View source for Battle of the Messina Convoy

{{Use British English|date=August 2024}}
{{Short description|1943 naval battle}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of the Messina Convoy
| partof            = the [[Battle of the Mediterranean]] in the [[Second World War]]
| place             = Cape Spartivento on the [[Calabria]]n coast
| coordinates       =
| image             = {{Location map many | Italy Calabria
| width = 260
| relief= yes
| float = center
|label         = Gulf of Squillace
  |link          = Gulf of Squillace
  |mark          = Blue pog.svg
  |coordinates = {{Coord|38.7500|N|16.8400|E|source:wikidata}}
| label2 = Battle
  | pos2 = left
  | bg2 = #fff8
  | mark2 = Battle icon gladii.svg
  | coordinates2 = {{coord|37|53|59|N|15|58|7|E|display=title|region:IT_type:waterbody}}
| label3 = Cape Spartivento
  | coordinates3 = {{coord|37|55|27|N|16|03|33|E}}
}}
| image_size        =
| caption           =
| result            = Inconclusive
| combatant1        = {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece|state}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Fascist Italy (1922–1943)}}
| date              = Night 1/2 June 1943
| commander1        = [[Tony Pugsley]]<br />[[Georgios Blessas]]
| commander2        = [[Marino Fasan]]{{KIA}}
| strength1         = {{HMS|Jervis||6}}<br />{{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilissa Olga||2}}<br />1 [[Vickers Wellington|Wellington]] bomber
| strength2         = {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Castore||2}}<br />Freighters:<br />''Postumia''<br />''Vragnizza''
| casualties1       =
| casualties2       = ''Castore'' sunk<br />2 freighters damaged
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Mediterranean Campaign}}
}}

The '''Battle of the Messina Convoy''' was a naval action fought on the night of 1/2 June 1943 off the [[Calabria]]n coast, near Cape Spartivento, between the Allied destroyers {{HMS|Jervis||6}} and {{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilissa Olga|up=yes}} of the [[14th Destroyer Flotilla]] and an Italian convoy of the merchant ships ''Vragnizza'' and ''Postumia'' escorted by the {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Castore||up=yes}}. The merchant ships managed to slip away but ''Castore'', sank a couple of hours after the engagement.

On the fast return of the destroyers towards [[Malta]], to get inside the range of Allied fighter cover, ''Vaasilissa Olga'' suffered a mechanical failure and was stopped for an hour while effecting repairs but the destroyers returned undamaged. The merchant ships, ''Castore'' and another torpedo boat (which was not present) were claimed sunk.

==Background==
===Italian coastal traffic===
Despite the defeat in North Africa, Italian coastal and island traffic retained its importance, against which, the [[Royal Navy]] conducted offensive operations, assisted by signals intelligence derived from code breaking. The British learned from decrypts that a convoy was at sea, sailing from [[Taranto]] to [[Messina]].{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|p=213}}

===Allied naval operations===

{{main|Operation Corkscrew}}

Naval preparations for the Allied invasion of the Italian island of [[Pantelleria]] had begun with bombardments on 12 to 13 May by {{HMS|Orion|85|6}} which it repeated on 31 May with the destroyers {{HMS|Petard|G56|6}} and {{HMS|Troubridge|R00|2}}. On 1 June, {{HMS|Penelope|97|2}} and the destroyers {{HMS|Paladin|G69|2}} and ''Petard'', repeated the bombardment, ''Penelope'' being damaged by Italian coastal guns.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=253}} On 1 June, the British destroyer {{HMS|Jervis||6}} (Captain [[Anthony Pugsley]]) and the {{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilissa Olga|up=yes}} ( Lieutenant-Commander [[Georgios Blessas]]) of the [[14th Destroyer Flotilla]] sailed from [[Malta]]. Not long after their departure, Pugsley, who was not aware of [[Ultra (cryptography)|Ultra]], the British code-breaking effort, received a signal that a southbound convoy was moving off the foot of Italy ([[Calabria]]). After checking the distance, Pugsley decided that there was just enough time to attack the convoy and get close enough to Malta by dawn to benefit from air cover.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=213–214}}

== Battle ==
On the night of 1/2 June,clear with calm seas, the destroyers carried out a night search along the [[Gulf of Squillace]] by sailing to the furthest position that the convoy could have reached and turning on to a reciprocal course. At {{nowrap|1:34 a.m.}} off Cape Spartivento they found two small merchant ships (carrying supplies and munitions) and turned to close the range. An ASV [[Vickers Wellington|Wellington]] bomber dropped flares when instructed. The Allied destroyers engaged at {{cvt|2000|yd}} the Italian freighter ''Vragnizza'' ({{GRT|1,592}}) with their [[QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII naval gun|4.7-inch guns]], seeing a 'dull red glow'. After the eighth salvo, the destroyers shifted aim to ''Postumia'' (595 GRT). The escort vessel, {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Castore||2}} (Lieutenant-Commander [[Marino Fasan]]), which had been ahead of the merchantmen, turned back to protect the ships, its first shells passing over the two destroyers. ''Jervis'' changed target and claimed hits with its first salvo and ''Castore'' laid smoke and turned away. The destroyers sailed into the smoke and continued until {{cvt|1|nmi}} off shore but lost contact with the convoy. The Wellington continued to drop flares and Pugsley saw ''Castore'' turning to bring its torpedoes to bear. ''Jervis'', followed by ''Vasilissa Olga'', turned onto the opposite course and hit ''Castore'' at the stern with gunfire, damaging its steering gear, the ship sinking at {{nowrap|3:15 a.m.}}{{sfnm|1a1=O'Hara|1y=2009|1p=214|2a1=Brown|2y=1995|2p=86}}

