July 12th, 1940
Central Mediterranean, 03:10 - Following the report sent the day before by the MB-174 of the evening patrol, a Sunderland of Sqn 230 leaves Malta to find the missing liners.
04:00 - The Combined Attack Force of Malta, composed of 23 Glenn-Martin 167 and 9 Laté-298 seaplane bombers, is put on alert.
04:45 - A Martin 167 of the B4 squadron takes off for a reconnaissance over Benghazi.
06:50 - The Sunderland having reported a deserted sea and the Martin 167 having found the port of Benghazi empty, another Glenn-Martin is sent to search the sea east of Benghazi, from Cape Matapan to the Libyan coast. Two more will (as every day) patrol along this coast. Finally, 9 Martin 167s and 6 Laté-298s are prepared for a raid and loaded with bombs (with two 150 kg bombs instead of their torpedo, the range of the seaplanes is longer). Among the seaplane pilots, Chief Petty Officer René Leblanc. "I hope we'll hurt them," he told his comrades as they left Karouba for Malta a few days earlier. "In early June, when they said that all we had to do was to give them the thumbs up, I had decided to desert to go and fight with the British if necessary. I would never have agreed to go quietly! I was furious, and the Italians are going to find out that I'm still furious!"
09:05 - One of the Martin 167s sent to patrol the Libyan coast reports that it has shot down a CANT Z.501, probably on an ASM patrol mission, 30 nautical miles off Benghazi [1].
This message provokes an animated discussion between the officers commanding the allied air force in Malta. For some, the probability that the two large fast liners that had left Taranto the day before would be launched in a supply operation to Benghazi is high.
"If we haven't detected them yet," they say, "it's because they sailed along the Greek coast before diving southwest to reach Benghazi." But others are skeptical. "A Z.501 that seemed to be looking for submarines, so what? It's a coincidence. Taranto-Benghazi with two liners, it would be suicide! The disproportion of forces is too great for them to have a chance to get away with it, and they know it! It is likely that they dashed to Trieste, because they are going to look for troops in the north of Italy to lead them to Sicily. We should patrol the Straits of Otranto to catch them when they return." On the other hand, if Laté-298s loaded with bombs can go from Malta to Benghazi and even a little further, they don't have enough range to wait over the harbor for the liners to show up. This is why some RAF officers propose to send another Sunderland to search the sea between Benghazi and Greece. But the big four-engine seaplane will reach this area only 2 hours 30 or 2 hours 45 minutes after taking off from Malta.
09:40 - The Sunderland takes off from the Valletta seaplane base and heads straight east. It will be helped a little in its mission by a strong westerly breeze (30 knots).
11:10 - Six Glenn-Martin 167s loaded with bombs take off. They will be in the vicinity of Benghazi at about the same time as the Sunderland starts patrolling and will be ready to attack whatever the seaplane can detect. If the Sunderland sees nothing, they will bomb the port of Benghazi.
11:15 - From Alexandria, Admiral Cunningham informs Malta that a small squadron consisting of the light cruisers HMS Orion, HMS Neptune, HMAS Sydney and MN Duguay-Trouin, escorted by the destroyers HMS Hasty, Havock, Hyperion and Ilex, which was to bombard Tobruk at night, was diverted and heads west to intercept any Italian convoy trying to reach Benghazi after having skirted the Greek coast.
12:01 - The anxious wait is broken by a call from the Sunderland, which reports that it was attacked by two enemy twin-engine fighters, which they identify as "Italian '110s".
Fortunately for the crew, they were in fact two prototypes of the Fiat CR.25 long-range fighter, which only have two 12.7 mm machine guns in their noses and not the much heavier armament of the Messerschmitt Zerstörer. In a desperate gesture of the Regia Aeronautica, the two aircraft had been sent two days earlier to Benghazi to protect naval traffic, and have not yet been seen by Allied aircraft. The big seaplane confronts the two fighters for fifteen minutes. One of them is severely damaged by the four machine guns of its tail turret (it will land on its belly in Benghazi) and the other one finally gives up, fed up (and out of ammunition), leaving the the seaplane with two dead and three wounded out of a crew of ten, plus an engine on fire.
12:09 - In the middle of the battle, the stubborn Sunderland finally reports: "Five fast ships heading towards Benghazi". In reality, it was eight Italian ships, now travelling at more than 31 knots: around the two luxury liners Rex and Conte di Savoia, the light cruisers Bande Nere and Colleoni (2nd Cruiser Division, Admiral Ferdinando Casardi), the large destroyers Da Recco and Usodimare (16th Squadron) and the destroyers Grecale and Maestrale (10th Squadron). This fleet takes to Benghazi nearly 6,500 men (including 2,000 Blackshirts), several hundred tons of shells, twelve 100-mm field guns, eight 155-mm howitzers and Breda 37/54 modello 39 anti-aircraft guns. As some officers assumed, the Italians sailed along the Greek coast for part of the night, before heading southwest to reach their goal.
The damaged Sunderland cannot follow the Italian squadron, but the information is passed on to the Martin 167s, which were only 40 minutes away, and the six Laté-298s are ordered to take off towards Benghazi.
12:25 - The Italian convoy is joined by the four ships of the 1st CT Division (Aquilone, Euro, Nembo and Turbine), coming from Tobruk.
12:51 - The day is beautiful, the cloud cover is low (2/10) and the sea glittering like a vacation postcard, but the two ships are not on a pleasure cruise. The six Martin 167s attack from 3,000 feet against a violent but inaccurate flak. The French probably underestimated the speed of the Italian ships and none of the bombs hit their target, although the Colleoni is closely surrounded. Frustrated, the twin-engines execute a strafing pass, sweeping the decks of the liners and cruisers. Then they track the convoy for 50 minutes before leaving for Malta, sure that the squadron was continuing towards Benghazi.
13:05 - In Malta, the three other Glenn-Martin 167s put on alert take off in turn.
14:10 - Happy to have escaped the attack of the first Martin 167, the Italian ships approach Benghazi, welcomed by the four torpedo boats of the 11th Squadron. These arrived from Tobruk at dawn and set up an ASW patrol with the help of two Cant Z.501 which escaped the Allied air raids.
14:28 - Leaving the torpedo boats to patrol, the light cruisers dock while the liners, too large to do the same, begin to anchor in the port of Benghazi, where light boats are waiting to pick up passengers and cargo.
The eight destroyers remain at the entrance to the port. At that moment, the air raid alarm sounds a second time. The six French seaplanes attack in the middle of the harbour, despite a furious flak. They follow the attack profile that a long training had allowed to be defined, diving from 1,800 feet at 45° before straightening at 650 feet. The first element of three aircraft frame the Conte di Savoia and hit the Colleoni at the stern, igniting a violent fire. The second element, led by René Leblanc, descended even lower before exiting the dive.
Under a hail of gunfire of all calibers, Leblanc's plane places its two 150 kg bombs in the middle of the Rex and straightens up at the level of the masts, but, riddled with blows, it catches fire and crashes into the harbour, killing its crew (Leblanc and Quartermaster Jacques Méhouas). The two other Laté-298 follow their leader almost to the end. A third bomb hits the Rex, on which a fire spreads rapidly, and another hits the dock just in front of the Bande Nere, showering the superstructure of the cruiser with deadly shrapnel.
14:35 - When the French seaplanes move away, the situation in the port of Benghazi is grim. Hit three times, the Rex burns from one end to the other of its 268 meters. The
thousands of soldiers trapped on board try to save themselves by jumping into the water, but some jump from too high and kill themselves. The Colleoni also burns and its commander, Captain di Vascello Novaro, orders that all the army ammunition he is carrying be thrown into the sea.
The destroyers Grecale and Maestrale try to assist the two burning ships, but if the cruiser's crew gradually bring the fire under control, the liner is not designed to withstand the impact of three 150 kg bombs...
14:55 - The three Martin 167s which left Malta at 13:05 attack in turn. It seems that the Rex is hit again, this time by at least one and possibly two 50 kg bombs, disrupting fire-fighting efforts. The large destroyer Da Recco is framed without much damage. However, the psychological effect of this bombardment is important.
