Battle of Cape Spada

E73895

The Battle of Cape Spada was a World War II naval engagement in July 1940 near Crete, in which Allied destroyers and cruisers ambushed and defeated an Italian cruiser force in the Mediterranean.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Battle of Cape Spada canonical 5

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
naval battle
alsoKnownAs Action off Cape Spada
belligerent Italian Navy
surface form: Regia Marina

Royal Australian Navy
Royal Navy
campaign Battle of the Mediterranean
surface form: Mediterranean naval campaign of World War II
casualties significant Italian casualties
combatType surface ship action
commander Ferdinando Casardi
John Collins
conflict World War II
countryInvolved Australia
Kingdom of Italy
United Kingdom
date 19 July 1940
followedBy subsequent Allied operations against Italian shipping in the Aegean
location Mediterranean Sea
off Cape Spada, Crete
navalForceType light cruisers and destroyers
near Crete
notableFor destruction of a modern Italian light cruiser
successful Allied cruiser–destroyer cooperation
outcome Bartolomeo Colleoni sunk
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere damaged
partOf Battle of the Mediterranean
surface form: Mediterranean theatre of World War II
precededBy early Mediterranean naval skirmishes of 1940
primaryAlliedCruiser HMAS Sydney
primaryItalianCruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
region Aegean Sea
surface form: Aegean Sea area
result Allied victory
shipInvolved HMAS Sydney
HMS Havock
surface form: HMS Hasty

HMS Havock
HMS Hero
HMS Hyperion
HMS Ilex
Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni
Italian cruiser Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
strategicEffect demonstrated Allied naval superiority in Eastern Mediterranean
tacticalFeature cruiser HMAS Sydney delivered decisive gunfire
use of destroyers to shadow and engage
tacticalSituation Allied force ambushed Italian cruisers
theatre Eastern Mediterranean
timeOfDay morning engagement
year 1940

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

HMS Kimberley participatedIn Battle of Cape Spada
John Collins participatedIn Battle of Cape Spada
HMAS Sydney battle Battle of Cape Spada
subject surface form: HMAS Sydney (D48)
Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni battle Battle of Cape Spada
Bartolomeo Colleoni sunkIn Battle of Cape Spada
subject surface form: Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni