Carlo Cattaneo (October 6, 1883 – March 29, 1941) was an Italian admiral during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. He was killed in the
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan ( el, Ναυμαχία του Ταινάρου) was a naval battle during the Second World War between the Allies, represented by the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy, from 27 t ...
.
Early life and career
Cattaneo was born in
Sant'Anastasia
Sant'Anastasia ( nap, Santa Nastàsë) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples.
Sant'Anastasia borders the following municipalities: Casalnuovo di Napoli ...
,
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, in 1883, and after attending the Naples Military College he entered the
Italian Naval Academy
The Italian Naval Academy (Italian: ''Accademia Navale'') is a coeducational military university in Livorno, which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy.
History The Hospitals The Hospital of St. James ...
at
Livorno in 1902; he graduated in 1906, becoming an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
.
[Carlo Cattaneo on the site of the Italian Navy](_blank)
/ref>
He joined the crew of the battleship ''Ammiraglio di Saint Bon'', with which he took part in the rescue operations after the 1908 Messina earthquake
The 1908 Messina earthquake (also known as the 1908 Messina and Reggio earthquake) occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epice ...
. After becoming a sub-lieutenant, he served on the battleship ''Regina Elena''.
He took part in the Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...
as commanding officer of a landing party which participated in the occupation of Tripoli; for this action, he was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry.
Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...
. In 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
, and during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he commanded the torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
''Orsa'', which served intensely in the southern Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
, gaining a Bronze Medal of Military Valor
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry.
It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military ...
in July 1915, and later he served on board destroyers, including ''Carabiniere''. In 1919 he was awarded a second Silver Medal.
In January 1920 he was appointed Naval Attaché in Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
and later in the same year he was promoted to lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...
. In 1929 he served at the Ministry of the navy, and later he was promoted to commander and appointed Naval Attaché first in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
and later in Jugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
In 1932 he was promoted captain, commanding, between December 1933 and April 1935, the light cruiser ''Di Giussano''. In 1937 he became rear admiral (''Contrammiraglio'') and in March 1938 he was promoted vice admiral (''Ammiraglio di divisione'').
World War II
After the beginning of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, on 26 May 1940, Cattaneo became commander of the 3rd Naval Division, with flag on the heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
''Trento''. He took part in this role in the Battle of Calabria
The Battle of Calabria, known to the Italian Navy as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War. Ships of the Italian '' Regia Marina'' were opposed by vessels of the British R ...
on 9 July 1940, after which he was awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor for the third time.
On 30 August 1940 Cattaneo was appointed commander of the 6th Naval Division, with flag on the battleship ''Duilio'', and on 16 December of the same year (after ''Duilio'' had been damaged by the raid on Taranto
The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham, and Italian naval forces, under Admiral Inigo Campioni. The Royal Navy launched ...
and the Italian battle fleet had been re-organized) he became commander of the 1st Naval Division, with ''Zara'' as flagship.
In this role, Cattaneo took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan ( el, Ναυμαχία του Ταινάρου) was a naval battle during the Second World War between the Allies, represented by the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy, from 27 t ...
on 27–29 March 1941. Having been initially ordered to carry out a raid against shipping north of Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, together with the 8th Naval Division of Admiral Antonio Legnani
Antonio Legnani (28 January 1888 – 23 October 1943) was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Early life and career
Born in Piedmont in 1888, Antonio Legnani entered the Naval Academy in Leghorn in 1905. After graduating as an ensign in 19 ...
(who was subordinate to him), Cattaneo subsequently received order to abort the raid and join forces with the main force of Admiral Angelo Iachino, with the battleship ''Vittorio Veneto'' and the 3rd Naval Division of Admiral Luigi Sansonetti
Luigi Sansonetti (22 February 1888 – 7 November 1959) was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Early life and career
Luigi Sansonetti was born in Rome in 1888, and entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1905; he graduated as an ensign in ...
.[Giuseppe Fioravanzo, “La Marina italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale – Volume II La guerra nel Mediterraneo – Tomo II, Le azioni navali dal 10.6.1940 al 31.3.1941”, USMM, Roma 1962, pages 382 to 504] Cattaneo's force did not manage to reach Iachino's squadron in time for joining the first engagement against the light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
s of British Admiral Henry Pridham-Wippell, which took place off Gavdos
Gavdos ( el, Γαύδος, ) is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much larger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the regional unit of Chania. It forms a community with surrounding islets and was ...
in the morning of 27 March.
