| Raid on Alexandria | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theBattle of the Mediterranean of theSecond World War | |||||||
 An ItalianSiluro Lenta Corsahuman torpedo | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  Italy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles Morgan | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Mediterranean Fleet | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 crewmen captured | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheRaid on Alexandria (Operazione EA 3) was carried out on 19 December 1941 byRoyal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) divers of theDecima Flottiglia MAS (Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti), who attacked and severely damaged twoRoyal Navy battleships at their moorings and damaged an oil tanker and a destroyer in the harbour ofAlexandria, Egypt, usingSiluro Lenta Corsamanned torpedoes.
The attacks came at a difficult time for theMediterranean Fleet, after the loss of the aircraft carrierHMS Ark Royal and the battleshipBarham to U-boats, the loss of ships during theBattle of Crete and the sinking of much ofForce K on an Italian minefield, the day before the human torpedo attack on Alexandria. Ships also had to be sent to theEastern Fleet.
The interest of theRegia Marina in small boat warfare lay dormant between 1918 and the diplomatic crisis with Britain over theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War 1935–1936. In 1935 and early 1936, CaptainTeseo Tesei and CaptainElios Toschi tested a human torpedo inLa Spezia on theTyrrhenian Sea and resumed testing in May. The Ethiopian defeat in 1936 ended the tests but work on assault boats continued. On 28 September 1938,Supermarina ordered theI Flottiglia MAS (1st Torpedo Motorboat Flotilla), based at La Spezia, to establish a research department (theSezione Armi Speciali (Special Weapons Section) from 1939. The detachment had a few officers at HQ, seven at a confidential base at Bocca di Serchio forhuman torpedo and frogman training and another six officers to pilot the assault motorboats, of which seven had been built, plus elevenSiluro Lenta Corsa human torpedoes.[1]
On 24 February 1940, the 1st MAS Flotilla and the Special Weapons Section was taken over by CommanderMario Giorgini and in August attempts to use the unconventional weapons began, with little success and the capture of Giorgini in October. On 23 January 1941 CommanderVittorio Moccagatta replaced Giorgini and on 15 March formed theDecima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti (10th Torpedo Motorboat Flotilla,Decima MAS). The new force had a HQ, including a plans office and a weapons section. The surface assault boats and the training school (Lieutenant-Commander Giorgio Giobbe) were split from the human torpedoes and other underwater weapons (Lieutenant-Commander Junio Valerio Borghese), the captain of the Italian submarine Scirè.Decima MAS remained at La Spezia and an advanced base was set up inAugusta, Sicily.[2]
The British code-breakers of theGovernment Code and Cypher School (GC & CS) alerted AdmiralAndrew Cunningham the commander in chief of theMediterranean Fleet before 17 December 1942, that its decodes of Italian messages encyphered on the ItalianC 38m machine, showed thatSupermarina, the Italian naval staff, had some interest in the port ofAlexandria but without details.[3] Torpedo nets were set up around the battleshipsHMS Valiant andQueen Elizabeth and other precautions were taken.[4] On the day, Cunningham was told that an Italian reconnaissance aircraft had reported thatValiant andQueen Elizabeth were at their moorings and that the sea was calm, an unusual item to report. On 18 December GC & CS reported that the reconnaissance was urgent; Cunningham and his staff issued an alert at10:25 a.m. that
Attacks on Alexandria by air, boat or human torpedo may be expected when calm weather prevails. Look-outs and patrols should be warned accordingly.[3]
On 3 December, the submarineScirè (LieutenantJunio Valerio Borghese) of the ItalianRegia Marina left the naval base of La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes, nicknamedmaiali (pigs). At the island ofLeros in theAegean Sea, the submarine secretly picked up six men of theDecima Flottiglia MAS, Lieutenant CommanderLuigi Durand de la Penne and Sergeant-Major Emilio Bianchi(maiale nº 221), CaptainVincenzo Martellotta and Sergeant-MajorMario Marino (maiale nº 222) and CaptainAntonio Marceglia and Lance CorporalSpartaco Schergat (maiale nº 223).[5][6]
On the night of 18/19 December, 1.3 mi (1.1 nmi; 2.1 km) from the commercial (eastern) harbour of Alexandria,Scirè released themaiali at a depth of 49 ft (15 m) about 5 nmi (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) from the naval anchorage. Themaiali reached the harbour and entered the naval base when the British opened the boom gate to let in three destroyers. The frogmen were shaken by the explosive charges being dropped in the harbour by patrol craft. Themaiali crews found it comparatively easy to get over the torpedo nets around the battleships but attaching a charge toValiant from its bilge keels was difficult and the crew dropped the explosive onto the sea bed about 15 ft (4.6 m) below the ship. Marceglia and Schergat, planting their bomb 5 ft (1.5 m) beneath the keel ofQueen Elizabeth, found it much easier and suspended the charge from the bilge keels as planned. Themaiali crew who attackedValiant were discovered holding on to the mooring buoy but gave nothing away when questioned.[7]
