Battle of Taranto

The Battle of Taranto was fought on the night of 11–12 November 1940, when aircraft from the British carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto. A small force of Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers and aircraft carrying bombs and flares crossed the harbour defences in two waves and damaged several Italian battleships, including Conte di Cavour, Littorio and Caio Duilio.

The raid did not remove Italy from the naval war, but it temporarily shifted the balance of heavy ships in the Mediterranean and became an important demonstration that carrier aircraft could strike a defended fleet in harbour. Japanese naval officers studied British carrier operations before the attack on Pearl Harbor, although the two operations differed greatly in scale, planning and strategic purpose.

The Battle of Taranto is a useful Historical Period for books about Fleet Air Arm operations, Mediterranean naval warfare and the development of carrier striking power. Alan Bardos’s Rising Tide begins with its fictional protagonist taking part in the raid before the plot follows Japanese interest in the operation towards Pearl Harbor.