splashg32
24-03-2009, 16:10
As it's nearly always the large naval sea battles that grab headlines, I thought I'd post a small but significant one.
The battle of the Ligurian Sea, 18th March 1945
Germany fought her final surface naval battle of the war involving large warships in the Gulf of Genoa. Her ships were engaged in an offensive mine laying operation, the same mission that led to her first battle against the British navy in the North Sea 60 months before.
The following is a brief account of the last destroyer action by the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during ww2.
Time: 0300 - 0420
Type: Interception
Weather: Rain squalls and lightning through to clear calm.
Visibility: Moon 21 percent, set 0002
Surprise: None
Mission: Allied – patrol and sea security: German offensive mine laying
Ships involved.
British: Meteor and Lookout
German: TA24 – TA29 – TA32
On the night of 17 – 18 March 1945 the last three operational ships of the German 10th flotilla conducted an offensive mine laying operation northeast of Corsica. Sailing out of Genoa, TA24 and TA29 successfully laid 56 mines south of Gorgona Island while TA32 placed 76 mines in another field north of Cape Corse. The flotilla then reunited in line for the return to Genoa. They were about twenty miles north of Cape Corse when Allied shore radar at Livorno detected their presence. Four Allied destroyers were patrolling in the area, the French Basque and Tempete and the British Meteor and Lookout. By 0145 all but Meteor had received Liverno’s enemy report.
The senior officer, Captain Morazzani aboard Tempete ordered the British ships to intercept the intruders while he led the older and slower French destroyers southeast to cover a convoy nearing Cape Corse, believing the Germans might double back in that direction. Lookout advised Meteor via TBS what was afoot and the British ships shaped separate courses northeast at full speed. By the time Captain Morazzani determined the Germans were no threat to the convoy, he was too far away to join the action.
Lookout established radar contact with the enemy at 0301. The German ships were sailing at twenty knots just west of north. The British destroyer approached at high speed from ahead and opened fire at 0310 from about five thousand yards. Two minutes later she swung around on a heading similar to the Germans and launched torpedoes. This unexpected attack completely disrupted the German formation. Lookout’s radar-directed guns quickly scored hits on TA24 and TA29. TA29 dropped out of the line while the other two ships fled north. Lookout let them go to concentrate on the crippled TA29. Lookout circled TA29 firing continuously from as close as two thousand yards. TA29 fought back, her gunners near missing the destroyer numerous times, but the only damage she inflicted on Lookout occurred when a burst of 20-mm shells hit some smoke floats and ignited a small fire. TA29 didn’t sink until 0420 hours after being hit more than forty times. Fortunately she only lost twenty men despite the intensity of Lookout’s bombardment.
Meteor, meanwhile, altered course at 0328 to close the engagement. At 0352 she made radar contact from twelve thousand three hundred yards on the other two German ships fleeing north. Approaching, she opened fire at eight thousand yards and hit TA24 almost immediately. She launched a salvo of torpedoes a few minutes later with one hitting its target. TA24 exploded and sank at 0405 hours. She lost thirty men. In just thirteen minutes Meteor had developed her contact, fired guns and torpedoes and sunk her opponent.
TA32 participated briefly but although damaged made good her escape, she was scuttled by her own crew at Genoa on 25th April 1945.
244 survivors from TA24 and TA29 were picked up from boats and rafts later that day.
The battle of the Ligurian Sea, 18th March 1945
Germany fought her final surface naval battle of the war involving large warships in the Gulf of Genoa. Her ships were engaged in an offensive mine laying operation, the same mission that led to her first battle against the British navy in the North Sea 60 months before.
The following is a brief account of the last destroyer action by the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during ww2.
Time: 0300 - 0420
Type: Interception
Weather: Rain squalls and lightning through to clear calm.
Visibility: Moon 21 percent, set 0002
Surprise: None
Mission: Allied – patrol and sea security: German offensive mine laying
Ships involved.
British: Meteor and Lookout
German: TA24 – TA29 – TA32
On the night of 17 – 18 March 1945 the last three operational ships of the German 10th flotilla conducted an offensive mine laying operation northeast of Corsica. Sailing out of Genoa, TA24 and TA29 successfully laid 56 mines south of Gorgona Island while TA32 placed 76 mines in another field north of Cape Corse. The flotilla then reunited in line for the return to Genoa. They were about twenty miles north of Cape Corse when Allied shore radar at Livorno detected their presence. Four Allied destroyers were patrolling in the area, the French Basque and Tempete and the British Meteor and Lookout. By 0145 all but Meteor had received Liverno’s enemy report.
The senior officer, Captain Morazzani aboard Tempete ordered the British ships to intercept the intruders while he led the older and slower French destroyers southeast to cover a convoy nearing Cape Corse, believing the Germans might double back in that direction. Lookout advised Meteor via TBS what was afoot and the British ships shaped separate courses northeast at full speed. By the time Captain Morazzani determined the Germans were no threat to the convoy, he was too far away to join the action.
Lookout established radar contact with the enemy at 0301. The German ships were sailing at twenty knots just west of north. The British destroyer approached at high speed from ahead and opened fire at 0310 from about five thousand yards. Two minutes later she swung around on a heading similar to the Germans and launched torpedoes. This unexpected attack completely disrupted the German formation. Lookout’s radar-directed guns quickly scored hits on TA24 and TA29. TA29 dropped out of the line while the other two ships fled north. Lookout let them go to concentrate on the crippled TA29. Lookout circled TA29 firing continuously from as close as two thousand yards. TA29 fought back, her gunners near missing the destroyer numerous times, but the only damage she inflicted on Lookout occurred when a burst of 20-mm shells hit some smoke floats and ignited a small fire. TA29 didn’t sink until 0420 hours after being hit more than forty times. Fortunately she only lost twenty men despite the intensity of Lookout’s bombardment.
Meteor, meanwhile, altered course at 0328 to close the engagement. At 0352 she made radar contact from twelve thousand three hundred yards on the other two German ships fleeing north. Approaching, she opened fire at eight thousand yards and hit TA24 almost immediately. She launched a salvo of torpedoes a few minutes later with one hitting its target. TA24 exploded and sank at 0405 hours. She lost thirty men. In just thirteen minutes Meteor had developed her contact, fired guns and torpedoes and sunk her opponent.
TA32 participated briefly but although damaged made good her escape, she was scuttled by her own crew at Genoa on 25th April 1945.
244 survivors from TA24 and TA29 were picked up from boats and rafts later that day.