Italian destroyer Angelo Bassini
Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") in 1918, she served in the final months of World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign.In 1922, the city of La Spezia awarded battle ensigns to Angelo Bassini, the scout cruisers Falco and Guglielmo Pepe, and the torpedo boat Premuda.Tasked with occupying Corfu, the force, commanded by Ammiraglio di squadra (Squadron Admiral) Vittorio Tur, also included the light cruiser Bari (Tur's flagship), the light cruiser Taranto, the destroyers Augusto Riboty and Carlo Mirabello, the torpedo boats Altair, Andromeda, Antares, Aretusa, Giacomo Medici, and Nicola Fabrizi, and the tankers Garigliano, Sesia, and Tirso.[9] At 20:00 on 15 December Angelo Bassini and Francesco Morosini left Bari escorting Città di Marsala and the steamers Tergestea and Zena, transporting a combined 861 soldiers, 198 draft animals, and 504 motor vehicles, to Durrës, where they arrived at 13:35.[9] On the same day at 17:30, Angelo Bassini left Vlorë escorting the steamers Absirtea and Arpione and the steam tanker Conte di Misurata, all in ballast, arriving at Brindisi at 08:00 on 28 January.[9] On 6 March at 10:30, Angelo Bassini left Durrës escorting Città di Tripoli and Quirinale, carrying a combined 316 wounded, and Puccini, in ballast, arriving at Bari at 22:45.[9] On 11 March 1941 at 04:00 Angelo Bassini departed Durrës escorting Città di Tripoli, with 207 wounded on board, and Puccini and Quirinale, both in ballast, back to Bari, where they arrived at 12:00.[9] On 19 March at 17:00, Angelo Bassini left Durrës escorting Quirinale, with 384 lightly wounded aboard, and Aventino, Filippo Grimani, and Puccini, all in ballast, to Bari, arriving there at 07:00 on 20 March[9] That same day, Angelo Bassini and Capitano A. Cecchi escorted Aventino, Puccini, Rossini, and Sant'Agata, loaded with 2,808 men, 833 draft animals, and 458 tonnes (451 long tons; 505 short tons) of supplies, from Bari to Durrës.[9] On 31 March at 06:30, Angelo Bassini left Durrës escorting Puccini, in ballast, and Quirinale, with 286 lightly wounded aboard on a voyage to Bari, where the convoy arrived at 19:00.[5][12] On 21 September 1941 Angelo Bassini and Brindisi escorted Aventino and the steamers Italia and Rosandra, with personnel, motor vehicles, and materiel of the Royal Army on board, from Bari via Kotor (known to the Italians as Cattaro) to Durrës.[9] On 22 October Angelo Bassini and the auxiliary cruiser Attilio Deffenu escorted the steamers Francesco Crispi and Piemonte and the motor ship Viminale, loaded with troops and supplies, from Bari to Patras.[9] On 31 October Angelo Bassini escorted Città di Marsala and the steamer Volodda, carrying soldiers returning to Italy, from Patras to Brindisi.[9] On 11 February 1942 Angelo Bassini and Brindisi got underway from Bari to escort Francesco Crispi, Milano, and Piemonte via Corfu to Patras with a load of troops and materials.[9] On 13 February, Angelo Bassini, Brindisi, and the destroyer Turbine escorted the three same merchant ships, loaded with troops and supplies, from Corfu to Patras.[9] At 13:00 on 28 March 1942 Angelo Bassini, Città di Napoli, the destroyer Sebenico, and the torpedo boats Antonio Mosto, Castelfidardo, and San Martino, got underway from Patras to escort a convoy composed of Aventino, Francesco Crispi, Galilea, Italia, Piemonte, and Viminale, headed to Brindisi and then on to Bari loaded with 8,300 troops.[9] Francesco Crispi, Galilea, Piemonte, and Viminale were transporting elements of the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" returning to Italy from Greece, while Aventino and Italia were carrying men from the garrisons of the Italian Dodecanese headed home on leave.[9] At 22:45 that day the British submarine HMS Proteus torpedoed Galilea in the Ionian Sea 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) southwest of Antipaxos.[9] On 8 October 1942, Angelo Bassini left Brindisi under the command of Tenente di vascello (Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant) Vaccarezza to escort the military cargo ship Enrichetta on a voyage to Pylos, loaded with fuel in drums and other supplies for the Greek bases of the Regia Marina.[9] Finding herself unable to transmit a report of the sinking because of interference with radio traffic by bad weather, Angelo Bassini hoisted her boats back aboard at 17:45 and began a search of the area for additional survivors.[9] On 12 March 1943 Angelo Bassini, the auxiliary cruiser Lazzaro Mocenigo, and the torpedo boat Giuseppe Missori escorted Milano and Quirinale from Bari to Durrës.[9] At 00:00 on 23 April 1943 Angelo Bassini got underway from Messina, Sicily, to join the corvettes Euterpe and Gabbiano and the torpedo boat Climene in escorting the steamer Galiola, which was making a voyage from Reggio Calabria to Tunis loaded with ammunition.[17][18][19][20] While the torpedo boats rescued survivors, a German Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 bomber sighted Sahib near the surface and dropped a bomb, which missed.[18][19][20] On 28 May 1943 Angelo Bassini was moored at Leghorn (Livorno) when 92 United States Army Air Forces bombers attacked, extensively damaging the city and its port and killing 294 civilians.
anchoredKingdom of ItalyAngelo BassiniCantieri navali OderoSestri PonentePennant numberTorpedo boatDestroyerlong tonsfull loadwaterlineofficersnon-commissioned officers102 mm (4 in)/4576.2 mm (3 in)/40torpedo tubesLa Masa-classCommissionedRegia MarinaWorld War IAdriatic campaigninterwar periodWorld War IIGreco–Italian WarMediterranean campaignTunisian campaignlaid downShipyardlaunchedLa Speziabattle ensignsscout cruisersGuglielmo PepePremudasister shipsGiacinto CariniGiuseppe La FarinaNicola FabriziDestroyer SquadronCarlo MirabelloFlotillaDivisionSquadronTarantoShip-of-the-Line LieutenantGiovanni Barbinitook commandGold Medal of Military ValorAction in the Strait of OtrantoNazi Germanyinvasion of PolandFascist ItalyAxis powersinvasion of FranceBrindisiEnrico CosenzGiacomo MediciAdriatic SeaGreececonvoyItalian protectorate of Albaniaauxiliary cruisersmotor torpedo boatsmotor shipDurrëssteamerscattledraft animalsantisubmarineSquadron AdmiralVittorio Turlight cruiserflagshipAugusto RibotyAltairAndromedaAntaresAretusatankersmerchant shipsRoyal Army's47th Infantry Division "Bari"battalionRegiment "San Marco"amphibious landingEpirusGeneral Marcello PrestinariAntonio PigafettaEmanuele PessagnoNicoloso da Reccomotor vehiclesBalenoFolgoreFulmineBarlettaartilleryammunitiontankerfuel oilgasolinefodderartillery piecesforage56th Infantry Division "Casale"autocannonsPatrasTurbineSebenicoAntonio MostoCastelfidardoSan Martino3rd Alpine Division "Julia"Italian DodecaneseLefkadastarboardtroopshipszigzaggingsubmarineHMS ProteustorpedoedIonian Seanautical milesAntipaxoscamouflageProti Islandthunderstorm