the otranto barrage

8/10/2019 The Otranto Barrage

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The Otranto BarrageAn article by Russell Phillips

The Otranto Barrage was a naval blockade of the Otranto Straits between Brindisi and Corfu,

intended to prevent the Austro!ungarian navy gaining access to the "editerranean Sea# Althoughit did keep Austro!ungarian surface ships in the Adriatic, it had little effect on sub$arines, whichroutinely passed through the Barrage to conduct antishipping operations in the "editerranean# The

idea of the Barrage was first brought up by %irst &ord of the Ad$iralty 'inston Churchill at the

"ay ()(* conference in Paris, on the eve of +talys entry into the war# Churchill offered to supply*- fishing trawlers and *- $iles of sub$arine indicator nets, in return for the +talians providing

crews and ar$a$ent# The +talians declined, realising that $anning and ar$ing the craft would be asignificant challenge# .uring the .ardanelles ca$paign, British trawlers proved very useful, and as

the sub$arine war in the "editerranean intensified, the +talians realised that they did not have

enough s$all vessels for antisub$arine duties#

On the /-th August ()(*, the British Ad$iralty issued orders for 0- drifters to be prepared to leave

for the Adriatic as soon as possible# These were crewed pri$arily by fisher$en, with divisional

officers fro$ the Royal 1aval Reserve# 1ot used to $ilitary discipline, the naval officers initiallydespaired of their charges, though they i$proved rapidly# &ieutenant "#2# Cochrane, the second in

co$$and, co$$ented that 3the hu$an $aterial was of the best 4 it needed only a period ofpolishing before it would shine with e5ceptional lustre#6

The first drifters arrived at Taranto on the 77nd Septe$ber, evidently without warning# RearAd$iral Cecil Thursby co$plained, 38ou can i$agine $y surprise when suddenly 0- drifters were

du$ped on $e with no organisation, provisions, stores or anything else#6 The drifters were

organised into three divisions of 7-# At any one ti$e, two divisions would be deployed with theirnets, while the third would be in Brindisi# Two drifters fro$ each division would be at a subsidiary

base at Taranto for docking, boiler cleaning, and repairs# The +talians provided a pair of $erchant

ships 9:allipoli and Adratico; and a s$all au5iliary stea$er 9"a


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the :er$an >/), graphically illustrating the need to provide so$e for$ of selfdefence# By the ?th

1ove$ber all the drifters were ar$ed, typically with @$$ or *$$ guns and a few threepounders#

2ach trawler carried a series of light steel indicator nets anchored to the sea bed at various depths#

These were intended to capture ene$y sub$arines by entangle$ent, though this rarely worked in

practice# Thursby co$plained that he did not have sufficient drifters, and during winter boats oftenhad to take shelter and nets were lost# On the (*th 1ove$ber ()(*, the Ad$iralty dispatched afurther @- drifters, which began to arrive on the th .ece$ber# 'arships and aircraft supported the

drifters, though at various ti$es during the war other priorities $eant that very few warships could

be spared for this duty#

After an +talian cruiser and %rench destroyer were lost in une ()(0, the +talians stopped using

cruisers during daylight, leaving destroyers to protect the Barrage# +n uly, the Austro!ungarians

raided the line, sinking two drifters, da$aging two $ore and taking nine prisoners# The ne5t day,(-th uly, the +talian destroyer +$petuoso was sunk and the drifter line was $oved south, to a less

vulnerable position#

On the /-th October ()(0, a special conference was held regarding the Otranto Barrage# !ere it wasdecided that the drifters would be $oved to a line running fro$ Otranto to Asproruga, and that the

+talians would lay a $inefield ten $iles wide, thus reducing the area the drifters had to patrol# Otherco$$it$ents per$itting, the +talians would have two destroyers on patrol# The +talians would also

add 77 trawlers and (? coastal torpedo boats to the Barrage, as well as stationing $ore aircraft at

Brindisi and alona# The +talians did provide 7- additional drifters, as did the British, but pro$isesof e5tra gunboats were not kept, leaving the drifters vulnerable#

On the night of 77nd .ece$ber ()(0, four Austro!ungarian !us


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to catch the raiding force, but only caused $ore difficulties when %rench and +talian destroyers

ra$$ed each other in the darkness#

At an Allied naval conference in &ondon in anuary ()(, it was agreed that the drifters were

insufficiently protected# +n order to i$prove organisation, the barrage syste$ was to be placed

under the co$$and of a single British officer, Co$$odore Algernon !eneage# !e was to be

directly under the +talian Co$$ander in Chief and able to call upon the services of all Allied shipsnot in use elsewhere# +f re=uired, he could also ask for assistance fro$ other Allied ships on thevicinity#

