Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 13:01-13:16

What a Tribal crew saw when attacking Littorio at Second Sirte

Smoke would have dominated the view from a Tribal-class destroyer attacking Littorio at the Second Battle of Sirte.

Italian Battleship LittorioNaval TacticsSecond Battle Of SirteSmoke ScreensTribal Class Destroyers (1936)
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What would the crew and captain have seen while attacking Littorio at the Second Battle of Sirte?

Short answer

Mostly smoke; the attacking destroyer's view would have been heavily obscured.

Notes

Haida provides a physical stand-in for the view from a Tribal-class destroyer attacking the Italian battleship Littorio at the Second Battle of Sirte. The crew and captain would have seen a great deal of smoke. The immediate waterfront offered no nearby feature that could convincingly reproduce the full scene. Smoke could leave little of the enemy ship apparent to an attacking destroyer.