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Mediterranean Sea
Tag
(47)
1914
August
06
Franco-British naval convention
On 6 August 1914 France and Britain concluded a naval convention in London. A French admiral took command of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean.
07
HMS Gloucester attacks Goeben and Breslau off Greece
On 7 August 1914 the British cruiser Gloucester shadowed the German ships Goeben and Breslau and opened fire on Breslau off the coast of Greece.
15
British and French squadrons join forces at the entrance to the Adriatic
On 15 August 1914 British and French warships joined forces at the entrance to the Adriatic to blockade the Austro-Hungarian fleet together.
16
Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta sunk
On 16 August 1914 an Allied fleet surprised the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta off the coast of Montenegro and sank her. 173 sailors were killed.
September
19
French fleet bombards Kotor
On 19 September 1914 French battleships shelled Austro-Hungarian batteries at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, covering the withdrawal of their own cruisers.
November
05
Britain annexes Cyprus
On 5 November 1914 Britain annexed Cyprus, which it had administered on the Sultan's behalf since 1878. The island formally ceased to belong to Turkey.
1915
March
01
Austrians bombard Antivari
On the night of 1–2 March 1915 Austro-Hungarian warships raided Antivari. They wrecked the pier and food stores and sank the King of Montenegro's yacht.
April
26
Sinking of the cruiser Léon Gambetta
During the night of 26–27 April 1915 the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-5 sank the French cruiser Léon Gambetta at the mouth of the Adriatic. 684 men died.
May
10
Naval convention of Britain, France and Italy
On 10 May 1915 the Entente and Italy concluded a naval convention in Paris. The Duke of the Abruzzi's fleet was to get British and French help in the Adriatic.
25
Italian fleet begins operations in the Adriatic
On 25 May 1915 Italian sailors took the Austrian post at Porto Buso. The day before, the Austro-Hungarian fleet had shelled Ancona and the Italian coast.
26
British squadron assembles at Malta
Four British battleships withdrawn from the Dardanelles assembled at Malta. On 26 May 1915 Rear-Admiral Cecil Thursby led them out to Italy.
27
British squadron joins the Italian fleet
On 27 May 1915 Rear-Admiral Thursby's four British battleships entered Taranto and joined the Italian fleet. The light cruisers were sent to Brindisi.
July
07
Sinking of the cruiser Amalfi
On 7 July 1915 the German submarine UB-14, sailing under the Austro-Hungarian flag as U-26, sank the Italian armoured cruiser Amalfi off Venice.
11
Italians occupy Pelagosa
On 11 July 1915 Italian sailors landed on the Austrian islet of Pelagosa in the middle of the Adriatic and set up an observation and signal post there.
18
Sinking of the cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi
On 18 July 1915 the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-4 sank the Italian armoured cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi off Cavtat as it shelled the railway in Dalmatia.
September
27
Explosion of the battleship Benedetto Brin
On 27 September 1915 the Italian battleship Benedetto Brin blew up in the harbour of Brindisi. More than 450 men were killed. Austrian sabotage was suspected.
October
16
Blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coast
At 6 a.m. on 16 October 1915 the Entente fleet began a blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coast. Neutral ships were given 48 hours to leave.
December
06
Austro-Hungarian squadron shells Durrës
On 6 December 1915 the cruiser Helgoland and destroyers sank sailing vessels carrying supplies for the Serbs, some at Durrës. A day earlier Novara raided Medua.
1916
January
22
Austrians take Antivari
On 22 January 1916 Austro-Hungarian troops took Antivari (Bar), Montenegro's only important port. The whole Montenegrin coast was now in enemy hands.
February
08
Sinking of the cruiser Amiral Charner
On 8 February 1916 Otto Hersing's U-21 torpedoed the French cruiser Amiral Charner off Lebanon. She sank in minutes; only one sailor survived.
April
27
Sinking of the battleship Russell
On 27 April 1916 the British battleship Russell struck mines laid by U-73 off Grand Harbour, Malta. About 125 men were killed.
August
02
Sinking of the battleship Leonardo da Vinci
On the night of 2–3 August 1916 the Italian dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci blew up and capsized in Taranto harbour. About 250 men died. Sabotage was suspected.
September
19
Blockade of the coast of Greek Macedonia
In September 1916 the Allies declared a blockade of the Greek coast from the Struma to the Mesta, held by the Bulgarians. It also covered Kavala and its gulf.
November
21
Sinking of the hospital ship Britannic
On 21 November 1916 the hospital ship Britannic, sister ship of the Titanic, struck a mine off Kea and sank in 55 minutes. Thirty people died.