15:00 - Admiral Casardi now considers the situation hopeless. He can expect nothing else other than more air raids against his ships if he stays in Benghazi any longer. And hasn't the Allied fleet based in Alexandria been alerted? Casardi orders the Conte di Savoia to disembark all its passengers as quickly as possible and informs the other ships that they should throw into the water all the supply boxes they are carrying and that they cannot disembark in less than two hours, hoping that the services of the port can recover some of them.
17:05 - Casardi decides to leave Benghazi. The Rex is still burning and obviously cannot be saved. The Colleoni, which has just succeeded in controlling its fire, is ordered to leave as soon as possible, together with the four units of the 1st Squadron.
17:11 - The Bande Nere, followed by the Conte di Savoia (which still has the artillery pieces it was carrying on board), the Da Recco, the Usodimare, the Grecale and the Maestrale, leave the port and sail away, accompanied by the four torpedo boats of the 11th Squadron, which continue their anti-submarine patrol. As the ten ships set course for Greece, three Glenn-Martin 167s bomb the harbour (they are planes of the GB I/39, based in Egypt).
No ship is hit, but these new bombs add to the confusion. Since the previous alert, the last two Fiat CR.32s operational in the Benghazi area climbed up to 4,500 metres; by diving, they manage to intercept the attackers. One of the bombers, seriously hit, has to land on its belly near Sidi-Barani.
17:35 - Three Laté-298 from Malta attack Benghazi again, this time escorted by two Martin 167. The seaplanes attack in a steep dive and throw themselves on the Rex, because the Turbine had set up a smoke screen that hid the Colleoni, still at the quay. The unfortunate liner receives a new 150 kg bomb. A Laté, hit by the flak, is able to return to Malta, but it crashes on landing.
The two CR.32 which returned from intercepting the planes of GB I/39 start to chase the seaplanes, but are surprised by the two Martin 167. One is shot down over the harbor, while the other one manages to outmaneuver the twin-engine plane chasing it, faster but less agile than it.
20:00 - The night puts an end to the air attacks, but the Italians know that the Allied ships are running after them!
22:05 - After more than four hours of frantic work, the Colleoni is able to leave Benghazi, escorted by the Aquilone, Euro, Nembo and Turbine. The five ships are sailing due north at 25 knots.
23:04 - The Italian lookouts spot five ships to starboard - obviously enemy. Novaro orders to increase speed to 30 knots.
23:15 - The lookouts now count eight ships, which are not letting themselves get outpaced.
23:24 - Flares begin to illuminate the Italians. Novaro orders to go up to maximum speed and to come to 310, while the destroyers try to create a smoke curtain.
23:35 - The allied formation splits in two to envelop its opponents. The Colleoni is soon surrounded, but the cruiser, whose motto is Veloce e Veemente, responds tit for tat and its shells did not fall far from its closest enemy, HMS Neptune.
23:37 - The four units of the 1st Destroyer Squadron split into two pairs (Turbine/Aquilone and Nembo/Euro) and try to gain a favorable position for a torpedo attack against the two groups of Allied cruisers. Their movement attract a prompt reaction from the British destroyers.
23:44 - The destroyers Hyperion and Ilex, accompanying the pair HMS Neptune and MN Duguay-Trouin, engage the Turbine and Aquilone with cannon fire, preventing them from positioning themselves to launch any attack against the cruisers. The Hasty and Havock, following HMS Orion and HMAS Sydney, oppose the Nembo and Euro.
23:46 - The Orion and Sydney concentrate their fire on the Italian cruiser, while the distance falls to 9,000 metres.
23:49 - The commander of the Euro decides to launch their torpedoes against the British destroyers. But, applying Italian combat tactics, he launches only two torpedoes at each of them, and the two British destroyers avoid them without difficulty. The Euro, more or less disarmed, can only seek its salvation in flight (which at least has the effect of allowing to fire with its intact turret, at the rear), pursued by the Hasty. On the other hand, the dodging maneuvers of the British leave the way clear for the Nembo, which impetuously rushes towards the Orion.
