Giussano-class cruiser

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Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice
Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice
Class overview
NameGiussano class
Operators Regia Marina
Built1928–1930
In commission1931–1942
Completed4
Lost4
General characteristics
TypeCruiser
Displacement
  • 6,570 tonnes (6,470 long tons) standard
  • 6,954 tonnes (6,844 long tons) full load
Length169.3 m (555 ft)
Beam15.5 m (51 ft)
Draft5.3 m (17 ft)
Propulsion95,000 hp (71,000 kW)
Speed
  • 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph)
  • (42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph) in trials)
Range3,800 nmi (7,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement507
Armament
Armor
Aircraft carried2 × CANT 25AR (later Ro.43) seaplanes
Aviation facilities1 × catapult launcher

The Alberto di Giussano class of

Condottieri
(military commanders) of the Italian Mediaeval and Renaissance periods.

Between the

destroyers, which were superior in displacement and firepower to other destroyers of that period. To counter the French menace, the Regia Marina decided to produce a new class of cruiser that would be of intermediate size between the new French destroyer class and cruisers. The Italian ships equated to the British Leander-class
cruisers.

There were 4 ships, all laid down in 1928: Alberto di Giussano, Alberico da Barbiano, Bartolomeo Colleoni and Giovanni delle Bande Nere.

Meant to hunt down and overwhelm the big French destroyers, the emphasis on firepower and speed resulted in these ships being virtually unprotected against gunfire and underwater threats; this was a major factor in all four ships being sunk by torpedoes.

Ships

Ships of the Alberto di Giussano class[1][2]
Ship Builder
Laid down
 Launched Completed Fate
Alberico da Barbiano
Ansaldo, Genoa
 16 April 1928 23 August 1930 9 June 1931 Sunk 13 December 1941, by a group of Royal Navy and Dutch destroyers during the Battle of Cape Bon.
Alberto di Giussano Ansaldo, Genoa 29 March 1928 27 April 1930 5 February 1931
Bartolomeo Colleoni Ansaldo, Genoa 21 June 1928 21 December 1930 10 February 1932 Sunk 19 July 1940, during the Battle of Cape Spada.
Giovanni delle Bande Nere R. C. di Castellammare di Stabia 31 October 1928 27 April 1930 27 April 1931 Sunk 1 April 1942, torpedoed by British submarine HMS Urge while off Stromboli.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 0-85177-453-9
    .
  2. ISBN 0-7110-0002-6
    .

Further reading

External links

Media related to Di Giussano class cruiser at Wikimedia Commons

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