Sauro-class destroyer
 Italian destroyer Sauro
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sauro class |
| Operators |  Regis Marina |
| Preceded by | Sella class |
| Succeeded by | Turbine class |
| Built | 1924–1927 |
| In commission | 1927–1941 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 4 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 90.16 m (295 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in) |
| Draught | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Range | 2,600 nmi (4,800 km; 3,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 154–156 |
| Armament |
|
The Sauro class were a group of four
East African Campaign
in 1941.
Design and description
The Sauro-class destroyers were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding
deep load. Their complement was 8–10 officers and 146 enlisted men.[2]
The Sauros were powered by two
kW) for a speed of 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) in service,[3] although the ships reached speeds in excess of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) during their sea trials while lightly loaded.[4] They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2,600 nautical miles (4,800 km; 3,000 mi) at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[1]
Their
13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns. They were equipped with six 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships.[3] The Sauros could also carry 52 mines.[2]
Ships
These ships formed the 3rd Squadrilla and were based in the Red Sea.
| Ship name | Namesake | Builder | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cesare Battisti | Cesare Battisti | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 13 April 1927 | Scuttled 3 April 1941 |
| Daniele Manin | Daniele Manin | CNQ Fiume | 1 March 1927 | Sunk by aerial bombing, 3 April 1941 |
| Francesco Nullo | Francesco Nullo | CNQ Fiume | 15 April 1927 | Beached on RAF Bristol Blenheim bombers the next day
|
| Nazario Sauro | Nazario Sauro | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 23 September 1926 | Sunk by an Allied bombing, 3 April 1941 |
Operational history
The destroyers were outfitted for colonial service, and by 1935 they were deployed in the naval base of Massawa, Eritrea.[5] Italian's entry in World War II left Italian East Africa isolated from Italy.[6]
Attack on convoy BN 7
The only appreciable action in which the destroyers were involved was the
Blenheim bombers. Kimberley took two hits on a boiler from coastal batteries, and had to be towed to Aden
by HMS Leander.
End of the surviving units
The three surviving destroyers remained at dock in Massawa until the very end of ground operations in East Africa. Their commander ordered them to steam out on 2 April 1941, for an almost suicidal attack on
Arabian coast, where she was scuttled by her crew. Manin and Sauro kept firing their antiaircraft guns until they were sunk by the British planes.[8]
Notes
- ^ a b Whitley, p. 160
- ^ a b c Fraccaroli, p. 47
- ^ a b Roberts, p. 298
- ^ McMurtrie, p. 281
- ^ Cacciatorpediniere Sauro (in Italian)
- ISBN 88-8421-170-0(in Italian)
- ^ O'Hara, p. 103
- ISBN 1-85285-417-0
Bibliography
- 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.
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Fraccaroli, Aldo (1968). Italian Warships of World War II. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0002-6.
- McMurtrie, Francis E., ed. (1937). Jane's Fighting Ships 1937. London: Sampson Low. OCLC 927896922.
- O'Hara, Vincent P. (2009). Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-648-3.
- Roberts, John (1980). "Italy". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 280–317. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
External links
- Classe Sauro Marina Militare website
