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 the Luigi Cadorna. She did some mine-laying in the Sicilian Channel on 10 June and in July covered troop convoys to North Africa.
Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni, en route from Tripoli to Leros, took part in the Battle of Cape Spada (17 July 1940), when the light protection of the Condottieri class was clearly exposed. In the fight between the two Italian light cruisers and the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney with five British destroyers, the 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 Alberto Di Guissano 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 Littorio's flotilla. The Italian cruiser scored a hit on a British counterpart HMS Cleopatra 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 287 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.
Read more about this topic: Italian Cruiser Giovanni Delle Bande Nere
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