Battle of the Strait of Otranto (1917) 1917
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 May 1917 – 15 May 1917 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1917 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War I era (1914–1918) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: Europe) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | World War I | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Miklós Horthy | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 40.2194, 18.9256 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Strait of Otranto of 1917 was the result of an Austro-Hungarian raid during the Adriatic Campaign of World War I on the Otranto Barrage, an Allied naval blockade of the Strait of Otranto. The battle took place on 15 May 1917, and was the largest surface action in the Adriatic Sea during World War I. The Otranto Barrage was a fixed barrier, composed of lightly armed naval drifters (modified fishing boats) with anti-submarine nets coupled with minefields and supported by Allied naval patrols.
The Austro-Hungarian Navy planned to raid the Otranto Barrage with a force of three light cruisers and two destroyers under the command of Commander (later Admiral) Miklós Horthy in an attempt to break the barrier to allow Austro-Hungarian and Imperial German Navy U-boats freer access to the Mediterranean Sea and Allied shipping. An Allied force composed of ships from three navies responded to the raid, and in the ensuing battle heavily damaged the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser Novara. However, the rapid approach of the Austro-Hungarian relief force persuaded the Italian Rear Admiral Alfredo Acton, the Allied commander, to retreat.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Strait of Otranto (1917) (revision 1370602421), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Ottoman conquest of Otranto 1481 · 38 km
- Battle of Saseno 1264 · 43 km
- Battle of the Aous (198 BC) 198 BC · 58 km
- Battle of Drashovica 1943 · 61 km
- Action in the Strait of Otranto 1940 · 68 km
- Battle of Savra 1385 · 99 km
Other battles of the World War I
- Battle of Verdun 1916
- Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft 1916
- Gas attacks at Hulluch 1916
- Night action at the Battle of Jutland 1916
- Trebizond Campaign 1916
- Action of 10 March 1917 1917
- Action of 11–12 December 1917 1917
- Action of 16 March 1917 1917
- Action of 17 November 1917 1917
- Action of 4 May 1917 1917
All 138 battles of the World War I →
Browse more: battles at sea · Europe · World War I era battles