HMS Ajax: How a lone British Cruiser destroyed an entire Italian Squadron, 1940 (Documentary)

Late one October night in

1940

, aboard the Alcione, a sailor strained his eyes in the moonlit darkness. Tension gripped the crew as they approached the lurking British

cruiser

Ajax. In the heart of the torpedo room, the sailor's hands moved with calculated urgency, preparing the torpedo tubes. The metallic jingles echoed like an ominous heartbeat. While the crew held their breath, the torpedoes were moved into position. The Battle of Cape Passero was about to begin... In the summer of

1940

, the Mediterranean theater witnessed a dynamic interplay of naval engagements and logistical challenges that left an indelible mark on the Second World War.

British aerial bombardments, although routine over Tobruk, had limited success, while torpedo planes emerged as a potent force, sinking merchant ships and annihilating the

entire

Italian destroyer

squadron

at Tobruk in July. As July progressed, increasing convoy traffic to Libya forced the Italian Navy to adapt its plans, requiring the permanent assignment of numerous naval assets to the region. August brought the deployment of the technologically advanced battleships Littorio and Vittorio Veneto, along with successful minelaying operations in the Sicilian Channel. The battleships, commissioned in August 1940, represented the pinnacle of Italian naval engineering during World War II. Recognized for their advanced design and technical innovations, these vessels were considered among the best battleships globally at the time, not only for their firepower but also for their meticulous resolution of numerous engineering challenges, solidifying their reputation as formidable assets in the arsenal of the Italian Navy.

At the same time, British air force reinforcements in the Mediterranean intensified bombing, prompting urgent measures to fortify Libyan ports against air raids. The British also sent convoys from Alexandria to resupply Malta, their Mediterranean stronghold. Amid increased shipping traffic to Tunisia and the suspension of Libyan convoy shipments, an unexpected report on October 11 revealed British battleships and aircraft carriers near Malta. Supermarina, skeptical but alert, quickly deployed a night patrol led by Captain Carlo Margottini, underscoring the urgency of verifying the reported British naval presence. The mission involved the Soldati-class destroyers Artigliere, Aviere, Geniere, Camicia Nera and the Spica-class torpedo boats Airone, Alcione and Ariel.

Soldati-class destroyers and Spica-class torpedo boats were integral components of the Royal Italian Navy during the war. The Soldati class, with a displacement of around 2,500 tons, featured a powerful combination of armament, including four 120 mm guns, anti-aircraft guns and torpedo tubes. These destroyers, known for their agility, reached a maximum speed of 38 knots. The Spica-class torpedo boats, lighter at approximately 680 tons, were famous for their fast and stealthy nature. Armed with torpedoes and anti-submarine weapons, they reached speeds of up to 34 knots. Meanwhile, the British convoy returning to Malta, led by HMS Ajax, had set sail at 10:30 p.m. Displacing 7,270 standard tons and 9,740 tons fully loaded, Ajax had eight 6-inch guns, four 4-inch guns, 12 .50 Vickers machine guns, and eight 21-inch torpedo tubes.

Ajax was a famous ship. Months earlier, she played a crucial role in the Battle of the Río de la Plata. As part of the South American Division of the British Royal Navy, Ajax, along with Exeter and Achilles, engaged the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee on 13 December 1939. The relentless pursuit of the British ships forced the Graf Spee to enter the port of Montevideo, where he was located. She was eventually sunk by her own crew. This victory marked the Allies' first naval success in the Atlantic, raised morale, and showed the effectiveness of coordinated naval operations against powerful adversaries early in the war.

Located to the south of the island, the main body of the Mediterranean Fleet awaited events, while the 7th Cruiser Squadron established an extended scouting line to the northeast of the fleet. At one-thirty, Alcyone spotted Ajax in the moonlight twelve miles off her port bow, prompting a request for help and a turn southwest toward the enemy. Ten minutes later, Airone under the command of Lieutenant Alberto Banfi and Ariel detected the

cruiser

, prompting her captain to order a coordinated torpedo attack. However, the remaining destroyers of 11th Squadron had not yet responded to contact and were continuing their sweep westward at this time.

Just before 2 a.m. m., Ajax's lookouts reported two unidentified ships in her bow, later identified as Airone to port and Ariel to starboard. Alcyone approached undetected and launched two torpedoes from 2,000 meters, aiming at the cruiser's port beam. Simultaneously, Airone and Ariel fired torpedoes from different angles, setting five torpedoes on course toward the British warship. Due to Ajax's immediate alteration in speed and course change, along with miscalculations in assessing the cruiser's speed and course of the Italians, all torpedoes missed her target. The confrontation intensified when Airone approached, launching another torpedo from a thousand meters, accompanied by a volley of gunfire.

He scored at least seven direct goals against Ajax. The British cruiser did not open fire until Airone fired her fourth salvo. Ajax then unleashed her main weapons against Ariel and her 4-inch weapons against Airone. As Airone continued to approach, Ajax maneuvered to open fire with previously unused weapons. With the approach and Ajax adjusting to a course parallel to Airone's stern, the torpedo boat faced a grim fate. Her captain, Commander Banfi, ordered a smoke screen in an attempt to retreat. However, Ajax's broadside hit the Airone, causing significant damage and starting a substantial fire. At point-blank range, Ajax deployed machine guns against the drifting ship, while two torpedoes were launched back at Airone, which missed their target but proved inconsequential as the Italian flagship succumbed to the flames that engulfed her.

