We are working on the next part of the Mediterranean War and based on a request to research the Battle of Cape Matapan and see if the Italian cruiser Task Force [Built around Bolzano, Trento & Trieste, Ascari, Carabiniere, Corazziere] would have done better in this battle. Why? I asked; “Well they had more torpedoes” I was told. The answer is: not a bit of you aren’t alert. The Italian force [historically Zara, Fiume and four destroyers] was quite well equipped with torpedoes.
The issue was that when the Italian lookout reported ships closing from the Northeast at 2220 hrs., Ammiraglio di divisione Carlo Cattaneo, who seems to have been a decent commander, courageous and thoughtful, did nothing when he could have ordered battle stations and taken actions to be sure of whether the closing ships were friend or foe. That action alone could have significantly altered history.
The battleships Warspite, Valiant, and Barham, accompanied by the aircraft carrier Formidable (In front of Barham) in the battle line, were able to close to 3,800 yards (3,500 m) historically – point blank range for battleship guns – at which point they opened fire at 2228 hrs.. There were nine RN destroyers: HMS Greyhound, Griffin, Jervis, Janus, Mohawk, Nubian, Hotspur and Havock and HMAS Stuart accompanying the battleships, but were held back behind the battle line.
So what happens if the lookout's report of ships closing at 2220 is acted upon? Warspite turned and opened fire at 2228 Hrs. In the preceding seven minutes, what could the Italians have done? Even if we assume that they were not at battle stations (which would have been dumb considering), they could have been there in three minutes. Each of the four Italian Destroyers had two triple torpedo mounts. At 4,000 yards, it shouldn’t have been too hard to get a hit or two on the old RN battleships or the carrier (which did pull out of line quickly when it realized what was going on). For those who aren’t so conversant, the old British Battleships didn’t take torpedoes very gracefully, compared to newer designs. HMS Barham was later sunk by two or so torpedoes, granted she wasn’t at battle stations.
Play it out , I'd like to know how it ends up.
For What it’s Worth, Ammiraglio di divisione Carlo Cattaneo intended to send two DDs to assist POLA, not the whole division, But Admiral Iachino ordered him to take the whole division. Again a questionable decision.
