British/Commonwealth Cruiser vs Italian Cruiser

The Mediterranean 1940–43

Angus Konstam, Ian Palmer

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781472849687
• eBook ISBN: 9781472849694
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Storia
• Subtopic: Storia italiana

This illustrated history explores the cruiser forces of the Italian and British Royal navies, the jack-of-all trades warships of the Mediterranean Naval War.

In 1940, when Italy entered World War II, the Royal Navy was badly overstretched, and its Mediterranean Fleet had to face both the Italian Navy and the German and Italian Air Forces in a battle for supremacy. Although the British and Italian battle fleets squared off against each other, they were both often held in reserve, in case the enemy fleet put to sea. So, it was left to the cruisers to wage their own naval war in the Mediterranean. This involved a range of missions, from escorting convoys and hunting enemy ones, to fighting for control of the sea around key locations such as the waters off Malta and Crete.

This superbly illustrated study, written by renowned naval expert Angus Konstam, compares and contrasts the design, weapon technologies and combat performance of the opposing cruiser forces. It also documents several major clashes between British, Commonwealth and Italian cruisers, including spirited actions fought off Cape Spada in 1940, a string of actions in the Gulf of Sirte throughout 1941, battles against Axis convoys in 1941–42, and the Battle of Pantelleria in 1942. Among the subjects of the specially commissioned colour artworks are HMAS Sydney, HMS Naiad, RM Trento and RM Raimondo Montecuccoli.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

THE BRITISH CRUISER FLEET

During World War I, Britain concentrated on building small light cruisers armed with 6in. guns, designed primarily for operations in the North Sea. A total of 44 of these warships were built during the war, and many of these would still be in service in 1940. The best of them, and those which survived the interwar years, were the so-called C-class cruisers, which were actually a group of similarly designed cruisers divided into several smaller classes (Caledon, Ceres and Carlisle), as well as the D-class cruisers which entered service during the closing months of World War I. The two E-class cruisers laid down at the same time didn’t enter service until 1926.

By then though, Britain had already begun building a class of three larger Hawkins-class cruisers, designed for ocean cruising, and armed with 7.5in. guns. While these weren’t particularly innovative ships, their construction had an influence on the disarmament negotiations, which led to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Effectively, these large, well-armed cruisers led to their accommodation in the treaty ceiling for cruisers, of a 10,000-ton displacement and a maximum gun calibre of 8in. From that point on, until 1930, all British interwar cruisers would be built to conform to this ceiling. Also, as the treaty never specified a maximum number of these large cruisers, the major naval powers embarked on what was essentially a cruiser race.

Concerns about the sustainability of this race led to a call for further international discussions. The result was the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which not only limited the number of cruisers each maritime power could have, but also recognized two different types of cruiser. The 8in. ‘treaty cruisers’ built to conform to the Washington treaty limits formed one category, which unofficially came to be labelled the ‘heavy cruisers’. These were now distinct from cruisers with a gun calibre of up to 6.1in., which became known as ‘light cruisers’. So, Britain’s wartime C, D and E classes were now deemed light cruisers, while the Hawkins class, with their 7.5.in guns, became heavy cruisers. From that point on, Britain’s naval shipbuilding programme concentrated on the production of light cruisers, which gradually came to outnumber the heavy cruisers in the fleet.

THE HEAVY CRUISERS

During the war, the three Hawkins-class cruisers were ordered to counter the threat posed by German ocean raiders. However, all but one of them entered service after the war was over. Even then, the first of these, Cavendish, was converted into the aircraft carrier Vindictive while still under construction. She would eventually be rebuilt as a cruiser. These were long, elegant ships, carrying their 7.5in. guns in seven single mounts. Their armoured belt was up to 3in. thick, which gave them a modicum of protection, but they could only make just under 30 knots. When the war began in September 1939 Hawkins, Frobisher and Effingham were still in service, albeit held in the mothballed reserve fleet. Although all three were brought int...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Chronology
• Design and Development
• The Strategic Situation
• Technical Specifications
• The Combatants
• Combat
• Analysis
• Aftermath
• Bibliography
• eCopyright