Argo-class submarine
 Argo-class submarine (Argo)
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone |
| Operators |  Regia Marina |
| Built | 1936 |
| In commission | 1937–1943 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Scrapped | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 63.15 m (207 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 6.93 m (22 ft 9 in) |
| Draft | 4.46 m (14 ft 8 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Armament |
|
The Argo-class was a
Design and description
The Argo-class submarines displaced 793 metric tons (780 long tons) surfaced and 1,016 metric tons (1,000 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 63.15 meters (207 ft 2 in) long, had a beam of 6.93 meters (22 ft 9 in) and a draft of 4.46 meters (14 ft 8 in). Their crew numbered 46 officers and enlisted men.[2]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 750-
The boats were armed with six internal 53.3-centimeter (21 in)
Ships
Argo
Argo (
| Ship | Flag | Patrol | Date | Tonnage ( GRT )
|
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverpine | 
|
4th | 5 December 1940 | 5,066 | Freighter from convoy OB 252; 19 survivors from a crew of 55 |
| Tynwald |
|
12th | 11 November 1942 | 2,376 | Auxiliary anti-aircraft ship |
| Awatea |
|
12th | 11 November 1942 | 13,482 | Troopship |
| Total: | 20,924 GRT | ||||
Velella
Velella (pennant number VL) was launched 18 December 1936[4] and completed on 1 September 1937. Velella was on patrol in the eastern Mediterranean when Italy declared war. After refit at La Spezia, Velella sailed on 25 November 1940 and passed the Strait of Gibraltar on 1 December for an Atlantic patrol to Bordeaux on 25 December. After four unsuccessful Atlantic patrols, Valella returned to the Mediterranean on 24 August 1941. After refit at Cagliari and training at Pula, Velella patrolled without success south of Cape Palos (Spain) in April 1942, south of the Balearic Islands in June, along the Tunisian coast in July, and west of the Island of Galite in August, south of the Balearic Islands in September, in the Gulf of Philippeville and the Bay of Bona in November, north of Cape de Fer in April 1943, and off eastern Sicily in July. Its last patrol was off Salerno, where it was torpedoed by HMS Shakespeare on 7 September 1943. There were no survivors.[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c "Regia Marina Italiana". Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ a b Chesneau, p. 308
- ^ Bagnasco, p. 157
- ^ a b Kafka & Pepperburg p. 792
- ^ Rohwer, Jürgen; Gerhard Hümmelchen. "Seekrieg 1945, Mai". Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart (in German). Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ "Regia Marina Italiana". Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
References
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War, The Hunters 1939–1942. Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
- Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
- Brice, Martin (1981). Axis Blockade Runners of World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-908-1.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Kafka, Roger & Pepperburg, Roy L. Warships of the World Cornell Maritime Press (1946)
External links
- Argo Marina Militare website
