''Giovanni delle Bande Nere'' was an Italian light cruiser of the , which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, eponymous 16th-century ''condottiero'' and member of the Medici family. Her keel was laid down in 1928 at ''Cantieri Navali di Castellammare di Stabia'', Castellammare di Stabia; she was launched on 27 April 1930, and her construction was completed in 1931. Unlike her three sisters, the finish and workmanship on the vessel were not rated highly. She was sunk on 1 April 1942 by the British submarine . The ''Giussano'' type of cruiser sacrificed protection for high speed and weaponry, as a counter to new French large destroyers.

Service

''Bande Nere''s service was entirely in the Mediterranean, initially as a precaution during the Spanish Civil War and afterwards in the Navy Ministry's Training Command. At the outbreak of Italy's war in June 1940, she formed the 2nd Cruiser Division with . She did some mine-laying in the Sicilian Channel on 10 June and in July covered troop convoys to North Africa.Whitley, p.132 ''Bande Nere'' and , en route from Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli to Leros, took part in the Battle of Cape Spada (17 July 1940), when the light protection was clearly exposed. In the fight between the two Italian light cruisers and the Australian cruiser with five British destroyers, the Allies of World War II, Allies sank ''Colleoni'' and damaged ''Bande Nere''. ''Colleoni'' was disabled by a shell that penetrated to her engine room, allowing the destroyers to torpedo and sink her. ''Bande Nere'' scored a hit on ''Sydney'' and returned to Tripoli. From December 1940 into 1941, she was assigned to the 4th Cruiser Division and covered several important troop convoys and attempts to interdict Malta. In June 1941, ''Bande Nere'' and laid a defensive minefield off Tripoli which, in December, effectively destroyed the hitherto aggressive and successful British Force K; a cruiser and a destroyer were sunk and two more cruisers damaged. Further minelaying was done in July in the Sicilian Channel. In 1942, ''Bande Nere'' continued to support Italian convoys and interdict British ones. The Italian operation ''K7'' ran supplies from Messina and Corfu to Tripoli with heavy naval support and there was an attempt to block the British convoy ''MW10'', which led to the Second Battle of Sirte on 22 March 1942. ''Bande Nere'' was part of the battleship 's flotilla. The Italian cruiser scored a hit on a British counterpart during this engagement, damaging her after turrets. Other reports state that ''Cleopatra''s radar and radio installations were disabled. On 23 March, ''Bande Nere'' was damaged in storms and, needing repairs, was sent to La Spezia on 1 April 1942. While en route, she was hit by two torpedoes from the submarine HMS ''Urge'', broke in two and sank with the loss of 381 men. During the war, ''Bande Nere'' participated in 15 missions: four interceptions, eight convoy escorts, and three mine layings, for an overall total of 35,000 miles.

1940

* 7 July: Battle of Calabria * 19 July: Battle of Cape Spada

1941

* 8 May: attack against ''Malta Convoys#The convoys, Tiger'' convoy

1942

* 21 February: operation ''K 7'' (convoy escort to Libya) * 22 March: Second Battle of Sirte * On the morning of 1 April 1942, ''Bande Nere'' left Messina for La Spezia, escorted by the destroyer and the torpedo boat . Eleven miles from Stromboli, at 0900, the group was intercepted by the British submarine ; a torpedo broke the ''Bande Nere'' into two sections, and she sank quickly with the loss of 381 of the 772 men aboard.

Discovery

On 9 March 2019 it was reported that an Italian Navy minesweeper had discovered the wreck of ''Bande Nere''. From photos shown, at least part of the cruiser lies on its port side in 1,400 meters of water.

Citations

References

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External links

Italian light cruisers

Giovanni delle Bande Nere
Marina Militare website {{DEFAULTSORT:Giovanni dalle Bande Nere Giussano-class cruisers Ships built in Castellammare di Stabia 1930 ships World War II cruisers of Italy Ships sunk by British submarines World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Maritime incidents in April 1942