Battle of the Messina Convoy
1943 naval battle
37°53′59″N 15°58′7.10″E / 37.89972°N 15.9686389°E / 37.89972; 15.9686389
United Kingdom
Greece
Italy Captain A. F. Pugsley Georgios Blessas Marino Fasan †Vasilissa Olga
1 Wellington bomber
2 steamers
2 steamers damaged
- v
- t
- e
Battle of the Mediterranean
1940
- Vado
- Malta
- Club Run¹
- Espero ¹²
- Mers-el-Kébir
- Calabria¹²
- Cape Spada
- Hurry ¹
- Cape Passero¹
- MB8 ¹
- Taranto
- Otranto²
- White ¹
- Cape Spartivento¹
1941
- Excess ¹
- Convoy AN 14¹
- Genoa
- Abstention
- Souda Bay
- Matapan
- Tarigo ²
- Crete ²
- Substance ¹
- Grand Harbour
- Halberd ¹
- Duisburg ²
- Bon²
- 1st Sirte¹²
- Alexandria
1942
- 2nd Sirte¹
- Calendar ¹
- Bowery ¹
- Albumen
- Harpoon ¹
- Vigorous ¹
- Pedestal ¹
- Agreement
- Torch
- Stoneage ¹
- Toulon
- Portcullis ¹
- Skerki²
- Olterra¹
- Algiers¹
1943
- Zuwarah
- Cigno ²
- Campobasso ²
- Pantelleria
- Sicily
- Gela
- Scylla ²
- Messina convoy²
- Bastia
- Strait of Bonifacio
- Dodecanese
- Cape Bougaroun¹
1944
1945
¹ — Involved an Allied convoy or delivery mission
² — Involved an Axis convoy or delivery mission
² — Involved an Axis convoy or delivery mission
The Battle of the Messina Convoy was a night naval action fought on 2 June 1943 off Cape Spartivento, Calabria, between an Allied flotilla composed of the British destroyer HMS Jervis and the Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga and an Italian convoy escorted by the Spica-class torpedo boat Castore. The escort was repeatedly hit and sunk, but the convoy managed to slip away unscathed or with minor damage according to different sources.
Battle
On 2 June, during the preparatory stages of Operation Corkscrew (the Allied invasion of the Italian island of Pantelleria), the British destroyer HMS Jervis captained by Anthony Follett Pugsley and the Greek destroyer Queen Olga under Lieutenant Commander Georgios Blessas was carrying out a night search along the Gulf of Squillace. They soon found a small two-steamer convoy escorted by the Italian torpedo boat Castore at approximately 1:45 am. Supported by a Wellington bomber which dropped flares on the target, the Allied units engaged the Italian steamers Vragnizza (1592 GRT) and Postumia (595 GRT), which were carrying supplies and ammunitions. The destroyers lost track of the convoy after the intervention of the escort, Castore which laid smoke and returned fire. She was disabled and sank before sunrise, but her counterattack allowed the steamers to limp away. Vragnizza and Postumia, both damaged during the action managed to reach Messina at 16:30 (4:30 pm).[1][2][3]
References
- ^ "RHS Vasilissa Olga (D 15) of the Royal Hellenic Navy - Greek Destroyer of the Vasilefs Georgios class – Allied Warships of WWII – uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
- ^ O'Hara, Vincent (2013). Struggle for the Middle Sea. Naval Institute Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-1612514086.
- ^ "HMS Jervis (F 00) - Destroyer of the J class". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
