World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseTrento was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers. Between Jun and Oct 1929, she cruised in South America. Between Feb and 30 Jun 1932, she served off Tianjin, China as a show of force. In Aug 1933, joined by her two sister ships, she was assigned as a part of the Italian Navy Second Naval Division. In 1934, the three Trento-class heavy cruisers joined the Third Naval Division. During the Spanish Civil War, she escorted Italian ships in the Mediterranean Sea with her sister ships. As Italy joined WW2, she participated in the battles of Calabria, Cape Spartivento, and Matapan. In the morning of 15 Jun 1942, she was a part of a force tasked with intercepting the Allied convoy participating in Operation Vigorous, looking for supply Malta. While the force was in the Ionian Sea, Trento was attacked by a Beaufort aircraft, which struck and disabled her with a torpedo at 0515; she was left behind while the other ships continued on to perform the interception. At 0910, she was found by British submarine Umbra. The submarine launched a torpedo, hitting Trento at the magazine, causing her to sink within minutes. Over half of Trento's crew was killed as there was little time to evacuate.

Photographs

Trento Operational Timeline

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