Refighting the Battle of Taranto, results
The Italian fleet, using the island of Cephalonia to mask them from Exeter's radar, achieved tactical surprise and drove hard toward the British fleet. The three Littorio-class battleships, after some confusion about their best course, turned broadside and started pounding the Hood and Nelson. The Italian cruisers and destroyers swept close to the island then aimed their bows around the British cruiser and destroyer screen, looking to get into torpedo range of Ark Royal and orphan the planes on their way back from Taranto.
The British fleet, operating in two distinct divisions reacted to the sudden appearance of the Italian fleet by swinging their battleships north, unmasking the big guns on both Hood and Rodney. The cruisers and destroyers with the battleships increased speed and aimed for the enemy battleships preparing to engage them.
The Ark Royal, and her attendant escorts, continued toward the Italian cruisers, hoping that her planes would soon appear.
The two battle lines engaged at long range, and it appeared the British were going to have their way with the Italians when 16" shells from the Rodney and 15" shells from the Hood pounded the Vittorio Veneto, the Italian flagship, damaging her engines and causing multiple fires to spring up. The return fire from the Italians was desultory at best and when the shell splashes stopped, no hits had been caused on the mighty British battlewagons.
The Italian fleet had obviously been enjoying a little too much vino during their damage control classes and were having a lot of trouble putting out the fires let alone fixing any of the damage the British caused.
During the lengthy exchange of gunfire between the battleships, Exeter, Ajax and their destroyers approached the Italian battleline and were amazed at the range, accuracy and hitting power of the secondary batteries on the Italian battleships. Exeter and Ajax both took devastating damage and the Exeter turned turtle and sank to the bottom of the Med with most of her crew stilled trapped within her. Ajax followed the cruiser to the bottom shortly after, but the destroyers had achieved the position and range they were looking for and torpedoes arced across the water, scoring crippling hits on Vittorio Veneto. A boat was launched, carrying the Italian Admiral to Roma to carry on the fight. Vittorio Veneto, turned and began her long voyage home.
But the British weren't having it all their own way. Hood had taken concentrated fire from all three of the Italian battleships and was more holes than armor. Her engines were destroyed, her rudder smashed, an explosion in the forward magazine had taken out her forward turret and she was burning from stem to stern. Tragically, the Hood's captain was preparing to order the great battle cruiser abandoned. Rodney had fared slightly better, but fire from the Italian fleet had destroyed her bridge and the great guns were firing sporadically, if at all.
Finally, the planes from Ark Royal flew over the northern horizon, just in time to watch the two remaining Italian battleships aim their great guns at the Ark Royal and smash the thin skinned aircraft carrier.
The Italians watched what remained of the British fleet leave the field of battle as they worked furiously to save their flagship.
Ship Losses:
British
Exeter, sunk by gunfire
Ajax, sunk by gunfire
Ark Royal, sunk by gunfire
Hood, crippled and burning, abandoned
Rodney, severely damaged, fire control out
Italians
Balzano, sunk by torpedoes
Trieste, crippled
Vittorio Veneto, crippled
Aftermath
What a glorious day for the Italian navy and a pall of gloom has fallen over Britain. What had promised to be a check on the Italian "fleet in being" has become a nightmare to the Admirality.
Ships, normally assigned to the Atlantic are having to be stationed in the Med to protect the fragile supply lines to Malta. This will cause huge problems trying to track down and stop the German commerce raiders in the South Atlantic and in the Denmark Straits.
Thanks
I want to thank all of the players who came in last night to try this scenario out. Kim, Barry, Gary, Jeff, Tim, and Jody thanks for playing and I'm already working on a follow up scenario.
Matt Towns
Underground Games
experiments to find a better way to mount aircraft for wargaming.
