World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDestroyer Lanciere was named after lancers. She sailed from Messina, Sicily, Italy on 22 Mar 1942 to take part in the Battle of Sirte. En route, at 1000 hours, bad weather caused her to reduce her speed to 30 knots. By the afternoon, an estimated force 6 to 7 winds slowed her to 26 knots, and soon it was reduced to 22 knots. As waves splashed overboard, her fuel became contaminated with sea water, which led to her engines to stop at 2245 hours, and took about 30 minutes to get her underway again, moving only on one shaft. In the morning of 23 Mar, the flood waters she took on began to pose real dangers, and she sent out a SOS message at 0958 hours. Shortly after, she was hit by a very large wave, sending a large amount of water over the stern. She sank by the stern a few minutes later at 1017 hours. Later analysis blamed weak hatches, doors, and ventilation openings for the large amounts of flood water taken on during the storm. Furthermore, the contamination of fuel suggested a possible split in the hull plating. There were only five survivors.

Lanciere Operational Timeline

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