==Aftermath==
===Analysis===
[[File:Cassiopea-RM.jpg|thumb|{{center|''Cassiopea'', another example of a Spica-class torpedo boat}}]]
''Jervis'' fired 142 rounds of 4.7-inch ammunition and a torpedo during the action. As the destroyers sped back to Malta, ''Vasilissa Olga'' had engine-trouble and came to a stop for an hour for boiler repairs but both ships reached Malta safely at {{nowrap|2:35 p.m.}} on 2 June. The destroyers claimed the merchant ships and another escort, a torpedo boat X137, along with ''Castore'' but this was a mistake, there was no second escort. The freighters, albeit damaged, reached Messina.{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|pp=214, 290}}

===Subsequent operations===
On the night of 2/3 June, ''Orion'', ''Paladin'' and ''Troubridge'' continued the bombardment campaign against Pantellaria, followed on 3 June by the destroyers {{HMS|Ilex||6}} and {{HMS|Isis|D87|2}}. On 5 June the cruiser {{HMS|Newfoundland|59|6}} and the destroyers ''Paladin'' and ''Troubridge'' bombarded the island, followed by the cruisers {{HMS|Aurora|12|6}}, {{HMS|Euryalus|42|2}}, ''Newfoundland'', ''Orion'' and ''Penelope'' with the destroyers ''Jervis'', {{HMS|Laforey|G99|2}}, {{HMS|Lookout|G32|2}}, {{HMS|Loyal|G15|2}}, {{HMS|Nubian|F36|2}}, {{HMS|Tartar|F43|2}}, ''Troubridge'' and {{HMS|Whaddon|L45|2}} with the [[Motor torpedo boat]]s MTB 73, MTB 77 and MTB 84. The naval bombardments and the dropping of {{cvt|6200|LT}} of bombs by the Allied air forces led to the landing by troops of the [[1st (United Kingdom) Division|1st Division]] being unopposed.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|2005|p=253}}

==Ships involved==
===Allied ships===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+14th Destroyer Flotilla{{sfn|O'Hara|2009|p=213}}
! scope="col" width="110px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="100px"  |Flag
! scope="col" width="160px"   |Type
! |Notes
|-
|align="left"|{{HMS|Jervis||6}}
|align="left"|{{navy|UKGBI}}
|align="left"|[[J-, K- and N-class destroyer|J-class destroyer]]
|align="left"|
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Greek destroyer|Vasilissa Olga||2}}
|align="left"|{{navy|Greece}}
|align="left"|[[G and H-class destroyer#Royal Hellenic Navy ships|G- and H-class destroyer]]
|align="left"|
|-
|}
{{clear}}

===Italian ships===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+Messina Convoy{{sfnm|1a1=O'Hara|1y=2009|1p=214|2a1=Brown|2y=1995|2p=86}}
! scope="col" width="120px"  |Name
! scope="col" width="120px"  |Flag
! scope="col" width="130px"   |Type
! |Notes
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Castore||2}}
|align="left"|{{flag|Kingdom of Italy|23px}}
|align="left"|{{sclass|Spica|torpedo boat}}
|align="left"|Sunk
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian ship|Postumia||2|up=yes}} ({{GRT|595}})
|align="left"|[[File:Flag of Italy (1861–1946).svg|23px]] Merchant Navy
|align="left"|Merchant ship
|align="right"|Damaged
|-
|align="left"|{{ship|Italian ship|Vragnizza||2|up=yes}} ({{GRT|1,592}})
|align="left"|[[File:Flag of Italy (1861–1946).svg|23px]] Merchant Navy
|align="left"|Merchant ship
|align="right"|Damaged
|-
|}

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=David |title=Warship Losses of World War Two |year=1995 |orig-year=1990 |publisher=Arms and Armour Press |location=London |edition=2nd rev. |isbn=978-1-85409-278-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=O'Hara |first1=Vincent P. |title=Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945 |year=2009 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |isbn=978-1-61251-408-6}}
* {{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 Publishing |location=London |edition=3rd rev. |isbn=1-86176-257-7}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |ref={{harvid|Molony|2004}}|last1=Molony |first1=C. J. C. |last2=Flynn |first2=F. C. |last3=Davies |first3=H. L. |author-link3=Henry Rodolph Davies |last4=Gleave |first4=T. P. |author-link4=Tom Gleave |series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom, Military Series |title=The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy, 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944 |volume=V |year=2004 |orig-year=1973 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |edition=Facs. pbk. Naval & Military Press, Uckfield |isbn=978-1-84574-069-6}}

{{World War II}}

[[Category:1943 in Italy]]
[[Category:June 1943 events]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1943]]
[[Category:Mediterranean convoys of World War II]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Italy]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Naval battles involving Greece]]