Battle of the Duisburg Convoy The Battle of the Duisburg Convoy was fought on the night of 8 – 9 November 1941 between an Italian convoy sailing to Libya with supplies for the Italian Army , civilian authorities in Libya , and the Afrika Corps and a British Naval squadron which intercepted it . The convoy was named " Beta " by the Italian naval authorities , but is now often referred to as " Duisburg Convoy " after the German steamer " Duisburg " which was the largest ship in the convoy . The Royal Navy ' s Force K annihilated the Convoy sinking all the merchant ships and the destroyer " Fulmine " with no loss and almost no damage ( " Lively " suffered some splinter damage ) . The Maestrale class destroyer " Libeccio " was sunk the next day by British submarine HMS " Upholder " while picking up survivors . Background . The Axis forces engaged in the war against the British in North Africa were supplied across the Mediterranean . The besieged island of Malta was a key British base in the Mediterranean from where the British were able to interdict Axis supplies to Libya . Allied aircraft and ships were sinking up to 60 % of Axis shipping . Italian forces . The convoy included two German vessels , SS " Duisburg " ( 7 , 889 t ) and SS " San Marco " ( 3 , 113 t ) and three Italian — the MV " Maria " ( 6 , 339 t ) , SS " Sagitta " ( 5 , 153 t ) and MV " Rina Corrado " ( 5 , 180 t ) . Between them , these cargo vessels were carrying 389 vehicles , 34 , 473 tons of munitions , fuel in barrels , and their associated crew and troops for the Italian and German forces in Libya . Carrying 17 , 281 tons of fuel , including gasoline for German aircraft , were the " Conte di Misurata " ( 7 , 599 t ) and " Minatitlan " ( 5 , 014 t ) . The convoy was protected by a close escort and a distant escort . British forces . Force K consisted of two light cruisers with six 6 - inch guns each and two destroyers with eight 4 - inch guns each . Both cruisers and destroyers carried 21 - inch torpedoes . Force K under command of Captain W . G . Agnew Battle . The British discovered through " Ultra " intelligence that the Axis were about to send a large convoy to Libya . The presence of the convoy was confirmed by a Martin Maryland on air reconnaissance from Malta ( piloted by Adrian Warburton ) ; this camouflaged the use of Ultra which came from reading German secret messages . Force K left Malta to intercept the convoy . At the same time , 12 Blenheim bombers from Malta were dispatched over Cape Spartivento to attack a smaller convoy of two merchantmen escorted by an Italian destroyer . One of the freighters was set ablaze , but the British lost two bombers to the escorts . The British navy had the advantage of radar which the Italians lacked . Having located the main convoy they took up position with the moon silhouetting the convoy . The British gunnery was directed by radar and they fired from no more than 5 , 500 yards . " Grecale " was hit by " Aurora " s first three salvos and was left dead in the water , with a fire aboard . The British destroyers opened fire on the convoy itself . " Aurora " then fired on " Maestrale " , which had already been hit by " Penelope " . Once the radio masts had been shot away , Captain Bisciani lost much of his ability to direct the convoy escort . " Fulmine " attacked the British force but was hit by both " Lance " and " Penelope " and as a result capsized and sank . The distant covering force , despite being only nine nautical miles away , did not interfere constructively due to confusion , firing some rounds ineffectively in the dark . Although they circled the convoy it coincided with the British movements such that the convoy remained between them . In the course of the battle the British closed with the convoy which took no evasive action and finished them off with guns and torpedoes . The convoy escort destroyers attempted to engage the British force while using smoke to cover themselves but caused no particular damage . The British retired to Malta at high speed with ineffective pursuit by the covering force . All told , Force K sank some 39 , 800 tons of Axis shipping .