimately ended the Italian naval presence in the region in April 1941.
Purpose and organization
While, in general, the Red Sea Flotilla was not used aggressively by the ItaliansKingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, the British viewed it as a potential threat to Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
convoys traveling in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
area between the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. This was a critical resupply route for British forces operating from Egypt. The Red Sea Flotilla was especially well situated to attack convoys headed from the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
through the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and to the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, forcing Allied ships to take a much longer passage around the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.
On 10 June 1940, the day Italy declared war, the Italian Red Sea Flotilla had seven destroyers organized into two squadrons, a squadron of five Motor Torpedo Boats (Motoscafo Armato Silurante, or MAS), and eight submarines organized into two squadrons. The main base was at Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
, with other bases at Assab
Assab
Assab is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1989, it had a population of 39,600. Assab possesses an oil refinery, which was shut down in 1997 for economic reasons...
(also in Eritrea) and Kismayu
Kismayu
Kismayo or Kismayu is a port city in the Jubbada Hoose province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region....
, in southern Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
.
Actions
Several attempts were made after Italy's entry into the war in June 1940 to stage offensive actions against the British Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Allied convoys from Massawa. The three submarines, Galileo Galilei, Torricelli and Galvani struck early; Galilei sank the freighter James Stove off Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
before British counter measures forced the submarines to depart the area.
Torricelli was spotted on 23 June while approaching Massawa and an intensive search ensued involving four warships and aircraft from Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. After a fierce resistance on surface, during which HMS Khartoum was damaged beyond repair and HMS Shoreham
Shoreham class sloop
The Shoreham-class sloops were a class of eight small British warships built in the early 1930s.Developed from the Bridgewater-class sloops, with a longer hull, the Shoreham-class sloops were laid down between 1929 and 1931 at Chatham and Devonport Naval Dockyards.-Ships:*HMS Shoreham was launched...
was also damaged, the Torricelli was sunk. As a mark of respect for his crew's gallantry, the Italian captain was guest of honour at a dinner at the British naval base. Galilei had also been found on 18 June, captured and taken to Aden on the same day. Galvani sunk HMIS Pathan at the same time that her sisters were fighting and was herself sunk on the following day.Jackson, pp.281-283
The destroyers based at Massawa attacked the 32-ship British convoy BN 7 with negigible results in October 1940. The convoy's escort beat off the attack and the Nullo
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
was driven ashore and sunk by air attack the following day. On the British side, only the leading transport ship of the convoy sustained minor splinter damage, while HMS Kimberley was crippled by Italian shore batteries and had to be towed to Aden by the cruiser HMS Leander
HMNZS Leander
HMNZS Leander was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of eight ships, the Leander class light cruiser and was initially named HMS Leander.- History :...
.
As Italian fuel supplies in Massawa dwindled, so did the offensive capability of the Red Sea Flotilla. Ultimately, the vessels of the flotilla became what is known as a "fleet in being
Fleet in being
In naval warfare, a fleet in being is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. Were the fleet to leave port and face the enemy, it might lose in battle and no longer influence the enemy's actions, but while it remains safely in port the enemy is forced to...
", offering a threat without action, and rarely left port.
In late March 1941, the three large destroyers, Leone
Leone class destroyer
The Leone class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign....
, Pantera
Leone class destroyer
The Leone class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign....
and Tigre
Leone class destroyer
The Leone class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign....
, were to attempt a night attack on Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
but Leone ran aground off Massawa and had to be sunk by gunfire. The delay caused the operation to be cancelled. Instead the two remaining ships joined three smaller destroyers - Battisti
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
, Manin
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
and Sauro
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
, on a final raid on Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
in early April. Engine problems kept Battisti in port, where she was subsequently scuttled to prevent her capture by the British. The Italian ships were spotted by aircraft while en route and came under attack from land and carrier based aircraft. Pantera and Tigre were scuttled on the Arabian coast and Manin and Sauro were sunk by Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
aircraft.
Italian ship Ramb I
The Italian ship Ramb I was a pre-war "banana boat" that was converted to be an auxiliary cruiser during World War II. The Ramb I operated in the area around the Horn of Africa. It was sunk in the Indian Ocean before it could take a single prize....
and Ramb II
Italian ship Ramb II
The Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II was built at Monfalcone by the Re-United Yards of the Adriatic in 1937.-Design:...
and the colonial despatch ship Eritrea
Eritrea (ship)
The Italian colonial ship Eritrea was constructed in the Castellammare Shipyards. Construction started in 1935 and she was commissioned in 1937.-Design:...
were ordered to escape and reach Japan. Ramb II and Eritrea reached Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
successfully but Ramb I was intercepted and sunk by HMS Leander. The four Italian submarines that had survived were ordered to join the Italian submarine flotilla at Bordeaux
BETASOM
BETASOM BETASOM BETASOM (an Italian language acronym of Bordeaux Sommergibile. was a submarine base established at Bordeaux by the Italian Regia Marina Italiana during World War II....
