Page 38 - Cormorant Issue 20 2017

PAGE 36
Taranto Night Dinner
Lt Cdr Matt Boulind
WHILST IT IS ENTIRELY right and proper that the rst of cial Mess Dinner of the ACSC 20 social calendar, Trafalgar Night, was a formal
affair, it is equally appropriate that the second – no less important – was more light-hearted. The Taranto Night Dinner (which
started seriously but ended with a comedy ‘skit’) took place on 24th November 2016.
For over a century, the Fleet Air Arm has been at the vanguard of the Royal Navy’s ghting capability. Just one of the Royal Navy’s Fighting Arms, the Fleet Air Arm displays determination, courage, and innovation in the face of adversity. Its role, and practice, has been to extend the eyes, ears and teeth of the United Kingdom’s Maritime (and of course ‘Joint’)
war ghting capability. One such event that typi es this approach is the Battle of Taranto: an attack that “changed the face of naval warfare forever” [Admiral Cunningham, Commander in Chief Mediterranean 1940].
The attack took place on the night of 11th November 1940 (a year after the start of World War II) and saw the rst carrier-launched air strike against an enemy eet. Twenty one Sword sh torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS attacked the Italian navy’s battle eet at anchor in the southern Italian harbour of Taranto. Flying at their extreme of range and through a barrage of anti-aircraft re, the Royal Navy’s Sword sh devastated the Italian eet
- halving its effective strength overnight – with the loss of just two Sword sh. Sadly, two Fleet Air Arm of cers (Lt Slaughter and S/Lt Bailey) were killed and, signi cantly, many more lives were lost by the Italian Navy.
The attack on Mussolini’s eet at Taranto was vital
to protect Britain’s interests and supply routes in the Mediterranean. Seen in the full context of the war, this raid is a key event that illustrates the importance of control of the seas to the successful prosecution of war on land. The success of the attack marked the beginning of the rise of naval aviation and went on to inspire the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941 - the event that was so in uential in bringing the United States into the War.
The dinner itself was a resounding success, with 330 members of the Course and wider Defence Academy community joining the ACSC 20 Aviators (both aircrew and engineers) to commemorate the event. Opening with a ‘rendition’ of the Naval Prayer
“Flying at their extreme of range and through
a barrage of anti- aircraft re... ◆◆◆