First Battle of Sirte

The First Battle of Sirte was fought between forces of the British Mediterranean Fleet and the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War. The engagement took place on 17 December 1941, south-east of Malta, in the Gulf of Sirte. It was tactically inconclusive as both forces were limited by the strategic goal of protecting a convoy of their own and as such, neither were looking to force battle.

For other uses, see Battle of Sirte.

First Battle of Sirte
Part of the Battle of the Mediterranean of the Second World War

Italian battleship Andrea Doria, 31 December 1939
Date17 December 1941
Location
Gulf of Sidra, Mediterranean Sea
34°8′4″N 17°57′5″E
Result Indecisive
Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 Australia
Netherlands		  Italy
Commanders and leaders
Andrew Cunningham
Philip Vian		 Angelo Iachino
Guido Porzio Giovanola
Strength
5 light cruisers
14 destroyers		 4 battleships
2 heavy cruisers
3 light cruisers
13 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 killed
2 destroyers damaged		 None

In the following days, two Royal Navy forces based at Malta ran into the Italian Minefield T off Tripoli and two British battleships were disabled by Italian manned torpedoes at Alexandria. By the end of December, the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean had shifted in favour of the Italian Fleet.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.