The prisoners were assumed to have already planted a bomb and were detained in a room near the bottom of the ship. At5:47 a.m. an explosion under the rear of the tankerSagona (7,554GRT) did severe damage to the ship and to the destroyerJervis oiling alongside. At5:50 a.m. one of the prisoners onValiant asked to see the captain and told him that the ship was going to blow up and fifteen minutes later there was an explosion underValiant's fore turrets. Four minutes after the explosion underValiant there was another explosion, this time underQueen Elizabeth, near its boiler rooms. There were eight casualties and the battleships were put out of action. The crews of the other twomaiali got ashore and tried to reach the submarineZaffiro, due to meet them offRosetta but were captured over the next 48 hours.[8][a]
Where the Italian fleet had failed, six sailors had succeeded.[10][b] In 1957 the Italian historian and AdmiralMarcantonio Bragadin wrote,
Consequently, the Alexandria Fleet remained for many months without any battleships, and it was forced to abandon any further open activity. In fact, Admiral Cunningham wrote that his Fleet now ′should have to leave it to the Royal Air Force to try if they could dispute the control of the Central Mediterranean with the enemy's fleet.′ .... In fact, it opened a period of clear Italian naval supremacy in the east-central Mediterranean.[10]
Cunningham reported to SirDudley Pound, theFirst Lord of the Admiralty, that the result was a disaster. Cunningham wrote that it was fortunate that a junior officer suggested that ships should keep their propellers turning slowly in reverse, creating a strong enough current to frustrate a swimmer. The idea was adopted, Cunningham remarking, "It is a pity we did not think of it before". To maintain appearances, Cunningham remained on boardQueen Elizabeth keeping the usual routines going, marine bands parading, the ceremonies of the morning colours and sunset continuing.[12]
The recent loss ofHMS Ark Royal andBarham to U-boats, the sinking of much ofForce K on an Italian minefield, on top of the losses during theBattle of Crete and having to send ships to reinforce theEastern Fleet, reduced the Mediterranean Fleet to a force of light cruisers and destroyers.[13] Decodes from the Italian C 38m made it practical for the Admiralty to keep the extent of the damage toValiant andQueen Elizabeth, which was not apparent to air reconnaissance, along with the loss ofBarham until late January 1942 when a prisoner mentioned the success at Alexandria, leading to the Italians making the most of this by sailing more convoys.[14] The coup at Alexandria neutralised the main remaining capital ships of the Mediterranean Fleet at a stroke. Along with transfers to the Eastern Fleet, it meant that the only ships left at Alexandria larger than a destroyer were the cruisersHMS Naiad,Dido andEuryalus. The Italian battle fleet had four battleships operational and grounds for confidence in the future; the deception to conceal the extent of the damage ofValiant andQueen Elizabeth could not last for long.[13]
The explosive charge underValiant was under the port torpedo bulge near A turret, holing the lower bulge and blowing the hole upwards over 60 ft × 30 ft (18.3 m × 9.1 m). The internal damage was spread from the keel to the lower bulge compartments, with flooding in the double-bottom bulge, A shell room and magazine and the compartments next to it up to the lower deck. Shock caused some damage to electrical equipment and the traversing mechanism for A turret was distorted. The main and auxiliary machinery were undamaged and the ship could put to sea if necessary. As many items as possible were taken off the ship to lighten it and then it was moved toAdmiralty Floating Dock No. 5 on 21 December for temporary repairs; on 3 April 1942 she sailed toDurban for permanent repairs from 15 April to 7 July 1942.[15]
The explosion that disabledQueen Elizabeth was under B boiler room, damaging the double bottom and anti-torpedo bulges over 190 ft × 60 ft (58 m × 18 m). The floor of B boiler room and those of A and X boiler rooms, to a limited extent, were forced upwards. The boiler rooms, the forward 4.5-inch magazines, Y boiler room and many other compartments were flooded up to the main deck, damaging boilers, machinery and other electrical equipment. The main and secondary armament remained operational but hydraulic power was lost.Queen Elizabeth took electrical current from submarines moored on either side.[12] The ship was put into a floating dock for temporary repairs and then during the panic after the defeat at theBattle of Gazala (26 May – 21 June 1942)Queen Elizabeth sailed toPort Sudan in theRed Sea on 5 May. The fuel tanks were repaired and fuel taken on for a journey to the US and in mid-JulyQueen Elizabeth sailed for theNorfolk Naval Shipyard inVirginia.Queen Elizabeth underwent permanent repairs from 6 September to 1 June 1943, a period of nearly eighteen months.[15]
Sagona was towed back to England and repairs took until 1946 to be completed.Jervis required a month in dock to make repairs.[16]