The reunion happened shortly after the action off Gavdos had ended. During the afternoon, Cattaneo's ships, like the rest of the Italian squadron, were repeatedly attacked by British planes but suffered no damage. After the ''Vittorio Veneto'' was torpedoed and damaged at 15.09, Cattaneo was ordered to form with his ships (the heavy cruisers ''Zara'', ''Pola'' and ''Fiume'' and the destroyer ''Vittorio Alfieri'', ''Alfredo Oriani'', ''Vincenzo Gioberti'' and ''Giosuè Carducci'' of the 9th Destroyer Squadron) a line to the port of the damaged battleships, to protect her from further air strikes.
At 19.50, a new torpedo bomber attack left ''Pola'' dead in the water. Cattaneo proposed Iachino to send two destroyers to her rescue, but Iachino instead ordered him to go back to assist ''Pola'' with the entire 1st Division and the 9th Destroyer Squadron. After some hesitation, Cattaneo turned back with his ships to assist ''Pola'' at 21.06.
In a decision that would be strongly criticized afterwards, Cattaneo kept the four destroyers of the 9th Squadron astern of his cruisers, instead of ahead of them, which would have been more logical and safe, by creating a destroyer screen for his cruisers sailing in the night while their fleet was probably being pursued by enemy ships. Later research however revealed that this tactical fault was not due to a mistake made by Cattaneo, but to the Italian Navy rules on night navigation which were in force at the time.[Francesco Mattesini, “L’operazione Gaudo e lo scontro notturno di Capo Matapan”, USMM, Roma 1998, pages 213–218.] Cattaneo was also criticized for the low speed at which he sailed his ships (16 to 22 knots); this was later explained with the destroyers being low on fuel. No explanation has ever been found for his decision to leave his ships' guns unmanned as they steamed into a hostile night.
Cattaneo's ships reached ''Pola'' at 22.20, but meanwhile, unknowingly to him, also Force A of the Mediterranean Fleet, with the battleships ''Barham'', ''Valiant'' and ''Warspite'' under the command of Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham
Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, (7 January 1883 – 12 June 1963) was a senior officer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was widely known by his initials, "ABC".
Cunningham ...
, had reached the area. The British battleships were about to open fire on ''Pola'' when they spotted the approaching ships of the 1st Division: without being noticed by the Italian ships, they switched target and opened fire at point blank range (3,500 meters) against Cattaneo's ships, which were taken by surprise. In the ensuing fire action, which lasted five minutes, all of Cattaneo's ships, with the exception of ''Gioberti'', were hit; only ''Alfieri'' was able to fight back before being disabled. ''Gioberti'' and the damaged ''Oriani'' managed to retreat, but all the other ships, including ''Pola'', either sank or were finished off by British destroyers.
Cattaneo's flagship, ''Zara'', was hit by four 381 mm salvoes from ''Warspite'', five from ''Barham'' and five from ''Valiant''.[Francesco Mattesini, “L’operazione Gaudo e lo scontro notturno di Capo Matapan”, USMM, Roma 1998.] The hits immediately destroyed the 203 mm turrets before they could be readied to fire, started fires aboard, killed or wounded many crewmembers, disabled the engines and within a few minutes left the cruiser without power and dead in the water. ''Zara'' was reduced to a drifting wreck, but her hull had suffered no fatal damage, so the cruiser floated for some hours.
Finally, Cattaneo decided to scuttle the ship, fearing that it would otherwise fall into enemy hands; he gathered the surviving crew on the stern and he announced his decision.[Arrigo Petacco, Le battaglie navali nel Mediterraneo nella seconda guerra mondiale, Milano, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1976, pp. 121 to 150.]
As the crew abandoned the ship by jumping into the sea or lowering themselves down to the rafts, a small party of volunteers opened the seacocks and ignited the demolition charges placed in the cruiser's magazines. At the same time, HMS ''Jervis'' came near and torpedoed ''Zara''; the cruiser went down at 2.40 on 29 March, after a final large explosion.
Admiral Cattaneo, who according to survivors had abandoned the ship without a lifejacket as he had given it to a wounded sailor, disappeared in the sea during the night, like most of ''Zara'''s crew. Over 2,300 Italian officers and seamen from the five ships perished in Italy's worst naval defeat. Admiral Cattaneo was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
The fac ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cattaneo, Carlo
1883 births
1941 deaths
Regia Marina personnel
Italian military personnel of World War I
Italian military personnel killed in World War II
Italian admirals
Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor
Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor
Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor