Named for Scipio Africanus, the Roman victor over Carthage, Scipione Africano entered service in April 1943 and first exercised with the fleet to integrate the ship and its newer technology. While reinforcing Taranto in July, her Gufo radar detected four British motor torpedo boats about five miles ahead during a high-speed night passage through the Strait of Messina. The resulting engagement lasted less than 150 seconds. Scipione Africano sank MTB 316 and heavily damaged MTB 313 while suffering only minor damage and two crew injuries. Italian and German coastal batteries then fired into the action, illustrating the identification hazards of night combat. This is the class's clearest wartime demonstration of sensors, speed, and concentrated firepower working together.
Chapter · 31:37-34:24
Scipione Africano's radar-guided night action against British MTBs
Gufo radar and high speed helped Scipione Africano break through a British motor-torpedo-boat ambush in the Strait of Messina in under three minutes.