Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Cape Spada

Battle of Cape Spada was a naval engagement fought on 19 July 1940 at Mediterranean Sea, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II, which ran from 1940 to 1945. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1 Australian light cruiser; 5 British destroyers against 2 light cruisers.

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Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni under attack from HMAS Sydney and destroyer flotilla
Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni under attack from HMAS Sydney and destroyer flotilla. Arthur Conry (digitised and edited by Wiki-Ed), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 July 1940
WhereMediterranean Sea, Greece35.693N, 23.721E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstKingdom of Italy
Casualties and losses1 wounded; 1 light cruiser damagedand121 killed; 555 captured; 1 light cruiser sunk
Part ofMediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II1940 to 1945

Where it sits in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II

Battle of the Espero Convoy, 1940Battle of Cape Spada, 1940Battle of Cape Passero, 1940Battle of Sidi Barrani, 1940Siege of Giarabub, 1940Battle of Kufra, 1941Operation Sonnenblume, 1941Battle of Cape Matapan, 1941Siege of Tobruk, 1941Battle of the Tarigo Convoy, 1941Battle of the Duisburg Convoy, 1941Battle of Cape Bon, 1941First Battle of Sirte, 1941Raid on Alexandria, 1941Second Battle of Sirte, 1942Battle of Gazala, 1942Battle of Bir Hakeim, 1942Axis capture of Tobruk, 1942Battle of Mersa Matruh, 1942Battle of Alam el Halfa, 1942Battle of Skerki Bank, 1942Battle of the Gulf of Gabes, 1943Battle of the Cigno Convoy, 1943Battle of Enfidaville, 1943Battle of the Campobasso Convoy, 1943Battle of Rhodes, 1943Battle of Leros, 1943Battle of Kos, 1943Action of 1 November 1944, 1944Battle of Ist, 1944Raid on Santorini, 1944Battle of Port Cros, 1944Battle of La Ciotat, 1944Battle of the Ligurian Sea, 194519401945Battle of Cape Spada, 1940
34 placed engagements of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 July 1940
PlaceMediterranean Sea, Greece
35.693N, 23.721E
KindNaval engagement, interwar and Second World War
Strength1 Australian light cruiser; 5 British destroyers2 light cruisers
Casualties and losses1 wounded; 1 light cruiser damaged121 killed; 555 captured; 1 light cruiser sunk
Commanders
  • John Augustine Collins
  • Ferdinando Casardi
Battle of Cape SpadaBattle of Cape SpadaSiege of ChaniaSiege of ChaniaBattle of CreteBattle of 42nd StreetSiege of SoudaSiege of ChaniaSiege of ChaniaIraklio100 km35.693N, 23.721E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1940

Battle of Cape Spada is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 493 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1636800, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cape Spada, revision 1385193367, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.