The +talians and %rench started to argue for a fi5ed net of around @- $iles in length instead of nets

towed fro$ trawlers# The British thought that this was i$practical, but agreed to the construction ofa one $ile long trial net# At a conference in April, it was agreed that the Barrage did not have

sufficient drifters 9(7@ were available in total# Seventy were out at any one ti$e;# To counter this,

the conference reco$$ended hastening construction of the fi5ed net barrage#

The Battle of the Otranto StraitsOn the night of (@th "ay ()(, the Austro!ungarian navy launched their largest raid on theBarrage# The raid was carried out by the cruisers 1ovara, !elgoland, and Saida supported by the

destroyers Csepel, Balaton and >boats >@ and >7, along with :er$an uboat >C7*, under theco$$and of Ad$iral "iklEs !orthy# A supporting force co$posed of the ar$oured cruiser Sankt

:eorg, two destroyers, and several torpedo boats was on standby# The old predreadnought

battleship Budapest and a screen of torpedo boats were also available#

As the force sailed south, they encountered and attacked a s$all +talian convoy, sinking a destroyer

and a $unitions ship, and setting another ship on fire, causing it to be abandoned# The Austro

!ungarian force began the attack on the Barrage at -/F/-, usually warning the drifter crews toabandon ship before opening fire# @ drifters were on the Barrage when the force attacked, of which

(@ were sunk and four were da$aged# The re$aining drifters withdrew until the Austro!ungariansreturned to port#

So$e drifters chose to fight, $ost notably the :owan &ee# 'hen ordered by !elgoland to surrender

and abandon ship, the captain, oseph 'att ordered full speed ahead and called on the crew to givethree cheers and fight to the finish# The crew $anaged to get a single shot off before their si5

pounder was disabled, but they kept working to get the gun firing again, despite being under heavy

fire# The :owan &ea was heavily da$aged but re$ained afloat# She picked up survivors fro$ otherdrifters that had been sunk and ca$e alongside alongside %loandi to re$ove her dead and wounded#

oseph 'att was awarded the ictoria Cross for his 3$ost conspicuous gallantry6# One of the crewreceived the Conspicuous :allantry "edal and two received the .istinguished Service "edal for

their parts in the action#

The Allied forces $oved to block the Austro!ungarian retreat# At -F-- the +talian flotilla leader"irabello, with the %rench destroyers Co$$andant RiviGre, Bisson, and Ci$eterre intercepted the

$ain Austro!ungarian force, but being outgunned, chose to shadow rather than engage# At -F@*,

two British cruisers 9.art$outh and Bristol; and five +talian destroyers engaged the destroyersCsepel and Balaton, which had been conducting a diversionary attack off the Albanian coast# After a

short fight, in which one +talian destroyers boilers were disabled, the Allies retreated as they ca$e

into range of the coastal batteries at .ura


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At -)F-- Bristol sighted the Austrian cruisers, and the Allied force turned to engage# So$e of the

Allied destroyers started to suffer fro$ $echanical proble$sH those that did not were tasked withprotecting those that did, so that the two cruisers continued the battle without the destroyers#

"eanwhile, reinforce$ents fro$ both sides were dispatched# By ((F--, the Austro!ungarian

cruiser 1ovara had been crippled, but Sankt :eorg was approaching with a force of destroyers andtorpedo boats# Acton, the Allied co$$ander, te$porarily withdrew to consolidate his forces,

allowing the Austro!ungarians to take 1ovara under tow#

Acton broke off the pursuit, though an +talian destroyer $isread the signal and atte$pted to launcha torpedo attack# +t was driven off by heavy gunfire# Csepel and Balaton reIoined the others, and the

Austro!ungarian surface force returned to Cattaro# The :er$an uboat >C7* later caused seriousda$age to .art$outh with a torpedo attack, and the %rench destroyer Boutefeu was sunk by a $ine

while pursuing >C7*#

The Austro!ungarians planned another, larger attack in une ()(?# This was to include all fourTegetthoff class dreadnought battleships, but the attack was called off when the S


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About Russell PhillipsBorn and brought up in a $ining village in South 8orkshire, RussellPhillips has lived and worked in South 8orkshire, &incolnshire,

Cu$bria and Staffordshire# !e writes books and articles about $ilitary

technology and history# !is articles have been published in "iniature'arga$es, 'arga$es +llustrated, and the Society of Twentieth Century

'arga$ersJ ournal# Russell has been interviewed for the A$ericanedition of The oice of Russia# !e currently lives in StokeonTrent

with his wife and two children#

Books by Russell Phillips

A %leet in BeingF Austro!ungarian 'arships of ''+

A .a$n CloseRun ThingF A Brief !istory of the %alklands Conflict

Red SteelF Soviet Tanks and Co$bat ehicles of the Cold 'ar

The Bear "arches 'estF (7 Scenarios for ()?-s 1ATO vs 'arsaw Pact 'arga$es

This 'eJll .efendF The 'eapons and 2=uip$ent of the >#S# Ar$y

Find Russell Phillips Online

'ebsiteF www#rpbook#co#uk

TwitterFKRPBook

%acebookF RussellPhillipsBooks

:oogle PlusF LRussellPhillips

2$ailF russellKrpbook#co#uk

oin RussellJs $ailing listF www#rpbook#co#ukMlist

Licence

This work by Russell Phillipsis licensed under a Creative Co$$ons

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