Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 38:29-40:40

Why the Royal Navy sank Pola instead of towing her home

The British destroyers could probably tow the disabled Italian cruiser, but daylight air and surface threats made preserving the prize too dangerous.

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Question

Could the Royal Navy have towed Pola to an Allied port, and why did it not do so?

Short answer

Probably, but towing her would have slowed the force into daylight danger, so Cunningham ordered the disabled cruiser sunk.

Notes

The destroyer captains around Pola were already considering towing points and believed that several ships together could take her away. Admiral Cunningham instead ordered the cruiser torpedoed and worded the order to leave no room for an improvised salvage attempt. A slow tow would keep the destroyers in range of Italian naval and air attack after daylight while limiting their speed and freedom to manoeuvre. The operational decision was therefore that a valuable prize was not worth delaying and endangering the force.