Italian torpedo boat Sagittario (1936)
The Italian torpedo boat "Sagittario" was a built for the Regia Marina in 1936. During the Battle of the Mediterranean, in the Second World War, "Sagittario" was involved in several convoy missions, the most notable that known as the ""Sagittario" convoy", in the course of the Battle of Crete, for which her commander, Giuseppe Cigala-Fulgosi, was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour. "Sagittario" survived the war. Re-classified as corvette in 1949, she was scrapped in 1964. Construction. "Sagittario" was built in the late inter-war period by CNQ, Fiume, one of the  Perseo sub-group of the . She was laid down on 14 November 1935, launched 21 June 1936, and commissioned 8 October 1936. "Sagittario" was armed with three 100 mm guns in single mounts, and four 450 mm torpedo tubes in two twin tubes; she also had two depth charge throwers and equipment for laying mines. Originally armed with eight Breda 13.2 mm AA machine guns, these were replaced with eight 20 mm Oerlikon cannons in 1941. The "Spica"-class ships all were named after constellations; "Sagittario" was named for the constellation of Sagittarius. Service history. 1937–1941. A few months after being  commissioned into the Regia Marina, "Sagittario" participated in the Italian blockade of the central Mediterranean, aimed at Spanish Republican and Soviet shipping involved in the Spanish Civil War. On 10 June 1940, when Italy declared war against the Allies, "Sagittario" was part of the 10th Torpedo Boat Flotilla based on La Spezia. On the night of 26 November 1940 "Sagittario" was on patrol in the Sicilian Straits when she spotted the Mediterranean Fleet, which was supporting Operation Collar. The encounter led to the naval engagement known as Battle of Spartivento. On the night of 7 January 1941, "Sagittario," along with  other torpedo boats and destroyers, laid two minefields north of Cape Bon. On 30 March, together with her sister ships , and two MAS boats, she escorted the German steamer "Ruhr", torpedoed by the British submarine , while the crippled ship was towed to safety by the destroyer "Dardo". Action off Crete. On 21 May 1941 "Sagittario" was assigned the escort of the 2nd Motor Sailing Flotilla, a convoy of 22 Greek caïques carrying the 2nd Battalion of the 85th Mountain Regiment (II/85) from the German 5th Mountain Division from Milos to Heraklion, in support of the German paratroopers efforts in Crete . The 1st Motor Sailing Flotilla, a previous convoy bound to Maleme, suffered heavy losses and was forced to sail back the night before by Force D, a British cruiser squadron, despite the spirited defense put up by the . News of this setback caused the recall of the 2nd Motor Sailing Flotilla, but these orders did not reach it until 09:30 on the 22nd, when the small vessels were approximately off Milos. Another British cruiser squadron, Force C, comprising three cruisers and four destroyers and commanded by Rear Admiral Edward Leigh Stuart King, was meanwhile in the area, searching for a  reported second German flotilla attempting to gain a foothold on Crete. Force C spotted "Sagittario" at 10:00. King decided to engage, but "Sagittario" laid a smoke screen, launched torpedoes and exchanged fire with the British force, trying to lure them away from the convoy position. Indeed, King was unaware that a major enemy convoy was ahead of his force until 11:00. Eventually, the 2nd Motor Sailing Flotilla and its escort managed to slip away undamaged. King's warships, despite their failure to destroy the German troop transports, had succeeded in forcing the Axis to abort the landing by their mere  presence at sea. King, knowing that his ships were low on anti-aircraft ammunition and feeling that he had achieved his main objective, ordered Force C to withdraw. As it headed south, the cruiser was badly damaged and set on fire by German bomber aircraft. Admiral Cunningham later criticised King, saying that the safest place during the air attack was amongst the flotilla of caïques. "Sagittario" fired 56 rounds for a total of 23 salvos. For this action Cigala-Fulgosi was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour. 1942–1943. On the first hours of 8 February 1942, British submarine torpedoed  Sagittario without success at position , off the Greek island of Lefkada. "Sagittario" reacted and rammed "Proteus" in the consequent counter-attack. Both units were damaged, but survived the encounter. Between 11 and 17 August, "Sagittario" took part of two successive convoys, the first escorting the Italian cargo ships "Sibilla" and "Albachiara" from Benghasi to Tobruk, and later the German merchant "Menes" from Tobruk to Piraeus. Both convoys dodged a torpedo attack from the British submarine "Taku." On 19 October, "Sagittario" rescued the survivors of the Italian destroyer "Giovanni da Verrazzano", torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine "Unbending". On 30  November, "Sagittario" was one of the escorts of the convoy "Veloce", bound for Libya. The convoy was targeted by Fairey Albacores bombers from Malta on 2 December, and the motor vessel "Veloce" was hit by a torpedo and left in a sinking condition. "Sagittario"s sister "Lupo" was sunk by British Force K while rescuing survivors, while "Chisone", the other merchant of the convoy, reached Tripoli the following day along with her escorts. On 26 April 1943, "Sagittario" was escorting the Italian cargo ship "Teramo" (ex-French "Marie-Therese Le Borgne") to Bizerte when the small convoy came under attack from  a force of three British Fairmile motor torpedo boats, led by the commander of the 32nd MTB flotilla, Stewart Gould aboard "MTB 639". The other torpedo units were "MTB 637" and "MTB 633". "Sagittario", assisted by the German fighter escort, beat off the torpedo charge, badly hitting "MTB 639", that had engaged the Italian torpedo boat at close range with her 20 mm cannons, while her companions launched their torpedoes at the freighter without effect. "MTB 639" was set ablaze and had to be scuttled by "MTB 637". Gould and other six officers and ratings died in action. The "Teramo  was later set on fire by an Allied airstrike and abandoned before arriving in Bizerte. Sagittario" shot down a B-24 bomber from the attacking force and rescued the freighter's survivors. On 8 September, the day of the Cassibile Armistice, "Sagittario" was at Pola, from where she escorted the battleship to Taranto to meet Allied forces. She engaged and fought off a German U-boat off Pola which attempted to torpedo the capital ship. Later on the same month, "Sagittario" evacuated Italian troops from the island of Corfu. Post-war. In 1949 "Sagittario" was reclassified as corvette. She lost her  middle 100 mm single mounting and torpedo launchers and was fitted with six 40 mm AA cannons and an anti-submarine Hedgehog mortar. When Italy joined NATO, "Sagittario"s pennant number was changed to F557. "Sagittario" was decommissioned on 1 October 1964 and scrapped.