Battle of Cape Matapan

E63435

World War II battle naval battle

The Battle of Cape Matapan was a major World War II naval engagement in March 1941 in which British and Allied forces decisively defeated the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean.

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	World War II battle → naval battle →
AlliedShip	British aircraft carrier Formidable → British battleship Barham → British battleship Valiant → British battleship Warspite → British cruiser Ajax → British cruiser Gloucester → British cruiser Orion →
belligerent	Australia → Greece → Kingdom of Italy → United Kingdom →
casualties	minimal Allied ship losses → over 2,300 Italian sailors killed →
combatant	Regia Marina → Royal Australian Navy → Royal Navy →
commander	Andrew Cunningham → Angelo Iachino →
conflict	World War II →
date	1941-03-27 → 1941-03-28 → 1941-03-29 →
endDate	1941-03-29 →
ItalianShip	battleship Vittorio Veneto → heavy cruiser Fiume → heavy cruiser Pola → heavy cruiser Zara →
location	Mediterranean Sea → off Cape Matapan → off the coast of Greece →
notableFeature	first major use of shipborne radar in a Mediterranean naval battle →
objective	to disrupt Italian naval operations in the eastern Mediterranean →
partOf	Mediterranean Theater of World War II →
precededBy	Battle of Taranto →
result	decisive Allied victory →
shipSunk	Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto (damaged, not sunk) → Italian destroyer Alfieri → Italian destroyer Carducci → Italian destroyer Gioberti (damaged) → Italian destroyer Oriani (damaged) → Italian heavy cruiser Fiume → Italian heavy cruiser Pola → Italian heavy cruiser Zara →
significance	secured Allied naval superiority in the eastern Mediterranean in 1941 → weakened the Italian battle fleet in the Mediterranean →
startDate	1941-03-27 →
strategy	use of radar-directed night engagement by the Royal Navy →
supportedBy	Fleet Air Arm → Royal Air Force →

Referenced by (9)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
HMS Kimberley → Philip Vian → Philip Vian →	participatedIn
HMS Warspite → Mediterranean Fleet →	notableEngagement
Battle of Cape Spartivento →	followedBy
World War II battles →	hasNotableBattle
Andrew Cunningham →	notableEvent
Philip Vian →	notableFor