23:50 - In the artillery exchange between the Hyperion and Ilex and the Turbine and Aquilone luck smiles to the Italian gunners. Two shells from the Aquilone disable the forward guns of the Hyperion.
23:51 - As the Nembo is about to launch its torpedoes, the Orion, abandoning the Colleoni, turns towards this new adversary. The distance decreases very quickly and the fire of the British cruiser is immediately accurate.
23:53 - While it has just launched its load, the Nembo receives a shell of 6 inches in its engine room and its speed drops abruptly.
23:54 - The Nembo's attack is not enough to protect the Colleoni, as the Sydney is not distracted: two of her shells hit the Italian light cruiser and penetrates boilers 3 and 4. A fire breaks out and the ship slows down. Meanwhile, the Orion, moving at full speed, avoids the torpedoes of the Nembo.
23:54 to 23:56 - The Orion pounds the Nembo, which is left in flames and motionless on the water. The cruiser then turns its fire on the Colleoni.
Meanwhile, the Euro's rear turret works wonders against the Hasty. The ship is hit twice (without any damage) and the British destroyer does not insist.
23:58 - Between them, the Sydney and the Orion put at least four other shots on target on the superstructure of the Colleoni. The latter is now burning furiously and its speed has dropped to 22 knots.
Meanwhile, the Neptune and Duguay-Trouin begin to support their destroyers against the Turbine and Aquilone. The latter are grazed by several 6-inch and 155 mm shells.
Uncomfortable, they decide to take advantage of a lucky shot on the Ilex (hit by the Turbine in the dynamos compartment) to get out of there and join the Euro.
23:59 to 00:09 - Guided by the flames, HMS Neptune and MN Duguay-Trouin hit the Colleoni several times. The Italian cruiser, which was only making 12 knots and whose rear turrets have been silenced, came to the 40, facing the Sydney and the Orion. It is possible that Capitano Novaro is trying to open the angle of fire of the turrets or to cover the escape of his destroyers, which he has been ordering for several minutes to get out as quickly as possible. The range falls to 5,000 metres and the last two Italian salvos are directed at the Sydney. But the Australian answers with a shower of shells, because his 4 inch AAs are now in range.
On her side, the Havock, having come back to her cruisers - she will be reprimanded for not having helped the Hasty to finish off the Euro - finishes off the Nembo with a torpedo (or rather two, the first one having hit the target without exploding). After the battle, the Allied ships would collect only 87 survivors of the crew of the brave ship, which broke in two before sinking.
00:13 - As the Colleoni comes to 120, it is hit by a torpedo from the Duguay-Trouin, which stops it dead in its tracks.
00h17 - The Colleoni capsizes and sinks, leaving only 112 survivors, who are rescued by English destroyers. But it did not fight in vain, because the Aquilone, Euro and Turbine escape in the darkness. They reach Taranto safely.
At about the same time as the Colleoni sank, nine Farman 223.3 heavy bombers of GB II/15 attacked Benghazi, setting part of the city on fire. Despite this new blow, teams of Italian divers try to recover the ammunition boxes thrown into the harbour. They continue their efforts over the following days, but only find some of them.
At the end of the night, the large hulk of the Rex, completely burnt out, capsizes. The Italians manage, after ten days of effort, to recover two of the 100 mm guns and three of the 155 mm howitzers that the ship was carrying.
Note - Most of this story is taken from the article "Failing the King - The destruction of the Rex and the Colleoni", by C.V. Nicolas Le Bolc'h, Revue d'Histoire Militaire, June 1960.
We know that the fate of the Rex and the Colleoni inspired Federico Fellini for his magnificent E la Nave va, where a liner that looks very much like the Rex suffers the fate of the Colleoni, crushed by shells of a much more powerful enemy. This is the same Rex that majestically passed by on the horizon in Amarcord, when the fascist regime believed itself invincible...
[1] The crews of the Aéronavale then used their Glenn-Martin 167s in a very offensive way against the Italian aircraft, helped by their good performance, their good flight characteristics (especially when not loaded with bombs) and their four fixed 7.5 mm machine guns.
