Giovanni delle Bande Nere escaped Cape Spada, later hit HMS Cleopatra at Second Sirte, and attacked the Tiger convoy. The cruiser completed four interception, eight convoy-escort, and three minelaying missions. Damage attributed either to battle or heavy weather suggests how lightly the hull was constructed. It nevertheless accumulated about 35,000 wartime miles across several major Mediterranean actions. A single torpedo from the U-class submarine HMS Urge ultimately broke it into two sections while it was sailing for repairs.
Chapter · 44:56-47:10
Giovanni delle Bande Nere's active wartime career
The surviving cruiser fought at Cape Spada, Calabria, and Second Sirte before HMS Urge's torpedo broke it apart in April 1942.