23
Hospital ship Braemar Castle damaged
On 23 November 1916 the British hospital ship Braemar Castle, carrying wounded from Salonika, struck a mine off Mykonos. Four died and the ship was beached.
December
11
Sinking of the battleship Regina Margherita
On the night of 11–12 December 1916 the Italian battleship Regina Margherita struck mines leaving the Bay of Vlorë. About 675 men were killed.
27
Sinking of the battleship Gaulois
On 27 December 1916 the German UB-47 torpedoed the French battleship Gaulois east of Kythira. The ship sank, but only four sailors were killed.
1917
January
04
Sinking of the battleship Peresvet
On 4 January 1917 the Russian Peresvet, bought back from Japan, hit U-73's mines off Port Said and sank in a quarter of an hour. Sources give 91 to 252 dead.
09
Sinking of HMS Cornwallis
On 9 January 1917 the German U-32 torpedoed the British battleship Cornwallis, a Dardanelles veteran, east of Malta. The ship sank and 15 sailors died.
24
Allied naval conference in London
On 23–24 January 1917 the admiralties of Britain, France and Italy met in London on defending Mediterranean shipping. Much was said of the lack of ships.
March
19
Sinking of the battleship Danton
On 19 March 1917 the German U-64 torpedoed the French battleship Danton off Sardinia. 296 sailors died and over 800 were rescued.
April
13
Japanese destroyers in the Mediterranean
On 13 April 1917 Rear Admiral Satō's Japanese 2nd Special Squadron, the cruiser Akashi and eight destroyers, reached Malta to escort transports.
May
15
Clash in the Strait of Otranto
On 15 May 1917 Horthy's cruisers sank 14 British drifters in the Strait of Otranto. In the pursuit Novara was badly damaged and Horthy was wounded.
26
Sinking of the hospital ship Dover Castle
On 26 May 1917 the German UC-67 torpedoed the hospital ship Dover Castle off Algeria with over 600 patients aboard. The patients survived; 7 stokers died.
October
17
Hospital ship Goorkha damaged
On 17 October 1917 the British hospital ship Goorkha struck a mine off Malta. All 360-odd people on board survived and the ship was towed into port.
December
09
Sinking of the battleship Wien
On the night of 9/10 December 1917 two Italian torpedo boats broke into Trieste harbour. Luigi Rizzo's MAS 9 sank the Austro-Hungarian battleship Wien.
14
Sinking of the cruiser Châteaurenault
On 14 December 1917 UC-38 torpedoed the French cruiser Châteaurenault, carrying troops to Greece, off Kefalonia. The escort sank the submarine.
30
Sinking of the troopship Aragon
On 30 December 1917 off Alexandria UC-34 torpedoed the troopship Aragon, bound for Palestine, and the destroyer Attack rescuing survivors. About 620 died.
1918
February
01
Mutiny at Kotor
On 1 February 1918 sailors on Austro-Hungarian ships in the Bay of Kotor hoisted red flags and demanded peace. The mutiny collapsed after three days.
May
14
Italian raid on Pola
On the night of 13/14 May 1918 the Italian barrier-climbing boat Grillo forced some of the booms at Pola but was sunk. Her crew were taken prisoner.
June
10
Sinking of the Szent István
On 10 June 1918 Luigi Rizzo's MAS 15 torpedoed the dreadnought Szent István off Premuda. Horthy called off the fleet's attack on the Otranto barrage.
October
31
Fleet handed to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
On 31 October 1918 at Pola Horthy handed the Austro-Hungarian fleet to envoys of the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Janko Vuković took command.
November
01
Sinking of Viribus Unitis
On 1 November 1918 two Italians mined the dreadnought Viribus Unitis at Pola, handed to the State of SCS a day earlier. Admiral Vuković and hundreds died.
02
Sinking of *Surada* and *Murcia*
On 2 November 1918 UC-74 torpedoed the steamers Surada and Murcia off Port Said, the last British merchant ships sunk by the enemy in the war.
03
Italians take Trieste
On the afternoon of 3 November 1918 the Italian destroyer Audace docked at Trieste. General Petitti di Roreto took possession of the city for the King of Italy.
04
Italians take Bar
On 4 November 1918 the Italian navy occupied Bar (Antivari), the Montenegrin port abandoned by Austro-Hungarian troops in the last days of the war.
05
Italians in Fiume
On 4 November 1918 Italian warships led by the battleship Emanuele Filiberto entered the port of Fiume. The city, however, was still governed by the Croats.