Sinking of HMS York

Raid on Souda Bay (1941)
Part of the Battle of the Mediterranean of World War II
HMS York's hull boarded by the Italian Torpedo Boat Sirio
Date 26 March 1941 Location Souda Bay, Mediterranean Sea Result Italian victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Italy
Commanders and leaders
Reginald Henry Portal	Arturo Redaelli Ugo Ferruta Luigi Faggioni (POW)
Strength
Fleet in harbour	2 destroyers 6 motor assault boats
Casualties and losses
1 heavy cruiser 1 tanker 2 killed	6 prisoners

The Raid on Souda Bay was an Italian Royal Navy small craft assault on Souda Bay, Crete, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS York and the Norwegian tanker Pericles were disabled by Italian motor launches and eventually lost.

Souda is a naturally protected harbor on the northwest coast of the island. It had been chosen as a target by the Decima Flottiglia MAS months before because of the almost continuous Allied naval activity there. Air reconnaissance had spotted a number of naval and auxiliary steamers at anchor in Souda Bay, Crete.

On 25 March 1941, the Italian destroyers Crispi and Sella departed from Leros island in the Aegean at night, each one carrying three 2 long tons (2.0 t) motor assault boats of the Decima known as Motoscafo da Turismo (MT). Each MT (nicknamed barchino - "little boat") carried a 300 kg (660 lb) explosive charge inside its bow. The MTs were specially equipped to make their way through obstacles such as torpedo nets. The pilot would steer the assault craft on a collision course at his target ship, and then would jump from his boat before impact and warhead detonation.

At 23:30, the MT were released by the destroyers 10 mi (8.7 nmi; 16 km) off Souda. Once inside the bay, the six boats, under the command of Lieutenant Luigi Faggioni, identified their targets: the heavy cruiser HMS York, a large tanker (the Norwegian Pericles of 8,300 long tons (8,400 t)), another tanker and a cargo ship. At 4:46, two MTs hit HMS York amidships, flooding her aft boilers and magazines, and the ship was beached by her own crew to avoid capsizing. Two seamen were killed by the explosions.Pericles was severely damaged and settled on the bottom, while the other tanker and the cargo ship were sunk, according to Italian sources. According to British reports, the other barchini apparently missed their intended targets, and one of them ended stranded on the beach. The anti-aircraft guns of the base opened fire randomly, believing that the base was under air attack.

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