二次世界大戰資料庫 (WW2DB)

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseCommissioned in early 1931, Zara was among the newest and most capable heavy cruisers in the world. During the Spanish Civil War, she served off Spain on the side of the Nationalists. In 1940, she participated in the Battle of Calabria and was present during the British raid on Taranto, Italy. On 29 Mar 1941, while under the command of Captain Luigi Corsi, Zara and her sister ships escorted the damaged battleship Vittorio Veneto back to port. En route, sister ship Pola was attacked and disabled by a British torpedo plane, and the two sister ships Zara and Fiume returned with four destroyers to guard her. That night, radar-equipped British ships, including three battleships, attacked the group. After sustaining heavy damage within five minutes of the battle, Corsi ordered Zara abandoned. At the end of the battle, all three Zara-class ships as well as two of the destroyers were sunk.

Heavy Cruiser Zara 互動地圖

Photographs

Zara Operational Timeline