Ariel succumbed to the attack. Direct hits from the Ajax at close range left the destroyer motionless in the water, sinking rapidly, and her captain and her senior officers perished with the ship. All this happened in just a few minutes. Alcyone was still sailing towards the action as the Ajax drifted away and the Ariel sank. Meanwhile, to the south, shortly before 2 a.m., Geniere of the 11th Destroyer Squadron altered course to the northwest, followed a minute later by Aviere, turning north. Aviere spotted Ajax fifteen minutes later, closing the distance from eight thousand meters, initiating a salvo while attempting to launch torpedoes.

The low moon behind the Italian destroyer inadvertently facilitated the British cruiser's precise aiming. A 6-inch projectile hit Aviere's saddle and another penetrated her helmet, causing a significant flood. Within five minutes, Aviere staggered to starboard and lost contact two minutes later. The Aviere, a flaming and battered mess, withdrew from the battle. Geniere, spotting Ajax just minutes after she incapacitated Aviere as the cruiser headed south, unleashed a few volleys falling aft before retreating. He accompanied the battered Aviere back to port. Meanwhile, to the north, Alcyone discovered the absence of the enemy, the sinking Airone and the sunken Ariel.

The unharmed destroyer arrived at a place where scrap metal and oil were burning, with Italian sailors floating in the dark waters. After briefly probing south, Alcione returned to rescue 125 crew members from the Ariel and Airone. He deployed his boats to save the lucky few. Banfi decided to go down with his boat and stay with those who could not be rescued. The Airone succumbed to the depths at three-thirty in the morning. Artigliere, commanded by Captain Carlo Margottini, had also changed course north at two in the morning, traveling almost eight miles at full speed when, thirty minutes later, geysers exploded around them. .

Ajax, hidden in the glow of the moon just a few thousand meters to the northeast, began firing. Artigliere retaliated by launching a torpedo before a 6-inch salvo devastated her bridge, mortally wounding Margottini. Another bullet caused a major fire after detonating ammunition prepared for the bow. The Ajax's impacts managed to annihilate all the officers on board, except for the chief engineer. As the Ajax passed, Artigliere responded with four shells, damaging the cruiser's compass bridge and disabling a 4-inch mount and radar. Three bullets subsequently hit the Artigliere's forward engine room and a fourth pierced the central boiler. Abandoned, adrift and on fire, Artigliere was left behind as Ajax turned to port at a quarter to three.

Just as the Ajax turned, Camicia Nera, positioned as the southernmost destroyer, spotted the Ajax approximately five thousand meters to the northwest. The moon, which remained near the western horizon, provided advantageous illumination for Camicia Nera. She opened fire. In the exchange that followed, both the destroyer and the British cruiser exchanged a few salvos, albeit ineffective ones. The Ajax, which lacked flashless gunpowder, saw her crew's night vision compromised by the repeated barrages. From Ajax's perspective, Camicia Nera looked like a cruise ship. As the perceived adversary disappeared in what appeared to be a smokescreen, Ajax took the opportunity to alter course to the southwest in an attempt to rendezvous with the rest of the 7th Cruiser Squadron.

In pursuit of her, the Italian ship turned west-southwest, followed by a turn to the west a few minutes later. Crossing Ajax's wake on a divergent course, Camicia Nera was unable to reestablish contact. As the Camicia Nera continued the chase, Artigliere faced arduous damage control efforts that successfully extinguished the fires and a boiler was returned to operation. However, lack of boiler feedwater stopped her again an hour later. At 5 a.m., Camicia Nera returned to tow the damaged destroyer, but a British seaplane reported her presence. Rescue efforts lasted hours, allowing the British to send a response. The heavy cruiser York and the light cruisers Gloucester and Liverpool appeared on the horizon at a quarter to 9, forcing Camicia Nera to abandon tow and retreat.

British aircraft bombed the disabled ship, while York torpedoed the Artigliere five minutes later, after multiple attempts to hit the drifting target with deliberate 8-inch shots. The destroyer descended into the depths of the ocean engulfed in flames. In total, only the Airone and the Ariel managed to land some hits on the Ajax, but neither ship managed to immobilize it. By contrast, the Italians lost one destroyer and two escorts, and another destroyer was severely damaged. In total, they lost 325 men. Lieutenant Banfi, despite his heroic sacrifice to remain on board, later resurfaced in an air bubble and was rescued against his own wishes.

In the end, the dark waters witnessed the clash, leaving Ajax battered but victorious in the moonlight showdown. The waves of the Mediterranean hid its toll: thirteen lives lost and twenty-two injured. Camicia Nera managed to escape, while the sinister masts of the heavy cruiser York and her companions faded into the horizon. Despite post-war Italian claims, Ajax's radar is said to have played no role during the battle. Older sources imply that radar was used, which explains Ajax's success through the use of it. For the Italians, the outcome of the battle was puzzling, especially since they did not know what caused the imbalance.

It was not until March 1941, at the Battle of Cape Matapan, that they learned that the British were able to use radar during combat operations. This result led Supermarina to the conclusion that they were technically inferior to the British, particularly in conducting night encounters at sea. The 11th Destroyer Squadron, which had a superior torpedo capacity, failed to concentrate its efforts; Instead, his four ships presented themselves individually, silhouetted in the moonlight, before the Ajax gunners at close range. It was a hard lesson that the Supermarine had to learn from, since the war for the Mediterranean was far from over.