Operation Scylla () was the transit of the (Italian Royal Navy) Capitani Romani-class light cruiser on the night of 17/18 July 1943, during the Second World War. The cruiser sailed from La Spezia in the Tyrrhenian Sea to Taranto in the Ionian Sea during the Allied invasion of Sicily.
Scipione Africano fought a night engagement against four British motor torpedo boats (MTBs) during its passage of the Strait of Messina. At least two MTBs launched their torpedoes, whilst the cruiser fired its main and secondary guns while sailing at maximum speed. An MTB was destroyed and one damaged; Scipione Africano received superficial damage after being fired on by mistake by Axis coastal artillery. The action was the only time that an Italian warship made effective use of surface radar during an engagement in the war.
Background
Allied blockade of Sicily
During the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky, 9 July – 17 August 1943) British Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) and Motor Gun Boats moved from Algeria to Malta, thence to captured ports in Sicily. The Axis withdrawal from Sicily ( to the Germans) took place from 3 to 17 August. The boats patrolled the Strait of Messina and laid ambushes, waiting for Axis ships and landing craft; with engines off, the boat crews listening for ship engines. Lieutenant Denis Jermain, the senior officer of four boats of the 10th MTB Flotilla on patrol during the night of 17/18 July 1943 had decided that when attacking an Axis ship, one boat would act as a decoy, making as much noise as possible, for the other boats discreetly to move into positions to launch torpedoes.
The Italian Capitani Romani-class light cruiser () was one of four ships of the class to be built and was equipped with an EC-3 (Owl) radar set. sets were Italian-made and had come into service in early 1942. Scipione was based at La Spezia in the region of Liguria, on the north-western coast of Italy. When the Allied invasion of Sicily began, anticipating a blockade of the Strait of Messina by American and British naval forces, the ordered Scipione Africano (Captain Ernesto Pellegrini) to sail from La Spezia down the west coast of Italy to Taranto in Apulia, to remedy the lack of fast cruisers in the Ionian Sea.
Prelude
Operation Scylla () On 15 July 1943, Scipione departed La Spezia for Naples and arrived that evening, shadowed by a British seaplane. Scipione embarked an air liaison team and a Metox high-frequency radar warning receiver. She sailed again at 18:15 on 16 July and entered the Straits of Messina at 00:20 on 17 July, with a full moon rising from the south. Some days before, on the night of 12/13 July, British motor torpedo boat MTB 81 had sunk the in the northern approaches of the straits.
Night action
As she reached the straits, Scipione detected four small vessels on its set, lying ahead, between Reggio di Calabria and Cape Pellaro. At first, Pellegrini thought that they were friendly (motor barges). At 02:13, the movement of the leading vessel convinced Pellegrino that the boats were Allied MTBs and he ordered an increase in speed from to .
The MTBs were four British Elco boats from the 10th MTB Flotilla (Lieutenant Dennis Jermain) based at Augusta, comprising MTB 260 (Lieutenant H. F. Wadds, R.A.N.V.R.), MTB 313 (Lieutenant Alec Foster), MTB 315 (Lieutenant L. E. Newall, R.N.Z.N.V.R.) and MTB 316 (Lieutenant R. B. Adams). The British MTBs were lying in wait for Axis landing craft and E-boats. Jermain, on MTB 315, wrote later,
Jermain gave the alarm and ordered the other boats to start up and scatter. With no time to make signals, Jermain moved MTB 315 to the east, leaving two boats for each side of . Jermain intended to feint with MTB 315 to attract the attention of the cruiser and leave the other boats in a better position for attack.
Pellegrini had turned his ship to 200 degrees, heading to a point between MTB 313 and MTB 316. The speed of the cruiser surprised the British and it was only away by the time they were ready to fire torpedoes. Scipione opened fire with all guns, with a precision that Pellegrini said "left him amazed". The Italian report claims that the engagement lasted no more than three minutes and that the first Allied craft to be hit by rounds was the closest boat to starboard, which was left in a "sinking condition". This was MTB 313, only distant from Scipione. MTB 313 was ready to launch torpedoes, when Foster was wounded in the leg and the spare officer of the flotilla, sub-lieutenant John McKim was mortally wounded. One torpedo passed just ahead of Scipione and the damaged MTB limped away.