In December 1941, Italian combat swimmers from the Decima Flottiglia MAS attacked the British battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria's harbor using "human torpedoes" to attach mines. The attack, codenamed "Operation Principale," severely damaged the Queen Elizabeth, sinking it onto the harbor floor where it was temporarily out of action. While it did not sink completely, it was disabled for over a year, and the attack temporarily weakened British naval power in the Mediterranean. The attac