, which they all did successfully, despite concerted British attempts to intercept them. All motor-torpedo boats (MAS) were lost, but one, MAS 213 made a successful torpedo attack on the light cruiser HMS Capetown
HMS Capetown (D88)
HMS Capetown was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the South African city of Cape Town. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was part of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers....
, causing serious damage.
On 8 April 1941, Massawa fell to the British and the Red Sea Flotilla ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. Few vessels of the flotilla survived the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
.
Destroyers, motor torpedo boats (MAS), and submarines
Seven destroyers were organized into two divisions:- 3rd Destroyer Division (All Sauro classSauro class destroyerThe Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
(1,600 tons full load displacement))- Francesco Nullo - Crippled by HMS Kimberley and eventually destroyed by RAF 22 November 1940
- Nazario Sauro - Sunk by RAF 3 April 1941
- Cesare Battisti - scuttledScuttlingScuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
3 April 1941 - Daniele Manin (1,058/1,600 tons displacement) - Sunk by RAF 3 April 1941
- 5th Destroyer Division (All Leone classLeone class destroyerThe Leone class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign....
(2,690 tons full load displacement))- Pantera - Scuttled 3 April 1941
- Tigre - Scuttled 3 April 1941
- Leone - Run aground and scuttled 1 April 1941
The five MAS were organized as follows:
- 21st MAS Squadron
- MAS 204 - Lost due to mechanical difficulty
- MAS 206 - Lost due to mechanical difficulty
- MAS 210 - Lost due to mechanical difficulty
- MAS 213 - Scuttled 8 April 1941
- MAS 216 - Lost due to mechanical difficulty
The eight submarines were organized in the 8th Submarine Group as follows:
- 81st Submarine Squadron
- Guglielmotti (896/1,265 tons displacement) - Sailed to BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Galileo Ferraris (880/1,230 tons displacement) - Sailed to BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Galileo Gallilei (880/1,230 tons displacement) - Captured 19 June 1940
- Luigi Galvani (896/1,265 tons displacement) - Lost 24 June 1940
- Guglielmotti (896/1,265 tons displacement) - Sailed to Bordeaux
- 82nd Submarine Squadron
- Perla (620/855 tons displacement) - Sailed to BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Macallè (620/855 tons displacement) - Lost 15 June 1940
- Archimede (880/1,230 tons displacement) - Sailed to BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Evangelista Torricelli (880/1,230 tons displacement) - Lost 23 June 1940
- Perla (620/855 tons displacement) - Sailed to Bordeaux
Other vessels
- Colonial ship Eritrea (2,170 tons displacement) - Sailed to KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and surrendered to the Allies in Columbo, CeylonSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, when Italy surrendered - Torpedo boat Vincenzo Giordano Orsini (670 tons displacement) - Scuttled 8 April 1941
- Torpedo boat Giovanni Acerbi (670 tons displacement) - Scuttled in the mouth of the harbor at MassawaMassawaMassawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
as a blockshipBlockshipA blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used.It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of HMS Hood at Portland Harbour; or it may be brought by enemy raiders and used to... - Gun boat G. Biglieri (620 tons displacement) - Lost
- Gun boat Porto Corsini (290 tons displacement) - Lost
- Minelayer Ostia (620 tons displacement) - Sunk by British Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
attack within the harbor at MassawaMassawaMassawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
; all mines still racked - Auxiliary cruiserArmed merchantmenArmed merchantman is a term that has come to mean a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value...
Ramb I (3,667 tons displacement) - Sailed to KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Lost 27 February 1941 - Auxiliary cruiserArmed merchantmenArmed merchantman is a term that has come to mean a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value...
Ramb IIItalian ship Ramb IIThe Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II was built at Monfalcone by the Re-United Yards of the Adriatic in 1937.-Design:...
(3,667 tons displacement) - Sailed to KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and placed into the service of the Imperial Japanese NavyImperial Japanese NavyThe Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
when Italy surrendered - Hospital ship Aquileia - former Ramb IVItalian ship Ramb IVThe Ramb IV was an Italian hospital ship, built at Monfalcone by the United Yards of the Adriatic in 1938....
- Captured and placed into the service of the British Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...