Map showing the location of the Strait
of Otranto.
The
Strait of Otranto (Canale d'Otranto in
Italian) connects the
Adriatic
Sea
with the Ionian Sea
. Its width is 45-55
nautical mile (85–100 km).
The strait is named
after the Italian
city of
Otranto
.
History
During
World War I, the strait was of
strategic significance.
The Allied navies of Italy, France, and Great Britain
, by blockading the strait, mostly with light naval
forces and lightly armed fishermen, hindered the cautious Austro-Hungarian Navy from freely
entering the Mediterranean
Sea
, and effectively kept them out of the naval theatre
of war.
However, the barrage was notoriously ineffective against the German
u-boats operating out of the Adriatic, which were to plague the
Allied powers for most of the war throughout the
Mediterranean.
References
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